Dirt on Me (and some fun gardening activities for kids)

O Happy Day! My dirt has finally arrived-and such a pleasing sight it is! A deep brown, very different from the dry and orange earth veiled beneath the grass. Now, due to our woodchuck family neighbors, we will get a fence up and then I will start planting! I found a local greenhouse (the only one from what I can tell) and was VERY pleased with the prices! In previous years I have spent $2.00 for a single tomato plant but this year I was able to get four plants for $1.29!!! Hurrah! I also purchased two zucchini plants (I will grow more from seed), sweet pepper plants (I will grow more from seed) AND hot, and a bit of lavendar. ALL of those plants were STILL far less than I thought I would pay for tomatoes alone! So I threw in a hanging basket-STILL less than I thought I would spend! So now plants and dirt wait patiently to be united. I can't wait to get my hands dirty! Our driveway is so large I put our hang basket arches along them and will line it with plants. Just the one looks lovely, I know adding another will only add to the charm.

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MORE Garden Plans

* Directly behind our house is a rather steep embankment of soil. Matt said he will terrace it for me!!! I will add shade-loving flowers and ferns to it to dress up the garage side of the house. I hope this is 'THIS YEAR' project!!!

* I just saw an idea in a container gardening book of mine to create a container water garden. I think this would be a WONDERFUL thing for Corynn to work on herself and it would be a good learning tool as well! My brother Jonathan had this WONDERFUL little pond with water plants and HUGE goldfish-and even a waterfall! We will not get that elaborate-that requires a lot. (though the results are quite worth it!) So-after my veg. and herb gardens are in, Corynn and I will be taking a trip to the greenhouse where she will pick out some water-loving vegetation, she will pay for it 'herself' and then we will get that water garden made. I will post pictures for any and all interested.

Other good gardening opportunities for kiddos (that would create MANY teachable moments!) are (to name a few)...

~Create a wildlife garden (research what plants attract birds, bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and such.)
OR going further with the animal theme, find plants with animal NAMES and make a 'Plant Zoo" (spider plants, elephant bush, hens and chicks...there are more than you think!)
~ Create a desert garden (using pebbles, sand, cactuses and other such drought resistant plants.)
~ Create a Little House on the Prairie garden (use lemon verbena and other such plants that are spoken about.)
~Create color gardens-focusing on flowers all one color
~A scent garden
~An edible garden

All of these garden's can be downsized for CONTAINERS which would make it a more practical size for children.

If you want to go LARGE-create an alphabet garden planting something for each letter of the alphabet!

Another fun project I have seen done is to make flower houses and tunnels! To make a house, you just plant sunflowers in a square (leaving space for a door) and then train the stalks to bend to one another (by tying) to create a roof. A tunnel requires you to put metal arches in the ground and to train climbing vines around them. These are things we will probably do in the future, but it would be on the 'are you CRAZY?!?!?!' list for this year.

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Yesterday it was mid-90's and it was the day I decided I NEEDED to get to baking pies for my neighbors. So-despite the heat, my day was spent slicing fruit, cutting in butter, rolling out dough, and bending into a burning oven. Then Corynn, Andy Panda and I went hiking to the houses. Unfortunately, no one was home so I am guessing we will be hiking again today!

Besides that, I have SO much to do inside-I have constantly been busy but for some reason-there is STILL a lot to do. Not sure how THAT happens but-I guess I should be happy. At least I am not BORED! hehehe