I’ve always believed that kids learn more through experience and as parents, it’s our great privilege to expose them to as many hands-on learning opportunities as we can.
One of the projects I decided to take on lately was to create our own mini vegetable garden at home. I want this to be an opportunity for Luke to learn, not just about the task involved, but also for him to develop values such as patience, responsibility and the importance of hard work.
Come take a peek at our little garden and see what’s growing! 😉
Deciding to Start a Vegetable Garden
Mor and I have always wanted to grow our own vegetable and herb garden at home. We were just never intentional about it. So for years, it was all just plans and ideas in our head.
But as mentioned, having Luke made me want to create more opportunities for him to learn and explore. And so we decided to turn our plans into reality. When I mentioned this idea to my mom-in-law, she was more than eager to help us out and so, that was how this project all began!
Special thanks to my Mom-in-Law!
My mother-in-law grows her own mini vegetable garden at her home with different fruit-bearing trees and plants. We’d pick guava, kalamansi and once, even lemons, in her backyard!
I have zero knowledge with plants and having her help us with this is really such a blessing! In fact, she even went with me and Luke to choose the right planters. She also shared some of her own plants and veggies for us to start with.
It’s Time to Plant!
We got two rectangular planters from a plant and flower shop near our place. We had it customized to the right height, as my mom-in-law recommended, and the right shape. I wanted something that’s minimalist in design and I definitely didn’t expect that it would be so hard to find simple rectangular planters!
Then, my mom-in-law brought some seeds and baby plants to put and off we planted!
What We Planted
Each planter can hold 3 different kinds of vegetables. For the first planter, we placed Eggplants, Tomatoes and Okra (Ladies’ Fingers). For the second one, we placed Polonchai (Chinese Spinach), Spinach and Alugbati (Malabar Spinach).
My mom-in-law is seriously the best. She said that she chose these vegetables for us to plant because these were Luke’s favorite. And it’s true. Luke really loves Polonchai and Alugbati!
Involving Kids in the Work
When we started planting, one of our helpers thought that Luke was only there for a photo-op. Haha! She kept saying “Hold and show mommy!” then she would ask for the stalks back for her to plant herself. Luke was so frustrated and kept asking why!
When I realized what was happening, I immediately informed her that it was absolutely okay to Luke to participate! Actually, that was the whole point of having the vegetable garden in the first place. Hehe.
I know it will take longer and it will be messy, but it will be worth all the trouble in the end.
And just look at that happy face! As we were working on the vegetables, he would ask things like why the plants had to be spaced out as such and it was such a great opportunity to answer his many questions. I’m glad we involved him in the work because now, planting vegetables is no longer just an abstract concept in his head. He’s done it himself and knows what’s involved in the activity.
Ta-da! The Finished Project
This is how our two planters look side by side in our outdoor area. Our eggplants and tomatoes are still seeds so you won’t see anything yet. But hopefully in the next couple of weeks, we’ll see them sprout! I’ll update you guys on my Instagram! Haha.
Teaching Responsibility
Our activity doesn’t end with just planting. We told Luke that these was his vegetable garden and it was his responsibility to take care of it. He has to water it regularly and check its growth. He was more than eager to do that. 😀
I went with him last weekend to buy a watering can and I let him choose from the ones available. It was so funny that there was actually an elephant-shaped one which doubles as a spray at the same time. He loved it and of course we had to get THAT particular one. (We got it at the DIY shop for around P250 or $5, but they only had 1 piece left the last time we went!)
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And there you have it! What do you think? Wanna start your own mini vegetable garden too? Or maybe you have one already? Share them with us below! We’d love to hear tips as well if you have any.