Disclaimer! I don't have children, nor grandchildren, but I have a lot of experience with other folk's children (and for the most part, the kids survived). Give them a wee plot of their own, some seeds, and a few tools. Let them plant whatever they want. Tell them while they are waiting for their seeds to come up, they can help in your garden (keep them away from anything valuable or delicate). Let them pull a radish, pick a bean, watch bugs. Give them some outside time with you, and they'll get the hang of it. Make it an adventure, a fun time, a reward (you didn't eat your carrots, so no garden for you today!). May I commend you for wanting your grandchildren to be outside, and outside in your garden? That is one fine grandmama!
(Disclaimer... I don't have children either) That's a tough one. If they were under 10 years of age... it would be pretty easy. A day out to a working farm or nursery. But teenagers... that's a whole another world. My only suggestion would be to find out a way to incorporate their interests with anything remotely related to the garden or outdoors. And then threaten them with starvation and no electricity until they break! Good luck Margie... hopefully someone that has actually went through this will offer better advice than me.
don't have grandkids, but I do have kids - 4 of them actually... the youngest is 9 and she loves to help me in the garden and I love her company. The other 3 are all teens and have no interest and are amused by my "obsession", as they call it, with gardening. I think that you can't make them do it, if its available and they want to, they will ... otherwise $10 says at least one of them will gravitate toward it as adults Zoey & Max helping turn over the dirt ( photo / image / picture from bhapimama's Garden )
Peas carrot radish worked for my children. Let them graze in garden. Start young, 3 or 4 is not too young. A providential pail of washing water nearby will relax some dirt-phobic mothers. My eldest (and first grazing recipient) is already dragging grandson out to examine garden... Eldest was unsure many years ago if it was ok to eat at gardens edge. when I explained that radish and carrot NEEDED to be thinned (they were planted in a mixed bed of both) and it was ok to eat the thinnings... If the whole bed gets eaten, simply replant. Radish always germinates first, it shades carrot seed...
Hi Margie, Not sure what to tell as to what would help specifically, If i knew I would be rich and all my children would bow down before me.LOLOLOLOL Anyhow, I let my kids pick anything out of the seed rack they wanted to try or thought looked neat/cool or whatever their thought was on the plant. That seemed to help. We grew Ruby Red sweet corn from Burpee's and they loved it. The color is VERY funky when it's cooked Kind of a grey/purple color, but had a very good taste, my thought is it's best eaten right in the field. This year it was lemon drop cherry tomatoes and graffiti cauliflower.Try to get them to EAT it right in the garden. the taste surpasses anything purchased or picked the day before. When we are thirsty out in the garden we eat the purple asparagus raw. the taste is awesome. encouraging them to eat it develops a taste for good food, also.
