Kids Gardening - Growing more than just food.

If you have kids, it's a great idea to get them gardening early. Teaching children to garden has many great benefits including discipline, teaching biology, encouraging love of nature, sustainability, responsibility, self-sufficiency, and building self-esteem.

from kidsgardening.org

This month, we'll be featuring several articles on family gardening, school gardening, and community gardening. We at Planting the Seed strongly encourage you to get your family (especially children) involved in gardening. 

Gardening isn't just a great way to improve your lawn (or your diet), it's a great way to teach and a great way to improve your community. This can be done by teaching your children (and your children's friends) to garden, starting or joining a community garden, or getting involved with  your children's schools to make sure that they teach gardening in the classroom.

from worldfooddayusa.org

October features World Food Day (October 16), a global movement to teach children and adults about current approaches to ending world hunger. Consider starting a family garden, to help teach your kids about the need for cooperation, aid, and education.

Here's a Parents' Primer to help you get started:

"Many other writings on kids' gardening start with what to grow and how to design and build a kids' garden, prepare soil, and plant, but this primer is not just about creating one garden for your kids. It's about taking advantage of "gardening moments" with your kids every week in your own backyard ... and front yard and in the garage and at the windowsill and in the basement ...

Through the seasons there are big projects and little opportunities for gardening with kids that can fit seamlessly into your life. This primer will help you learn to recognize those opportunities and turn your kids'questions into fun discoveries. And you'll get the garden-building basics too!" (kidsgardening.org)

Chapter 1: Gardening at Every Age 

(kidsgardening.org)

Looking for something to do this weekend?

Don't forget the Mobile Botanical Gardens' Longleaf Wildflour Tour and Picnic is tomorrow!

If that doesn't float your boat. You can head to Biloxi to the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art for their Art Fair ExtraOhrdinaire!

from georgeohr.org

It's Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 6pm so there's plenty of time to swing  by!

Here's where you can find information on:
Vendors and DemonstrationsMusicBook and Poster SigningsFoodMap and Schedule

If you're feeling energetic, try to make it to both events! They're sure to be fun for the whole family!

Longleaf Wildflowers Tour and Picnic

Mobile Botanical Gardens is hosting a member appreciation event (open to non-members as well--seriously you're not a member yet?)! It's next Saturday (15 September) from 10am until 12pm.

It's FREE for members, but only $5 for non-members.

from mobilebotanicalgardens.org

Here's the information from the MBG website:

September is the season when the Mobile Botanical Garden’s longleaf pine forest begins to show its true colors. We’re anticipating waves of purple blazing stars, along with the lipstick red of wild basil, the earliest golden and blue asters, and some pretty spectacular blooming grasses, like purple love grass, which even has the Latin name Eragrostis spectabilis. These bloomers should also be attracting a lot of butterflies and even hummingbirds. We’ll examine how controlled burning has contributed to the beauty, park-like atmosphere, and unusual light characteristics of the longleaf forest. We’ll understand how one very special pine, the longleaf, made this community possible.

 After the tour, we’ll have an old-time southern longleaf picnic – bring a picnic basket, or sack lunch, and we’ll supply the drinks. Bill Finch will read excerpts from “Longleaf Far As the Eye Can See,” his upcoming book with Beth Maynor Young.

Details: Meet in the parking area at 10 am. Suggested attire: long pants and comfortable shoes. Hats and sunscreen optional.

Important Information:

When: Saturday 15 September 10am until 12pm

Where: Meeting in the Mobile Botanical Garden at 10am.

How: Wear long pants and comfortable shoes. They say sunscreen is optional, but remember, no tan is a "healthy tan." Hats are also recommended.

Why: Too many reasons to name them all, so here are our top 2. 1. It's a great way to spend time with the family. 2. The Gulf Coast has a splendid natural beauty. You owe it to yourself to enjoy it!