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Does your child enjoy spending hours outside and getting his or her hands dirty?

Your child could be a ‘budding’ gardener. Getting kids involved in activities when they’re young can encourage life-long hobbies as adults. Gardening can give you and your child an activity that you enjoy together.

Here’s how to get your young one involved in the joy of gardening.

To encourage your child’s interest in gardening, let them create their own gardening space. Set aside part of the yard that your child can work on. Letting your child be their own green thumb will give him or her a sense of accomplishment and appreciation for their work in the yard.

Kids love a theme. Encourage them to build a theme in their portion of the garden. How about a small vegetable garden where they can grow their own lettuce, peas and carrots? Or how about brightly coloured flowers like petunias and peonies?

Once you have the theme, you and your child can decide what you want to plant and where you want to plant it. Try placing child-made crafts and signs in the garden to make it more personal.

To sustain your child’s interest:

• Go to a garden show. This will educate your child about plants and flowers.
• Have your child make labels for the plants in their garden. This will make it personal and could be something they incorporate into a school project.
• Grow edible flowers. Try marigolds, calendula, or lilacs in salads or freeze them in ice cubes. Grow mint plants to make into candy - your kids will love it! Make sure to educate your child about the hazards of poisonous plants.

It’s not important whether you have a herb garden, a tulip garden, or a vegetable garden, just as long as you and your child spend time gardening together.