Growing Together — Pro tips on planting a spring garden alongside your children
Photo courtesy of Yard Crop
With over 10 years of backyard gardening and four growing seasons of providing gardening expertise to local North Forkers, Kirsten Kesicki, founder of Yard Crop, is our go-to gal when it comes to all things garden growing.
Not only is Kirsten an adept local resource, but she’s also a mother of two who understands first-hand the thrills and obstacles of gardening with children. Let’s not forget to mention her time volunteering at and growing the CAST community gardens and sharing her knowledge there, too.
This year, Kirsten plans to share her knowledge even further.
“It has been an incredible journey educating our community about kitchen gardens and the importance of complimenting native pollinator gardens,” Kirsten told us. “We are revamping our services this year which truly excites me! While we continue to offer design, build, and planting services; we are now focusing on educating our clients via coaching and hands-on local workshops.”
In this Petite Institute feature, Kirsten touches on the how and the why to grow a backyard garden with your children.
Where to grow
“The first step is always determining where you will be growing on your property to determine optimal sunshine for growth. From there, you will consider your harvest goals and growing container size. Whether you are choosing a raised bed, fabric grow bag, or large pot will determine what you can grow. For total beginners, I always suggest a potted herb and edible flower barrel. Utilizing upcycled wooden barrels, which can be found locally at wineries, or large galvanized steel tubs from your local hardware store can be a simple container solution. Filling your container with a high-quality soil mixture is imperative! If you don't have an at-home compost set up, purchasing an organic raised bed soil mixture from your local garden center or farm is a great base.”
Kirsten’s suggested soil: Coast of Maine Raised Bed Mix which is sold locally at Agway (locations in Riverhead and Southold) and Sang Lee Farms.
Selecting your seedlings
“Once you have your container ready to grow, visit your local farmstands and nurseries to purchase locally grown seedlings. My go-to edible flowers are viola, pansies, carnations, nasturtium, and marigolds. There are a vast array of frost-tolerant herbs and flowers that can be grown in April. If you choose to buy your plants hyper-local, you will not mess up your timing and plant summer crops that are too tender for early spring. Keep in mind that you can start small with a few plants and add more as the weather warms up! Sugar snap peas, pansies, spinach, kale, and parsley are always in our early spring gardens!”
Kirsten’s favorite spots for seedlings: Deep Roots Farm, Papa's Organic Plants, Gardens at Beds and Borders, Herricks Lane Farm
Getting your children involved
“Making it a fun adventure and not a chore is my best advice! Start with a planning session to dream together about your garden goals, peruse a seed catalog, or go for a pre-purchasing shopping visit to your local plant source to scope out your options. If you have multiple children you could choose to buy each child their own container to show visible ownership over what they will decide to grow. This will also allow you to have your own area to grow in. In all cases, the growing journey includes lessons that can be perceived as failures. Do not get discouraged, learn together and keep trying!”
Two lessons from the garden
“There is so much wonder to witness, the first lesson is simply to be curious and welcome wonder. The second most important lesson is the connection to nature and food sources. The connection creates gratitude for our environment and an appreciation for locally grown nourishment on our tables.”
A focus on the connection and joy
“It is especially important for children in our North Fork region to understand where food comes from. This understanding inspires a healthy lifestyle, respect for our local farming community, and appreciation for the incredible native ecosystem we are preserving in our area. The joy that comes from harvesting food together that has been nurtured by our hands and then put on our dining tables is so special to me. It's a way to relieve anxiety in a busy world, stay grounded literally, and have fun in the outdoors with your children.”
Footnotes from Kirsten (that I’ll be writing on a Post-it and saving!)
1.) Make it fun with small achievable goals.
2.) Have a dream garden planning session to stir excitement and involvement!
3.) Don't be discouraged if their exploratory behavior creates setbacks. The garden is the best classroom for learning life lessons!
Connect with Yard Crop at yardcropnofo@gmail.com, and follow along on Instagram @yardcrop. There, be on the lookout for an exciting upcoming announcement from Yard Crop, *hint* think garden club!