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Originally Posted by ellenmelon One of the sweetest things I ever saw for a kids garden (martha stewart or mary englebreit or good housekeeping magazine?) was a 'tent' made of bean poles tied at the top, when the beans climb up the poles and spread out they make a little teepee house. Be sure to tie the poles so there is a wider space between two of them to make a front 'door.' |
I found these ideas while looking for things to do with my kids. They might be too far along for this years garden though...... The "teepee" idea is here too! CUCUMBER IN A BOTTLE
Nothing says "summer" like fresh cucumbers from the garden. You can also grow them vertically in a pot if you live in an apartment. Let them climb up wooden poles or chicken wire. As your cucumbers start to grow, show the kids a time honored trick... the cuke in a bottle.
What you'll need:
* cucumber seeds or 3-4 cucumber starts
* garden soil or pot and potting soil
* 12oz or plastic liter soda bottle with cap
* vinegar
Plant your seeds or start in a sunny area and keep watered. When the tiny cucumbers appear, choose one at the base of the plant (it needs to be shadier so the cuke won't cook in the sun). Carefully slip the baby cucumber into the plastic bottle. Save your bottle cap, don't lose it! Keep your bottle partially shaded with newspaper or burlap. When the cucumber fills the bottle, snip the stem. Fill your bottle with vinegar (this will make it last longer) and put on the cap. Keep it in your fridge. Don't try to eat it, it is just for show and tell. Bring it out to amaze your friends and family and they'll ask "How did you DO that?"
BEAN POLE TEEPEE
Remember how you used to love to find a quiet "secret spot" when you were a kid? A place to think or read or share time with a friend? Bean pole teepees are a great way to grow delicious green beans AND provide your child with a little, shady, summertime fort.
What you'll need:
*8 - 6 foot or longer wooden garden stakes
*package of pole bean seeds
*(Kentucky Wonders work great)
*garden twine
*patch of ground
Take four of the garden stakes and pound into the ground in a large circle. Bring the tops of the stakes together and bind with twine. This should resemble a teepee. Plant bean seeds according to package directions but leave a portion between two of the stakes unplanted. This will leave a "door" into the teepee without crushing the beans. Repeat this with the other four stakes about 4 feet away. Keep the seeds moist until they germinate. Help train the beans to climb by wrapping them around the stakes. Soon you will have a cool, leafy and delicious place to visit on a hot, summer day.
SALAD IN A POT
Short on time and space? How about growing a salad in a pot?
What you need:
* large plastic or clay pot with drainage holes
* potting soil
* lettuce seeds or starts
* tomato starts
*cucumber seeds or starts
* 2 - 4 foot garden stakes
* twine
Put your pot in a sunny spot and fill with soil. Pound both of your garden stakes into the back portion of the pot. Plant your cucumber seeds or starts at the base of one stake and your tomato plant at the base of the other. They will climb them vertically if you help them with a bit of twine. Plant your lettuce seeds or plants in the rest of the soil. Go ahead and crowd them in, it will look really neat and give you more lettuce to work with. The cucumber and tomato will continue to produce all summer. When your lettuce is gone, plant more and keep it going. Keep your pot nice and moist. Don't let it dry out. Now you will have fresh salad fixin's whenever you want. (Planting herbs in a pot works well too. Try herbs like sweet basil, chives, thyme and parsley.)
BUTTERFLY GARDENS
We all love to watch butterflies flutter by. Did you know that these beautiful insects have favorite flowers from which to sip? It's true. Here are a list of favorite flowers a butterfly would list if they could:
*Butterfly Flowers: Aster~Butterfly Bush ~ Butterfly Weed ~ Black-eyed Susans ~ Carrot ~ Coreopsis ~ Daylily ~ Dill ~ Goldenrod ~ Hibiscus ~ Lavendar ~ Lilac ~ Marigold ~ Milkweed ~ Purple Coneflower ~ Rosemary ~ Verbena ~ Yarrow
You can easily turn this into an educational way to teach the family about the different types of butterflies. Just get a butterfly identification book, plant your flowers and watch the magic.
*The Butterfly Book : An Easy Guide to Butterfly Gardening, Identification, and Behavior (or find others in the library).
Ellen in PA 
