For a gardener, there’s nothing quite like sharing the excitement of the planting season with the younger generation. Gardening helps children learn about earth and environmental sciences – and, it’s been shown to be a big self-esteem booster. After all, what’s more rewarding than seeing the bulbs or seeds, given the right start in one’s garden, come into full bloom?
Bulb gardening is a great way to introduce kids to horticulture. They’re easy to grow, and need only a few things for a successful season: nutritious soil, water, and sunlight. Try planting bulbs with your kids or grandkids this fall – you’ll be sure to make many happy memories, and you’ll have those wonderful blooms to look forward to together!
While waiting for spring bulbs is a great lesson in patience, you might want to speed up the process by forcing bulbs indoors this winter – forcing bulbs is also a great way to bring nature inside for families without space for an outside garden. You can keep the bulbs dormant through winter, if you’d prefer them to bloom in spring – they just need to be protected from frost. Amaryllis are particularly good indoor bloomers – check out our tips for growing them here.
Want to plant outdoors? Have your young ones help plot out your springtime garden, and select some favorite hardy varieties – tulips and daffodils are known for their easy-to-grow nature, and early bloomers, such as crocus and snowdrops, offer the first rewarding flowers of the spring. Once you’re ready to get planting, have your young gardeners measure out the planting width and depth of your bulbs (for young ones, this is a great exercise in measurement and counting!). Dig holes, set the bulbs (pointed side up!) and and let the kids cover them up! Adults mix in a good fertilizer, such as Breck’s Bulb Food, for best results. Water after planting, mulch your bulbs, and look forward to a great spring!
