You are probably aware that children learn most lessons through action, not words. If you want to foster their knowledge of garden ecosystems, enhance their appreciation for nature and help develop their growing brains, then creating a companion planting garden with them this fall might be a good option. Getting your kids gardening is a great way to build your relationship with them as they grow, too.
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What Is Companion Planting?
Companion planting is when you grow certain plants next to each other based on how much they aid their neighbors when developing. For example, if one creates a certain nutrient that another plant needs, then it would be beneficial to place them beside one another to optimize their growth.
One of the benefits of companion planting is promoting a productive and diverse growing space. It can be enriching for your kids to see how a garden thrives when different plants grow there. While people are different from plants, learning an appreciation of diversity in any capacity can teach them about empathy that they can then carry into adulthood.
Other benefits from a gardening standpoint include reducing pests, boosting growth, helping wildlife, enhancing soil and optimizing space. Some drawbacks of this style of gardening occur when planting the wrong seedlings next to each other. Some plants can hinder another’s growth, like when potatoes and tomatoes share diseases and make the other one more vulnerable.
How to Get Started
How do you make the most of companion planting? The crucial part of success is the planning and planting process. Encourage your kids to be involved, as it promotes cognitive thinking skills that they can draw from later in their lives. It also allows you to spend more time with them since these first few years are short and precious.
Plan Everything Out
When planning your garden, take note of the size of each plant. Choosing a tall one to grow in front of a smaller one can inhibit its growth. Stagger the planting over several weeks to ensure each plant gets its optimal growing period. Some need ample time to grow on their own before becoming a companion.
Direct seeding or transfer planting can be used in your companion garden. Direct seeding is often much more fun for kids since they can dig in the dirt and plant seeds in their designated spots themselves.
Another fun part of companion gardening is creating a planting calendar. Since planting is staggered, help your kids determine when they will plant the next seed. Encourage them to use crayons and drawings to make the calendar colorful and engaging. This also allows them to learn the value of responsibility and ownership since they are taking control of the process. They become participants in the garden’s success or failure.
Pick the Plants
Creating a companion planting garden layout that puts the proper plants next to each other is crucial. Keep in mind that certain vegetation may prefer specific pH levels, such as 5.0 or less, and require fewer nutrients. Therefore, you’ll want to be sure your companion plants will grow well in the same soil.
Researching plants’ needs can be a fun activity to do with your kids. Consider consulting a chart that outlines a few helpful combinations.
| Vegetable Companion Planting Chart |
|---|
| Tomatoes | Basil |
|---|---|
| Carrots | Spring Onions |
| Cabbage | Nasturtium |
| Corn | Pole Beans |
| Cucumber | Sunflowers |
Plant Away!
Getting your kids involved in the planting process can be the most fun part for them. This is where they can really get their hands dirty and feel like all that planning is coming to fruition. It also helps them learn the benefits of a shared space as they are working among the plants.
While a companion planting chart helped determine which plants go where, some additional children’s garden design ideas can make the process more fun. For instance, a garden can provide a natural play area for them to romp around in as they plant. This might make the process longer, but it can create a long-lasting memory, like “that time they played with Mommy in the garden.”
Maintaining the Garden
The responsibility of a garden extends beyond preparing and planting to maintaining it. Let your kids in on this stage of the process as well. Take note of any unexpected competition among your plants. While the goal was to avoid this, it can sometimes still happen.
It is important to manage your garden’s harvesting and prepare the soil for next year, particularly in the fall. Gardening with a diversity of plants and plant families reduces pest and disease pressure by promoting soil health and, therefore, plant health. Picking fruits and vegetables out of a garden can be fun, so encourage your children to do this with you. Some crops may need to be rotated as the season allows, so take note of that, too.
Growing Together
One of the most important parts of all this work is using companion gardening as a way to spend time with your kids. They grow up at an alarming rate, which can be tough for a young mother. Enjoying this activity with them can be a great way to make sure you’re maximizing the enjoyable moments in both your and your children’s lives.
