Long ago when life was moving at a much slower pace, moms and dads always sat down with the family for a home grown dinner each night, and children took part in planting and picking vegetables that would end up on that dinner table.  Those times seem to be long gone, but it isn't set in stone, we can bring it back!

If you introduce your children to sowing seeds and digging in the dirt, you will find that the LOVE it!  Here are some great ways to introduce gardening to your kids, and possibly yourself, all in your own backyard.

Go to your local Nursery and buy some seeds.  By starting from seeds you and your kids can cultivate a whole range of vegetables, flowers, and even fruits from birth.  Here are some options to buy:

• Salad Greens:  these grow in most climates and will make a great addition to sandwiches and dinners and they are so cute when they first start sprouting
• Sunflowers:  Kids love these flowers because they can grow taller than they are, and they are beautiful.  They love seeing how they face the sun no matter where it is in the sky.
• Potatoes:  Just dig a hole, toss in the potatoes and in no time your buried treasure is a feast.  Have your kids make a Mr. or Mrs. potato by carving a face into them before putting them in the soil.
• Beans:  Just like in jack and the beanstalk, beans grow up, up and away.  Kids love this!
• Pumpkins:  Kids love the fact that they can throw a seed in and in a few months they will have a their very own pumpkin without going to the patch!

Give your kids their own special place to garden, make it the kids garden.  Let them choose which plants they want to plant in their garden, and when they are planting the seeds, let them name them funny names, like Mr. Greeny the Bean, or Sunny the Sunflower.....this makes it fun and goofy.

Have your kids tend to the garden daily, watering, picking weeds, etc.  This teaches them that tending for a garden is a big chore, and when they get to eat thier goods, they will understand why.  If you like make a chart of how much money the food from the garden would cost at the store so that they know how much the 'fruits' of thier labor is really worth!

Have Pizza night once a week, and let the kids create their own garden pizza from the backyard.  If you want have your kids plant 'pizza' ingredients in the same area so it is easy for them to pick on pizza night.  Basil, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, basil, oregano, and parsley are just a few great pizza makings.

Don't forget to save your seeds at the end of the growing season for the next year.  It is fun for the kids to find the seeds and then put them in containers, label them and then find a safe place to store them for the winter.

If your kids seems especially interested, get them signed up for a junior gardener program.  Many Universities, botanical gardens, art & science centers, and even grade schools are offering a garden program for the little ones.  Another option is to join your local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm and volunteer to work at their farm, or find a local community garden to get involved in.  There are so many options, don't pass them up, get your kids excited about growing food, it is very important for their futures!