I’ve got a picture that hangs on the wall in my office, of me around 3 years old, standing in my dad’s garden, staring intently out at something off frame. It must be late June, given what’s growing around me. A strawberry patch in the foreground. Behind me, peas climb a trellis made of sticks. And in the background, young basil plants stand at attention. Whether it was his plan or not, my dad instilled in me a passion for gardening that thrives today. My parents, through repetition, allowed me to fall in love with the outside world, especially the one right out our back door. It influenced who I am today as a gardener, an eater, a cook, a steward, and now, a father of my own little garden helpers.
A gardener in the making. Me, age 3, in my dad’s garden — where it all began. (Image: Casey Funke)
I look at that picture on my wall sometimes as a reminder that the garden is a long game. My boys have their own garden journey ahead of them, if they want. Even though they don’t appreciate it now like I do, I know the frequent trips to the garden are building a foundation they can lean on as they grow, and experience on their own, the joys and bounty a garden can offer.
When I had my first son, I imagined long summer days in the garden together. I pictured eating peas right from the plant, plucking sweet cherry tomatoes from the vine and popping them in our mouths, picking berries until our fingers were stained and our pint cartons full, and pulling carrots from the ground, brushing the dirt off, giving them a good scrub, and chomping into one for a nutritious snack.
Tiny gardener, mighty helper (sometimes). (Image: Casey Funke)
Well, my son doesn’t eat carrots. He tried a snap pea once and spit it out. He won’t go near a tomato. He’ll even go so far as to turn down a berry in what might be the most unchildlike move ever.
Trying to feed my son has been one of the most frustrating journeys I’ve ever embarked on. But that hasn’t stopped us from enjoying the garden together. Any parent of young kids knows how much they love a good task. That could be planting radish seeds, watering, picking cherries, or our morning ritual these past few weeks, scanning the blueberry plants for ripe berries.
Will it stay in his mouth, or come out? Anyone’s guess. (Image: Casey Funke)
From climbing a ladder high into the branches of our cherry tree heavy with bright red fruit, to figuring out that when you pick a blueberry (sometimes the stem comes too, and you have to pick that off before you eat it), the garden offers such good learning moments for kids, and I love watching their brains process its information. If you want something done right, don’t let a 2-year-old do it. If you’re looking for an activity that stimulates both the body and the mind, try gardening with kids — you never know where a morning in the dirt might lead.
Don’t expect them to eat the peas you planted (or maybe that’s just my kid), but the hope is it sets them up with values about food and where it comes from that can endure long after the mealtime negotiations have subsided.
He won’t eat a tomato — but he’ll happily pick one for me. (Image: Casey Funke)
It’s June in the Northwest. The solstice, the official beginning of summer, is upon us. The sun rises at 5 a.m. and sets after 9 p.m.. The spring radishes have gone to seed, but the tomatoes are starting to set fruit. Garlic is at the end of its 9-month journey to maturity. Berries are becoming abundant, and neighbors are trying to pawn off their overplanted lettuce.
Picky eater or not, these are magical days to share in the garden.
Happy Gardening!
