Kids plant by the Sun and Moon

Both the sun and the moon affect tides in the ocean and growth in the garden. Kids can get a sense of their place in the universe when they watch the moon phases and seasons change, and see how the plants and trees follow the rhythm of the season. People have been planting by the…

Kids grow Marigolds and Nasturtiums

Marigolds and nasturtiums are perfect flowers to plant among veggies in an organic raised bed veggie garden. They both are pretty edible flowers that send out natural chemical signals to attract beneficial insects, like lady bugs, and repel pesky bugs, like whiteflies.  The smell of marigolds has been proven to keep a variety of pests…

Kids Weed the Garden

In the spring and early summer, kids need to pull the weeds in and around their organic raised bed garden as soon as they see them. Weeds rob the nearby fruits and veggies of water and nutrients. Often just having a raised garden bed, a foot or two above the ground, helps control weeds. After…

Kids Native Milkweed

Found throughout much of North America, common native milkweed is the larval food source for the monarch butterfly. Milkweed’s silky filaments were once used as stuffing for pillows, mattresses, and life preservers. Farmers stopped growing milkweed on a commercial scale and began using massive amount of pesticides and monarch butterfly numbers fell. Milkweed silk may…

Kids deter Pests and Critters

Kids can deter pests and critters using organic gardening techniques, as no poison is safe. Kids can grow their food in organic raised bed gardens in a complex biological community creating conditions that make pest problems minimal. In the picture above, a row cover is used to deter pests and critters.   Kids can observe…

Kids Compost

Composting is the organic method to create healthy soil by increasing the organic content of the soil. Compost improves the soil’s texture, drainage, and fertility. Compost provides nutrients, moisture, and habitat for a large range of beneficial life forms, such as bacteria, fungi, insects, and worms that help create rich organic soil. Compost is food…

Kids turn Lawns into Gardens

In California, homeowners are tearing out their lawns and planting fruit trees, native plants, and vegetable gardens. In the picture above, Bill has planted fruit trees and native plants to attract pollinators all around his house. Lawns use up to 10 times more water, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides then agricultural land. The long drought…

Organic Earth Day

“Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now; give me worms in my apples, but save me the birds and the bees, please.” In 1970, at the first Earth Day, Joni Mitchel sang that song in New York and I spoke in Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles and here we are 49 years later,…

Kids No Dig Gardening

For centuries, gardeners have been digging up their garden soil, because they were taught that cultivation aerates the soil, incorporates organic matter, and brings pests to the surface. However, tilling the soil destroys the microorganisms and mycorrhizae in the soil that break down the organic matter naturally. Double digging or tilling also damages the soil…

Kids Revitalize the Soil

Springtime is the perfect time for kids to revitalize the soil in their raised bed gardens. The beauty of container gardening is filling the container with rich organic soil from the garden center or local soil company, even if the dirt beneath it is poor or the area is small. Then kids can create their…