Growing My Own

What I didn't mention in the last post, but which you've probably already heard about, is that having kids help grown their own food is supposed make them more interested in eating it. I tried that this year at what's called a p-patch in Seattle. For $34 we rented a 10' x 10' plot on which we could try to grow anything we wanted.

Back in April the kids and I went to the garden store and picked out seeds. They wanted to grow watermelons and flowers, as well as carrots and pumpkins. We planted everything and weeded regularly. The hardest part was teaching them to watch where they step. They couldn't really tell the seedlings from weeds and tended to walk on everything.

They really enjoyed the harvesting part. They dug up potatoes, pulled green beans, shelled peas, and husked corn. But they still wouldn't eat the potatoes or green beans or zucchini. The volume of food we were able to grow was impressive to them, though. Here is what we got out of our little plot:

5 cups shelled peas
4 small onions
5 medium onions
3 bunches scallions
20 medium carrots
3 large carrots
7 zucchinis
2 small pumpkins
1 large pumpkin
14 small potatoes
12 medium potatoes
3 large potatoes
6 small bunches thyme
3 small bunches basil
2 heads red romaine lettuce
3 small handfuls baby greens
3 ears corn
5 lbs green beans
4 small tomatoes
2 medium tomatoes

The p-patch where we garden is the oldest one in the city. It was converted from a farm and its soil has been cultivated for organic gardening for decades. I wouldn't expect this much food from such a small space anywhere else. I feel very lucky that my family and I got to garden there this year. I hope we get to again next year. In the meantimes, feel free to e-mail me with questions about how to start your own garden. You don't even need to have a yard or p-patch to grow food. There are also some good books out there on making kid-friendly gardens. (None of which I consulted! Urg! Wish I had them back in April!)

Looking Forward

Well, it's spring and I'm feeling more hopeful. The kids still won't even TRY mashed potatoes or biscuits or any number of delicious foods, but they are enjoying planting things. On Tuesday we planted zucchini, romaine lettuce, and thyme. And Sunday I planted some strawberry starts in my Topsy Turvy Upside Down Strawberry Planter (as seen on TV). The starts look happy, reaching toward the perpetually cloudy sky.My peas plants that sprouted in the windowsill last month are doing great outside on the deck. I'm going to train them onto the railing so they can just go crazy. Maybe in a couple months I will be able to make some of these:Pea and Potato Cakes, from Simply Organic.
The kids probably won't eat them, but it won't stop me from making them again. They were like delicious little clouds (with cheese and onions in them).