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Gifts for Young Gardeners
© Linda Mazar
Dec 1, 1998
As the Holiday season approaches, minds turn to appropriate gifts for friends and family. If there is a young gardener on your list, you will find that there are many gift-giving possibilities that will stimulate and expand his/her interest in gardening. Children enjoy watching things grow and having a part in helping it grow. With that in mind, I suggest the following as gift ideas:
- Paperwhites or Amaryllis bulbs - These are always a hit as the child will see progress in the growth of the plant almost from day-to-day. Last year I received an Amaryllis bulb in a kit with a pot and a brick of coconut fiber. The coconut fiber is really fun. Just drop it in a bowl of water and watch it expand! Then put it in a pot and plant the bulb. It won't take long until the bulb sprouts and the leaves come up. Then the flowers. It was fun and my family enjoyed it thoroughly.
- Tools, Etc. - There are many tools appropriate for young gardeners. When child sized, good quality tools are hard to find, especially if the child is older. Adult-sized hand tools often work fine for older children as well. If the child is fairly young, then the Little Tikes Little Landscaper Garden Hand Tools would be nice for them, all made of sturdy plastic. Little Tikes carries several products in the "Little Landscaper" line. There are also other Rubbermaid Garden Tools and a Lawn and Garden Cart. In all tools, there are many brands and many qualities available. If you buy the cheaper sets, they may not last long. If you buy the better tools, they will probaly last year after year. If your little gardener has a tendency to misplace tools, spray paint the handles with fluorescent paint to make them easy to see among the plants.
Other ideas are: tomato cages for the veggie gardener, child sized radio-flyer wheel barrow. child-sized gloves, pruners or snips, a carrier for tool storage and mobility, watering cans, hoses, and a hose reel. - Seeds and Seed starter kits - These are great for the beginner seed starter. They come complete with containers, seed starting medium, and sometimes even seeds. If you pick out Burpee seeds, buy varieties which are marked as easy to grow so that your gardener can experience success. That will spur them on to more gardening. You might consider supplementing with a fluorescent shop light fixture and 40 watt bulbs to give more success with this project as seedlings need lots of light. Those grown by windows often get leggy due to a lack of light. The shop lights can be hung from the rafters in the basement so they hang about 3 inches above the plants and are then adjusted higher as the plants grow.
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The copyright of the article Gifts for Young Gardeners in Gardening with Children is owned by Linda Mazar. Permission to republish Gifts for Young Gardeners in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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