The 2008 growing season is coming to an end. The mild, dry September allowed for many more tomatoes, peppers and squash to ripen.

October was a bit colder than usual, but the winter months are predicted to be fairly normal for the Pacific Northwest. Not much freezing weather, just the usual grey drizzle we have all, hopefully, grown to love. I hope you were able to plant during August some of the wintering over crops, like kales, arugula, chard and purple broccoli.
I hesitate to say they will actually grow in the winter months, but they stay alive in the garden and can be harvested on any frostfree day for a dinner full of vitamin A.

There is still time to plant your garlic. Select some healthy looking bulbs and carefully separate them into cloves. Be sure to plant only the largest cloves in order to grow the biggest bulbs and just eat the small cloves.

You’ll be happy you planted them next July and August when you harvest. Garlic is such a pest-free crop, as long as you rotate the planting into an area that hasn’t had any onions or garlic during the last four years.

Deer don’t eat garlic, nor do most rabbits. You will need to fertilize the garlic in March and April when they begin to really put on the new growth, and again in May if
the leaves have a yellow tinge to them.

With more and more information coming out about nutritional problems for our children, let me suggest you plan a vegetable garden with some children next year. Access to fresh vegetables makes a big difference when kids are making food choices. When the children show an interest, they can bring that enthusiasm home and hopefully impact the parents’ food choices, too.

There is so much to teach in a garden including biology, entomology, observation skills, chemistry, engineering, food preparation, meteorology, as well as sharing, physical exercise, respect for the earth, peaceful focus and much more.

Really, hanging out in a garden with children can be the most pleasant of spring and summer activities. What do kids like to do in a garden? They like to notice things that
grow there, plants and animals. They like to eat fresh picked fruits and veggies.

It is important that all organic methods be used when gardening with kids. They like to share their knowledge about food traditions in their families. They like to design both plantings and landscape elements like benches and paths. They love to water, but watch out if they grab a hose and start spraying; perhaps watering cans are the best for youngsters in a garden.

Children also love worms and love planting seeds. Be sure to have them label what they have planted because it can be easy to forget what went where. Plan for success by having experienced gardeners help advise with the garden. Use tools that are easy for kids to handle. Have an adequate adult/child ratio, maybe 1:4 for little folks and 1:8 for older kids.

Involve the children in planning (let them get creative!) and in all possible activities. This allows for them to feel ownership of the garden.

Keep a good chatter going about what the plants like or don’t like, what the soil must be doing now and what the compost likes, too. A gardening class with kids is
like planting seeds. They’ll grow up to love the activity as well as the nutritious foods.

Anza Muenchow is a farmer and a volunteer with P-Patch. You can reach her by e-mail at mahafarm@whidbey.com or on the Internet at www.mahafarm.com.