ABC Wednesday: Starting Them Young

We are nearing the end of the alphabet, and today I am going to stretch this meme a little in order to post a topic I've wanted to write about for a month. Today's Y is for . . .

. . . Young Gardeners

I pride myself on saying that I do everything in the garden myself from digging up new areas to planting to weeding. Or maybe it's just that because no one else helps me that I enjoy playing the martyr:) Either way, it's not entirely true, because I do have some young helpers in the garden occasionally.

Grandson #2 came over to help Grandma one very warm day near the end of May. He was so excited to be able to help me plant flowers in the new butterfly garden, and he came prepared with work clothes and gardening boots. Grandma just happened to have a new pair of gardening gloves just his size. (No, he's not doing a tribute to Michael Jackson here; one glove mysteriously disappeared during the afternoon, never to be seen again.)

He soon learned that gardening can be an adventure, as a toad suddenly popped out of the box of seedlings to be planted. Many attempts were made to catch Mr. Toad, but eventually he found his way into the garden where hopefully he is still happily munching away on unwanted insects.

Granddaughter #2 is a true nature-lover and another garden helper. But, having recently turned six, she had a busy schedule in May with kindergarten, soccer, and T-ball. She never had a chance to help me plant as we had planned, but she did help me plant a few flowers at her house. And she was so excited this spring when the bulbs she and I had planted last fall produced some lovely blooms, especially in her favorite pink and purple.

But her younger brother, just turned two, did help Grandma a little in the garden when he spent the night one evening. Those tall weeds were no match for his big muscles.

Of course, after all that hard work gardening, a boy has to have some time to play. GS #2 was thrilled to be the first to try out the new toy Grandpa had bought for the grandkids. Our large yard soon became a race track:)

Too small for the motorcycle, Youngest Grandson got his first chance at the John Deer "Gator. " He hasn't yet mastered how to use the pedal, but Grandpa found a long handle and patiently walked behind, applying the "gas."

When Grandpa or Grandma got too tired of walking behind, Littlest One found other ways to entertain himself. Besides mastering the steering, he became quite good at sounding the horn.

And when all else fails, there are other ways of getting a vehicle to move:)

While none of my children seem the least interested in gardening, I think there is hope here for another generation of gardeners. And even if the grandchildren lose interest for awhile, we have had some special times in the garden.

For other ideas on the letter Y, visit the ABC blog.