It’s gardening season in the Bluegrass state. Before you get your hands dirty preparing the garden beds, make sure you involve your children.

Gardening has many benefits for children beyond fresh fruits and vegetables. Research has shown that youth gardening projects increase young people’s self-esteem, teach them responsibility, improve relationships with family members and increase parents’ involvement in their child’s school.

Research conducted by several land-grant institutions found similar outcomes among young participants in Cooperative Extension’s Junior Master Gardener Program. Their findings include an increased youth interest in science and in overall learning, higher test scores in science, a greater interest in eating more fruits and vegetables and an increase desire to give back to their community through other projects outside of the classroom.

Even if you aren’t a gardener, you can get your young person involved in gardening through 4-H. In Harlan County, 4-H offers the following gardening programs, 4-H Windowsill Gardening and Grow Your Own Tomatoes.

It is thrilling to witness a child raise a marigold from a seed s/he has planted, or watch a teen-aged youth create a sunflower house for a younger sibling. Even as we are always interested in horticulture, we are stretching toward what constitutes an ideal experience for all gardeners – not just the garden content, but also the life skills gained through the experience.

It isn’t difficult to create a long list of all the ways in which someone can gain skills by interacting with the plant world. Hands-on activities, experiential learning, group investigation, and discovery are the backbone of a gardening experience. We encourage educators to focus on the long-term goals of learning and to provide prompt feedback.

A number of years ago, a panel of 4-H youth responded to questions posed by attendees. When asked what frustrates them about the adults in their lives, one teen responded, “You’re all so terrified to see us fail. We can handle it! Let us work it out!” This beautifully exemplifies the desire for mastery. And although it can be one of the hardest lessons in life, in gardening as with everything else, plants die, our goals sometimes aren’t realized, and the beautiful gardens of our dreams occasionally sport weeds. We aim to model and teach that failure and frustration are learning experiences, too.

In this busy culture of over-scheduled activity, it’s easy to forget that more than ever, hanging out with each other has tremendous value. It can be ironic that educators may need to schedule ‘down time’ for program participants to get to know one another; doing so is every bit as important as the learning about tomato cultivars or how to compost. Rainy days and other occasions can be a wonderful chance for indoor activities aimed at cultivating connection. For example, older adults often have tremendous knowledge about gardening; talking with them can be a way to promote relationships outside the usual scope of young people’s affiliations. It’s not difficult to promote ties with family and community, since gardening is our nation’s favorite hobby.

Often youth garden projects are set up with the assumption that adults plan and build the garden. Youth involvement starts with “fun” activities once the garden is in place. Young people have such great ideas and energy that it seems a waste not to involve them in every step of the process. Additionally, if your garden project is intended to be used by youth, involving them ensures that you’re developing a garden that not only meets young people’s needs but also one which they will find interesting and exciting.

The benefits of involving youth as partners far outweigh the barriers. If you think involving youth in planning will take too long, take a look at your timeline and consider whether it can be altered. Consider starting small and asking around among your volunteers and potential volunteers to see who might want to spearhead this aspect of the project.

For more information, contact Raymond Cox, 4-H/Youth Development agent, at 606-573-4464 or 606-273-0835.

Raymond Cox is the county extension agent for 4-H/youth development. Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.