The Great Experiment Begins

Tomorrow the next great experiment begins in the herb/demo gardens at my local extension office. A group of intrepid Master Gardeners will meet and plan this season's garden. Clean-up will take place and new seeds will be started along with a few cold tolerant transplants.

This year's gardens will be inhabited by fairies, feature edible and fragrant flowers, and be filled with hiding places, tunnels and maybe even a tower for young gardeners. There will be sand to dig in, chalk art to create and possibly a water wall to play with.

The theme for the herb and demo gardens this year is kid friendly gardening. Using corn, sunflowers, and tomato or okra plants a garden clubhouse will grow. Bean tee-pees and pea tunnels will abound and the flowers will be tasty as well as pretty. In the herb bed will be stepping stones, wooden hobbit hole doorways and tiny watering cans for the wee folk.

Tire towers for potatoes will be grown, hopefully. And painted rocks as plant markers will let children know what plants are growing in the garden and invite them to taste them. I'm even optimistic that a water wall will be constructed using plastic containers, a peg board and some old hose. Outdoor chalk will be available to draw with and a box filled with rocks and sand will make a great area for kids to dig in.

As Master Gardeners we will not only be growing plants, we will be playing too as we engage with our inner child. So let the great the great experiment begin!