We are always looking for ways to do new things with the kids that will also serve as learning experiences.  When I was young, we gardened.  I had a huge strawberry patch, some tomatoes and beans, and a lot of fun working with my mom to plant, care for, and harvest them.  The other day our daughter Katie (5) showed some interest in growing pumpkins, and we decided to take the plunge.

The seeds we bought claim that they will grow pumpkins between 300 and 500 pounds.  I’m not sure I believe that, but it makes the attempt more fun.  We also wanted this to be a full gardening experience, so it didn’t stop at a pot and some seeds.  When we did the annual weeding of the flowerbeds, I rented a roto-tiller, and we made Katie her own garden.

It’s not a huge garden.  It covers about 8′ square in the corner of our back yard.  I built a wooden frame around it with my son Billy, and we carted in some topsoil (mushroom compost and horse manure, they tell us) to fill it in with.  Then we made mounds and waited for the saplings.
As you can see in the first picture above, they grew pretty quickly.  We now have them growing in the mounds … and are about to plant some watermelon seeds, a hot pepper plant, and a few other things that we’ve picked up along the way.

It will be Katie’s job to go out with either her mother, or with me, to weed this garden regularly. We plan some sessions on the computer scouring the Internet for ways to care for the pumpkins, make them grow in bigger, and other fun information.  It’s something we all do together, and it’s been surprisingly satisfying despite the extra hard work at the beginning.  I’ll keep you all posted on the growth of our “Great Pumpkins,” but even if they turn out tiny and yellow, it’s going to be worth it for the enjoyment of doing the job together.

Wish us luck!  Do any of you involve your kids in the yard work, gardening, etc. in creative ways?  How about any pumpkin experts?  I’d love to hear from you.