Organic Gardening with kids is all about your kids watching you do “real work.” When they are ready they will want to help. Sometimes they will need to watch you garden several times before this happens. All you need to do is be a good model for how the “work” is done while making room for them to help.
Eventually they will more than likely jump in front of you saying, “I want to do it” just like my 2 1/2 year old daughter now does. This wasn’t always the case. She observed us for a long time over about a year and a half before she started getting in on the action. Give them time and when they feel ready you will find an eager worker bee at your side.
How to Plant Tomatoes
You’ll Need:
- Soil Amendments [bone meal, sulfur pellets]
- Organic compost or soil
- Tomato plant starts [Grow your own or pick up at your local nursery.]
- hand trowel(s)
- Cultivator, garden fork or broadfork
- Heavy duty tomato cages
How To:
1. Weed and clear out beds or area you will plant
2. Add Organic Soil Amendments
- Bone Meal
- sulfur pellets if you need to make your soil more acidic [ask your local nursery]
- Organic compost or soil [do not use dirt from your yard]
3. Turn soil
- Use broadfork, garden fork and/or cultivator.
- See photos below.
4. Even Soil
- Use garden rake.
- See photos below.
5. Place Plants
- Purchase tomato plant starts at your local nursery or use your own.
- Place tomato starts about 2 feet apart before you plant to determine where each will go.
- See photos below.
6. Plant Tomatoes
7. Water Tomatoes
- See photo below.
8. Place Tomato Cages Around Each Plant
- Heavy duty cages are best. Large tomato plants can crush the smaller ones.
- See photo below.
9. Clean up
- Wash tools so they don’t rust
- Put everything away
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Jennifer says
I love how straightforward and accessible your gardening posts are!
nell says
Thanks! I do my best to make them easy to follow and accurate 🙂