I remember growing a garden as a child.  One thing I distinctly remember is growing ‘popcorn’ but I’m pretty sure it didn’t work out.  As a kid I didn’t really care that it didn’t work out,  I just thought it was really cool that we were growing it.  I also remember picking cherries off our cherry tree.  It was a pie cherry tree and so they were super sour and probably didn’t taste great, but I loved it!  The property we lived on had a very small ditch on it that occasionally would have a little bit of water in it.  We grew mint along the ditch and we loved playing ‘house’ and that was our fake food.  I have great memories of gardening in general which is probably why I love it as an adult.  Now that I have children it has been so fun to involve them in my passion for gardening and see them begin to grow a love for it as well.  I feel strongly that a garden can have a very positive impact on the health of your family.  These are our top 10 reasons:

1)  Teaches them where food comes from

2)  Provides fresh food right in your backyard

3)  Lets them be involved in the food process from the beginning

4)  Gives them an opportunity to try things they wouldn’t normally

5)  Gets more produce into your kitchen

6)  Creates good feelings toward healthy food

7)  Provides them with a sense of ownership over their food choices

8)  Creates an opportunity for exercise

9)  Decreases the amount of time spent in front of the television

10) Helps provide a common goal strengthened relationships within your family

 If you don’t have a lot of space you can still grow a garden!  You still get the added benefits from container gardening.  It is such a fun experience to let your kids pick out seeds, plant them and then watch your plants grow.  Nothing is more exciting to them than when the first little plant pokes its way through the dirt.   When something edible is actually growing on their plant, it is hard to keep them from trying it no matter what it is.  Happy Growing!