Gardening
Thanks for joining us!
This episode was written by Jean and voiced by Kara and T.
Episode art was drawn by Jean.
It was originally released in July 2024.
— We love these books about gardening —
Click on each photo for a link to the book
A Plant Chant
“Plant a seed
Dirt, water, sunshine, air
Here is what they need
Dirt, water, sunshine, air
Sprouts a root
Dirt, water, sunshine, air
Leaves (click, click, click)
Flowers (click, click, click)
Fruits”
Download our printable to color in!
— Encourage your little gardeners with these tools —
Gardening Tool Set from Hape
Primary Garden Tools from Montessori Services
Plan Toys Gardening Set sold by Five Little Monkeys
Our playlist has been updated with some songs about gardening!
The Garden
from Frog & Toad Together
by Arnold Lobel
Waiting for plants to grow can be hard! Toad feels this when he says over and over: “Seeds, start growing!”
– Check out NPR’s Life Kit episode on starting a garden –
— Gardening Episode Summary —
Yay for gardening! —
Gardens are places where people grow different kinds of plants. Some people grow flowers, other people grow plants for food. You can grow gardens that attract bees and butterflies to get nectar.
Gardens can be small, such as when plants are grown in a large pot or container. Gardens can be large, such as a rose or botanical garden we walked through yesterday. People have gardens in their backyards. Or gardens can be part of a community.
People who take care of gardens are called gardeners.
You could be a gardner too! If you have outdoor space you could make a bed in the ground. If you have a small patio or balcony you could grow some things in a large planter. And if you have no outdoor area you could still grow plants indoors in pots by a window.
Soil is incredibly important for gardens —
A healthy garden starts with healthy soil. (We are going to say “soil”, not dirt, because dirt is really the word for the stuff you might sweep up off the floor.)
Food for people, food for animals, and healthy air, all start with soil.
Soil is made up of different minerals: sand, silt, clay and small bits of something called organic matter.
Organic matter is made up of things that were once alive but now aren’t, such as dead leaves or tiny animals. Gardeners sometimes add compost to their soil to give it the nutrients it needs.
Soil needs to be loose enough so that water and air can travel through it – if it has too much clay, sand can be added to loosen it up.
Earthworms help the soil by making tunnels through it, which make pathways that allow water and air to get in.
Plants are living things —
Water is very important to plants – some plants like a lot and some prefer a little. You can actually give a plant too much water. So gardeners learn about how much water is best for their plants.
Most plants like a lot of sun. The sun gives them the energy to take in a kind of gas called carbon dioxide, which the plant turns into food so they can grow. There is a big word for that process: Photosynthesis.
But there are some plants that grow well in shady places. So gardeners pay attention to how much sun their area gets, and choose plants that grow best in sunny or shady spots.
Processes and patience help a garden grow —
To get the soil ready, you can use a hoe, a tool with a long handle and flat metal piece at the end. Pull it through the dirt to rake up any rocks, sticks, and weeds.
A trowel – a short-handed shove – can help you dig holes in which to plant the seeds.
Once the seeds are planted, give them some water.
Then… wait! Different plants take different amounts of time to grow.
You have to make sure that weeds don’t grow in the garden, taking up space and soil that will be needed for the plants you want to grow.
Roots grow under the ground, then shoots/seedlings come up from the soil. Small branches and leaves will sprout out of the stem. Eventually, we’ll see a bud or a small fruit or vegetable start to grow.
Gardeners need to keep the season and climate in mind when deciding when to plant.