Garden

Our Urban Sensory Veggie Garden

Our Urban Sensory Veggie Garden

Spring is finally here and I am excited. It is time for us to officially get started on our Urban Sensory Veggie Garden (that is a mouthful). I am looking forward to the day when I can open the curtains to the backyard and see a beautiful backyard full of veggies and greenery. We have a ton of work to get back to that place again. It is a mess.

Goals For The Garden

Here are my goals for the garden. I need to:

1) protect my son (Zion) from bee stings. Zion has a very serious allergy to bee stings, so I need to plan the garden without attracting bees.

2) provide a sensory experience (sight, touch, taste, smell, sound). Our oldest (Elisha) has Autism, ADHD, and sensory issues and at least two of our other children show signs of Autism and all of our children have sensory issues to varying degrees.

3) keep the whole project to be cheap (or next to free).

4) reseed the small grassy area that has been overcome by mud.

5) create a fun garden play area in the shade garden where no veggies grow.

6) downsize the designated backyard toys. (Note to self – get rid of clutter).

7) plant veggies that we like to eat. Think: lettuce, green onions, garlic, spinach, beans, peas, rhubarb, swiss chard, radishes, to start with.

8) make the yard colorful. I am thinking fabric flags, pinwheels, etc.

9) create a sitting area so we can enjoy the all our hard work.

10) purchase or find a mini green house that can stand against the fence. Think: an outdoor bookshelf with a plastic stroller cover over it.

11) purchase a worm bin from the Compost Education Center. It will live under the bunny hutch if it fits.

12) purchase or find a composter that would work in either the backyard or the front yard.

13) plant sun loving veggies in the front yard (zucchini, cucumber, watermelon, or pumpkin).

14) plant flowers for cutting and bringing in the house IN THE FRONT YARD (to avoid bees where the kids play, but still give us pretty flowers for the table).

Our Urban Garden Board On Pinterest

I have been collecting and gathering ideas on my urban garden pinterest board. There are some really fun ideas.

Gardening eBook Bundle

I was so excited to see this ebook collection come through my inbox on Monday. I have been thinking a lot about getting out in the garden and writing this post in my head, so it was just the push that I needed to get my behind in gear. I purchased the ebooks and they are awesome! Check it out. (And yes, this graphic link is an affiliate link, but the books are worth it.)

Do you have a garden? What are you planting this year? Do you have a gardening notebook? Do you garden in a small space?

Homeschooler, How Does Your Garden Grow?

Leave a Comment / Urban Garden / Garden, Gardening, Homeschool, hsbloggers, hsmamas, hsmommas, Science, Sensory, urban garden, Urban Sensory Garden

With spring just around the corner, my thoughts are turning to the garden. We live in the city, so we have a tiny backyard garden and we need to make the most of our space. In the six years that we have lived in our row house, we have had some variety of garden just about every year.

I love having a garden. It gives us an excuse to get off technology and get out side. I have a secret. I like playing in dirt. I love running the dirt through my fingers and breaking up the clumps.

I even enjoy finding knotted worms

and funky snails.

What I really enjoy is planting things that my family can eat. The most common things that grow well in our garden are tomatoes, snap peas, and beans.

It is time to dig out the garden/seed bucket, develop a plan with the kids, and then get outside.

Have you planted your garden yet?
What kinds of things do you plant in your garden?
Do your kids help you?

Garden Play Area

1 Comment / House and Home, Urban Garden / Garden, outdoor playspace, urban garden

We have a small backyard and I would love for it to be more interesting for the kids. I came across this picture a very long time ago and it is very inspiring for me. With spring quickly approaching (okay, maybe just in my imagination), I thought I would share this idea with you.

Take a moment and look at this cute little backyard space. Let me know what you think? Would it work in a 20×20 backyard with limited grass space?