Grow Your Garden!

This is the time of year for planting a fruit and vegetable garden at home or in your neighborhood.  Nothing compares to the perfectly ripe taste of a homegrown tomato or a delicious sweet carrot!  Gardening is a great physical activity that not only provides you with tasty produce, but also gets you and your family members outside for some fresh air.  Growing your own food is also one of the best ways to teach children about fruits and vegetables and will get them excited to try some new foods! 
This is the time of year for planting a fruit and vegetable garden at home or in your neighborhood.  Nothing compares to the perfectly ripe taste of a homegrown tomato or a delicious sweet carrot!  Gardening is a great physical activity that not only provides you with tasty produce, but also gets you and your family members outside for some fresh air.  Growing your own food is also one of the best ways to teach children about fruits and vegetables and will get them excited to try some new foods! 

• Start Small - No need to go all out with an extravagant garden your first time out!  Just try a window box with a few herbs like basil, parsley, and mint.  Or, start with a hearty cherry tomato variety such as Sun Gold or Sweet 100.  
• Gardening With Kids - For parents who struggle with getting their kiddos to eat vegetables, gardening can be a powerful tool.  Not only is it fun, but it will spark interesting questions about science and nutrition.  And, I haven't met a child yet who can resist picking a fresh cherry tomato or sugar snap pea right off the plant for a tasty snack!
• No time for gardening?  Try signing up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box from a local farm!  Each week you get a mystery box of fresh fruits and veggies - whatever is ripe and ready for harvest on the farm.  My daughter loves unpacking the box to see what new item she gets to try!  https://www.localharvest.org/santa-rosa-ca/csa