A Conversation about Kids and Gardening

It’s a great time to celebrate the connection between kids and farming and gardening. In today’s economy, anything for kids that’s free is a godsend. The Youth Fair has been free for its entire sixty nine years, showcasing agriculture and, my favorite, the 4H achievements of Greene County youth. Cornell Cooperative Extension fosters the 4H program under its umbrella of community services, and the results of the program are awe inspiring. (While you’re there, visit the Master Gardener booth and see what some of us really old kids are up to.) The Fair lasts four days over the last weekend in July and is a relaxed, old-fashioned event.

While we can’t all help our kids raise livestock, we can all help them grow things to eat. “Nature Calls… Conversations from the Hudson Valley”, the Master Gardener podcast, has an entire interview with a 4H educator, Anna Harrod. It is episode 26, and Anna’s enthusiasm is contagious. Our readership probably  includes a fair number of “country folk” who already know how to garden but may have forgotten how magical it can be for kids. And the many  summer residents and tourists among us could use a little refresher as well.

Part of the charm, I think, is the “with” factor. Time spent exclusively with an adult in any kind of endeavor is treasured by a child. Check your own memory banks. I remember my grandmother taking me to her garden to “help” when she had to lean down to hold my hand to get there. I’m sure I was more hindrance than help, but many decades later I treasure that sun soaked moment. Kids today may require some separation from their devices, but it’s worth the effort. Gardening and growing can become a series of firsts and “light bulb moments” as they make connections in their larger world . There are already schools in the area that have small gardens tended by students, many begun before the Covid era.  If you’re daunted by the challenge, listen to the podcast for some ideas and inspiration. And, by all means, go to the Youth Fair in Cairo or one of the many county fairs popping up as the season begins. Oh, take the kids, of course. I defy you to come away without admiration for these youngsters and their accomplishments. Talk to them. Ask questions. Give them a chance to share the satisfaction they’ve earned… without needing to be “plugged in” to some device. But, speaking of devices, here’s a link to the event: https://www.thegreenecountyyouthfair.com/contact-us.