This post brought to you by Miracle-Gro. All opinions are 100% mine.

We taught our kids about gardening and the joys of growing plants and flowers from a very young age. Our oldest son Brian worked in our tiny apartment garden as soon as he could walk, and our youngest spent hours in the yard watching us work when he was just two months old.

Grow a Love of Nature – Gardening With Kids

Sure, our gardening chores could have been done faster and easier without our kids’ help, but the whole point of having them outside with us was more than just to grow plants. It was to spend time as a family and learn about the process of tilling, planting, watering, fertilizing, weeding, and loving plants. It was our way of making sure they understood the science of it, but also a more spiritual side. We hoped they’d learn to appreciate the color, shapes, scents, and feel of the different flowers and plants as we did.

We also wanted them to know where their food came from. That we could grow our own fruits and vegetables and we could share them with others. They came to appreciate how caring for the garden, which included feeding the plants with Miracle-Gro, meant we’d have corn, peas, berries, and more later on. Sure, they didn’t always eat them, but they loved picking them from the garden to proudly show them off and share them with friends and family.

Instilling the love of gardening - Butchart Gardens 1989 - Teaching a love of gardening very early -  Gardening: Grow a Love of Nature #GroSomethingGreater

We chose Miracle-Gro because we wanted one product we could use for the entire garden. We used the spray-on version for ease of application, and we always knew that we’d have big healthy plants.

Our kids are adults now, and one is a State Park Ranger. I like to think that his love for nature has something to do with the time we spent in the yard as a family. His curiosity and understanding of plants opened up the possibility of a career that he loves.

We still use Miracle-Gro but switched to their Organic Choice version. While we haven’t planted a vegetable garden in a few years, we still use it on our perennials, trees, and bushes – now over 30 years old – which are thriving.

Gro Something Greater

We grew kids who loved nature, but you can grow more than that.

Are you growing something greater than fruits and veggies? I’d love to hear about it!