So for years I've been suddenly trying to point out to my kids how good I am at things like I make a point of lifting things that are just a little heavier than they can lift to show them how strong I am. I parallel park our tiny car and spaces fit for trucks, and then point out how well I parked. Sometimes I'll use my phone to solve a math problem, then scrunch up my face and concentrate and say the answer out loud, like I figured it out in my head. I am not ashamed at these things.
But there comes a moment in every parent's life when their kids realize their parents aren't perfect. Sometimes it's gradually over time, where sometimes it hits in the single event. So Ruby, I'm curious. I'm doing this podcast about plants, and I want people to know. Would you say I'm good with plants? I mean, you're good at all. I think soccer, what about gardening that much? And my kids, Henry and Ruby have figured it out sooner than I expected,
partially because of gardening. But I'm relishing this new dynamic because Ruby sees it as this opportunity to teach me
everything about gardening. And Henry, who scurries away to build afford any chance he gets, is coming up with lots of ideas for landscape design, and when we walk through our backyard together, sometimes I learned stuff from them, but I'm always learning stuff about them, the way they see the world, how they process big ideas, and also why we need to wear shoes when we're outside, because there really are a lot of slugs in our garden right now, and I've heard a lot of descriptions of what they
feel like under bare feet. Hey there, I'm mongas Utigular, co host of Part Time Genius, one of the founders of Mental Floss, and this is Humans Growing Stuff, a collaboration from My Heart Radio and your Friends and Miracle Growth. My goal is to make this the most human show about plants that you'll ever listen to. And along the way, we'll share sweet, inspiring stories, tips and tricks to nurture your plant addiction, and just enough science to make you
sound like an expert. In this episode, we're talking about gardening as a family, How putting down our screens and spending just a little bit of time together each week tending to plants. How that encourages better mental health. Strengthens relationships and sparks curiosity. This week it's me and all of my little roommates in the Garden, Chapter four families
Growing Roots, Plant Roots. So, Henry, I know you're inspired by the Garden to read a poem, right, Yeah, I was very inspired and I really want to read it. That sounds great. Why don't do that now? And now for another trip to poetry corner, this time with Henry The Life of Rabbit. I love to roam the carrot patch. There's delicious food to eat, but right before I fill my mouth, far work chase is made from my tree.
One of the strangest parts of Quarantine, especially when it first struck here in New York, is that my family was always around each other. We were stuck in this apartment together, but we didn't have much we wanted to talk about. All day, the kids would include to their
screens trying to do class work. My wife and I too were on our computers, just hiding behind closed doors and meetings and conference calls, and somewhere in this mess, we'd hustled together a lunch or figure out groceries, but so much of our worry was about keeping the family healthy and in our fatigue, my wife and I were looking for something fun, something positive we could train our families focus on in a way, Playing with plants this fall and getting dirty in the garden has given us that.
In the last few weeks, we started arguing about whose turn it is to miss the house plants. Who knew missing plants was a thing or that it was so much fun We dig together and talk about worms. We noticed the different birds out back, something we never did before, and we talked about the plants, the ones that have grown and the ones that definitely have not. It's like we're rooting for the same team here, even when our team is losing. What's funny, though, is how this has
seeped into my other conversations. When I was pestoring Mr Plant Geek Michael Perry about gardening and mental health, I also asked him how I could use plants to pique my kid's curiosity, and he told me about this dancing plant, the cod Aio Callax motor us. It actually sways and bends when you sing to it. He also told me how you can plant and work it upside down to defy gravity and it'll grow beautifully. So I've added those
to my project list. But it wasn't just him. Bear Tounday talked about how tending to his plants made him think of his mother. Kadija Williams told me all about how her family garden together and how it brought them closer. So I want some of that. The other thing I know is that my kids love learning through experiences, and
they learned better that way. I know. Gardens are basically classrooms if you treat them right, places where you can work on fine motor skills, but also pick up some science and love for the environment, and maybe even practice patients in this world of instant gratification, But what else might our family gained by getting our hands dirty? Once a week I called up Shelley Casto for some answers.
Shelley is the executive director of the Highland Youth Garden, this urban agriculture project that works with more than three hundred students in the Highland neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, and it gives them this hands on learning experience in the garden. Hey, Shelly, thank you for being here. Hi, how are you man? Guests? I am so excited to be chatting with you. I want to start by just having you tell me a little bit about the Highland Youth Gardens and how it
got its start. Absolutely so we are almost half acre Urban Agriculture Project a k A farm that was established ten years ago by a group of volunteers in one of the most under resource neighborhoods in Columbus, in partnership with Oakley Full Gospel Baptist Church who wanted to offer children in that neighborhood an opportunity to learn about gardening and fresh produce. Would you mind walking me through what the garden looks like. So it is essentially half a block.
We have an Arab garden with lots of signs in Spanish and English to tell people what we've planted to give a little education about the ecological aspects of the site. And it is planted with tomatoes. We often have strawberries in there and squash, rhubarb, beats melon. It's also where we plan create all of our seedlings that we give away to people in the spring. Right now, it's filled with sunflowers where kids can just get in among all
the sunflowers and feel like it's a little house. In fact, a girl I was working with yesterday was just so She's like, I could just move in here surrounded by nature and that and that's you know, that's exactly what we're looking for. We just yesterday dug up a bunch of sweet potatoes, found a snake. Um. That was the experience. Super cute little garden snake that was being very fierce um. And most of the kids said, not, you know, you don't see snakes in the middle of the city very often.
Tell me what what is your day to day like and and how much do you actually get to be with kids in the garden? Yeah? Absolutely, I make sure I get out there once a week, and I was there yesterday and we had garden club with five neighborhood kids. We started out by chasing him on our butterfly and then trying out creed sweet potatoes stew, which many of them had never had, And then we went and dug up the sweet potatoes themselves and found the garden snake,
and then did some journaling. So it was a great afternoon, a full afternoon. Yeah. Absolutely, it recharges me for sure. So what are some of the things you're observing as kids start growing in the garden For the first time, I'm seeing curiosity be peaked. You know, what is that work I'm doing in there? Oh my gosh, what's that butterfly? There? Is it gonna hurt me if I try to catch it? You know, that sort of direct curiosity with the world right around us in a very hands on way is important.
I'll also talk about a teenager who started with us a year ago and came to us with no knowledge of gardening or interest in in gardening, and was very shy. And at this point she is the queen she is. You know, when anybody comes to a tour, she is the one who's going to show them around. She knows absolutely everything about what's growing right now, what tasks are most needed at this moment. We had her present to our city council. She is now confident she has expertise.
She doesn't talk about being a farmer at all, but he has set up a greenhouse in her backyard. You know, she has this knowledge base that is unusual for her peers, and she's celebrating herself for that and embracing it and growing because of it. I'm curious, are there any sort of um success stories that you point to in this youth garden that sort of keep you inspired, or or that you'd love to let the community know about. Absolutely UM.
A week ago, two weeks ago, there was a drug bust right next to the garden and it was unannounced. It was in a duplex where the children on the other half of the duplex spend a lot of time with us in the garden. We know them well. So Wednesday, early evening, the folks in the garden heard loud banging and saw a black van pull up. They were setting off explosives, they were breaking the door, they were smoking
them out. It was really scary for those children. So you know, the next day they were able to come to the garden and escape from that and process their feelings about it with with us, with the volunteers and staff. If we hadn't been there, where would where would that have gone? Especially right now where they're not going to school. Nothing's open, so they're not getting to interact with other people. So it's hard to see how that need would have
been met had we not been there. That's wonderful that the space that UM. I am curious about family. How do you see gardening and exposure to gardening affecting families and and maybe even the communication they have within them, sharing of skills between parents and children and vice versa, children and parents, exploring and experimenting together. I think it's so important in forming those bonds between parents and children. I think there's a real opportunity to do that with
gardening in particular. I know I am by far the least experienced gardener among the whole crew. With the gardens. No, I mean, like I I have nightmares that they're going to look at my back. I have to confess. I I looked at your Instagram and saw that little vegetable path, your prowding up. Yeah. Yeah, it's a little sad, but I'm trying. Yeah, yeah, I'm trying. And that's and that's the great thing, Like, uh, big deal. The only way you're gonna learn is by trying by doing. So I
think that opportunity to to do that together. I gardened with my daughter and she's really into it. So yeah, for for me too. I I just look at it as this almost this way to um to have conversations and root for the same thing. Yeah, exactly, right, right, right right U. And and to discuss, oh, you know that didn't really work, so what are we going to do next year plan for that relationship in the future.
You know, how do you how do you talk about failure at the youth garden When a crop doesn't come upright or like the weather effect something, we talk about why and discuss what are the inputs or outputs that made that happen, so that there's some science and learning there, and then brush it off and say, well, this is
what we're going to do next. You know, one thing that I really have been impressed about at the garden is that I was afraid that it would feel like you had to follow certain rules of best practice because there there is a lot of expertise actually that's going into this garden, a whole group of people who have earned Master Gardeners certification and so they really know what they're doing. But there is a real openness to not
redirecting people in a way that stifles their curiosity. And you know, yesterday we we we literally destroyed the entire sweet potato catch and I look terrible this morning. I was like, oh my gosh, what's our farmer going to say? But I know she's going to be really chill with it because it's it's just like we're not doing it to have a perfect garden. We're doing it too to have kids have the experience. I love that. Do you find that the kids bond over gardening? Do you see
friendships emerged in the garden from the programs you run? Absolutely? Absolutely. I think this summer in particular, we had some friendships pop up among the teens that were seemed unlikely, seemed like they might not click, but they did. Really different backgrounds and experiences, but just the idea of working hard and complaining together about how it is and like, how am I? You know? Farming? It's really hard. It's a drag.
I didn't know what I was going to get into here, you know, And oh my gosh, it want us to weed again? You know? Didn't we just do that? So it forms a camaraderie. I think it's like you're all in it together, you know, and it's hard work, the hard work, and do that. I am curious, like, as you've been in this, uh, this space, what are the lessons that you've seen the kids love the most? The picking things right off the branch and eating it right away.
That is super popular, you know, the cherry tomatoes, the strawberries, just that direct. I'm gonna grab it. I'm gonna pop it in my mouth. You know, that is big. But also, you know, finding the worms and talking about what worms do, that was that was a big just a big point of conversation yesterday. When we're digging up the sweet potatoes, the worms were all the focus until we found the snake.
And when they're picking these vegetables off for these these fruits, are they noticing the difference between like supermarket vegetables and these Yeah. Absolutely. We actually do taste tests with them. So we'll buy, for instance, grocery store cherry tomatoes, bring them in and then have them harvests them and then have them decide which is better. I'm guessing there's an overwhelming favorite. Yeah, there is. I mean, they really can
tell the difference. There's no question. And you know, it's so sad to give kids produce that doesn't taste the way it should, because then that implants in their mind, well I don't really like cherry tomatoes. But to give them a first experience of what it's supposed to be like, then they look for that and and appreciated and value it and are more more open to different kinds of food. Yeah, I'm sure, it's eye opening. Well, are there any vegetables
that you're surprised like? Yeah, no question. Kale. Apparently kale wraps were a big thing for this last all. I know it's kind of crazy, but you know, we would we would take kale over to the elementary school and have kids make veggie wraps with them and they like it that way. But you know, it's picked that day so that it's super fresh. So I think we have you know, a number of listeners out there who are probably inspired by your story and the story of this garden.
How would you ask them to help? We have an incredibly beautiful website that was not designed by me but by one of our board members and volunteers, you know, so they are welcome to come check things out. We have a wishless people can volunteer if they're in Columbus. But I think the bigger, bigger question is we all need our communities in this country to turn their attention to our food system. Look at how much it fell
apart during this pandemic. Turning your attention into your own backyard, learning how to to grow yourself and be a little more self sufficient, support your farmer's market. Look for those community guardens to spring up and get out there and get your hands dirty and participate. It's really essential. I think as we move into the next fifty years that we all reconnect with how food has grown and get more directly involved. I couldn't agree more humans growing stuff
will be right back. After a short break in first grade, I entered an invention contest. I took a glow in the dark triangle and I glued it to the flap where you open your tent. And I figured that way, if you had to run outside to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, you'd see that flap and be able to open the zip quickly. And I was so proud of this thing. But when it came time to vote for the best class invention, I lost
to a girl who invented a lollipop bush. Her idea was that you could plan a seed and this bush would grow lollipops. And no one knew how it worked, but you brought in a small shrub with lollipops stuck inside it, and everyone voted for it, including me. It was a superior idea, and we all wanted lollipop. The
truth is kids have the best ideas. Sometimes they're impractical, sometimes they are irrational, but often mixed into that ridiculousness is this wonderful wisdom and room for possibility and also joy that I really need right now. So I sent out my fifth grader, Henry and my producer Molly to talk to a few kid gardeners about what they love about gardening and what's the best way to get started. Hi, Jared, how are you. I'm glad, I'm great. Thanks for asking.
So I took my dad's mike and I'm hiding in my closet and I took over his girl Name Podcast Question number one A j we have a gardening class in our school and you are the only person who listens. What do you like about gardening? I really just care about plants, and it's fun to be outside and doing like planting flowers and seeds, and it's just put fun to do because you're like hoping to old, and you're like hoping yourself just like get some time, just relieve
from extress with like school work and all that. It's a good place to just little and like calm down. It's also good place stuff I had and seek. So what do you when you think of a garden, what do you think of it? And I think of a garden, I do think of like something beautiful flowers and no all like the types of from you notice that it's a really beautiful thing to have in this world. And we would we don't know where we would be if we didn't have that. You are right. My name is Donardo,
my age is ten, and I live in Texas. Tell me how you got into gardening. How did it all start. I got into gardening because my mom wanted an herb garden to put in or her food so she didn't have to buy it. So we got a few basic herbs like basil and other herbs and started growing them, and me, being the lazy person as usual, did not
water them. Later I got I got into cooking because women are usually the ones cooking at home and I don't want to change that because that's kind of stupid, sculpting, sexist. And that's when I started to fall in love with the herbs because they can produce stacks on stacks on stacks of herbs that I can use in my food so that tastes better for free. If you had to like sum it up, what do you love most smoker thing.
It's really the harvesting that makes it that makes it good because you know you you, I mean like you get stuff from it. It's it's just a reward after how long you've waited, because plus the time to grow, plus like a lot of time to grow. Take their sweet times. Hi, I'm raaking and I'm for you all. What's your favorite plant to grow and to take care of? Cucumbert Yeah? How are they your favorite? And very really yammy? Yeah.
If there was one vegetable that you would not want to grow that you would want to take out of the garden, which vegetable would it be? Camga? I don't like camados. Tomatoes are my favorite. Reagan, I know camato is doing. I'm bigger. What's the funniest thing that's ever happened to you while you're gardening? The birds eating noise plants? The birds eat your plants. Do they have a favorite plant to eat? Which one? Cucumber? They like cucumbers too.
Do you think planting and gardening is good for the earth? Yes? Yeah, why Hey, it's good, great answer, great answer. Do you sing to your plants? Leo, I'm thinking of doing that. Yeah, I feel like they'll grow better because they're happy. Oh, the actually like you? What would you? Can you give me a little like? What would you sing to them? So maybe like children, mobile bies or something? Can you give me a little taste? Imagine I'm a plant leasing
to me green under the moon? How beautiful and shiny are you? Bathing under some like bathing under the moon? Like, oh, how green and tasty are you? Hey? Everyone, here are four simple tips getting your kids in the garden and getting them to love it. Give them their own space. Choose a little plot of garden that's not too small and just let them dig in. Let them see what it feels like to have their own little plot to weed,
and tend to get them kids sized tools. When they have their very own set of tools, they're going to want to use them, and they'll feel more invested in getting out there each week and caring for the plants. Also, using tools that fit more comfortably in their smaller hands will make tasks a lot easier for them, and it's pretty adorable. Brag show them how proud you are, take photos, use positive words of encouragement, and use what they're growing
and you're cooking. Let them choose what they want to grow. Maybe it's a pizza garden where they think about all their favorite toppings, or maybe it's something else. Maybe it's all their favorite flowers. But a pro tip here, try to steer them towards plants that grow a little faster, like radishes or loosely flattish or even sunflowers, which can sprout up within seven days and can grow up to
two ft in a month. When the days are long and we've each been looking at our own screens, the easiest thing for us to do as a family has been to sit on a couch and just focus on one screen. We watched baking shows and travel shows and sometimes old movies, things that are feel good and often vaguely educational. But early into the pandemic we tried to
move away from that. We used to do a mocktail hour, and so every day at six pm, we'd break and blend things with ice and then toast and sipped together. But sometime around June we lost steam. I ordered a bunch of kits online, these cardboard pinball machines you could assemble, and we spent one glorious rainy afternoon doing just at the kids loved it, but now those pinball machines just gotta sit stacked in a corner. Gardening, though, that's been different.
There's always something to do and learn. Sometimes it's moving plants around or just turning them to face the sun. Sometimes it's taking a pair of scissors and learning that you can cut a stem and grow a whole new plant. Sometimes it's just planning for what we hope will happen, knowing that only some of our gardening ambitions will actually come to be. There are lots of studies about the
positive effects gardening has, especially on children. We heard some of it from Shelley, but kids who grow their own food are more likely to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and they express a preference for those foods. Kids in schools where gardening is part of the curriculum do better
on science tests. Kids who spend time in outdoor gardens show improved attitudes in the classroom, and gardens helped kids form a deeper relationship with plants and trees, all of which gives them an increased desire to take care of the environment. This is from studies that have been taking place for the last twenty years, and the evidence is really overwhelming. But for my part, I've realized that gardening
as a family has really brought us together. My kids are curious, so they're always asking questions, a few of which I can answer and many that I can't. But that's great too, because it gives us a chance to look things up together. But more than that, there's a quiet comfort that comes from being in the yard. Every parent has their own struggles, their own things that they're
trying to help their kids work through. For some, it may be talking through how to respond to bullies or instilling pride for their culture even as they face a world that doesn't understand and tells them to hide their differences. For me, one of my children does want to be defined by their gender. They don't want to defend themselves every time they go to the bathroom or explain over and over through a day who they are. And it's hard to watch your kiddo go out into the world
and constantly have to stand up for themselves. But in the garden, it's a place you can just be. Everyone is welcome among the basil and the sunflowers. You don't have to identify as anything, or explain your gender or race or religion to anyone. The plants don't care about that. You can just dig a little and pour some water, hopefully not too much, and wait, you can make bad
jokes and laugh and get dirty. It's a place for all of us to slow down and focus on caring, because when you think about it, that's all these plants are asking of us. To come as you are, pay attention to the world sprouting around you, and spend some time caring for another living thing, and every once in a while sing green under the moon, Oh how beautiful and shiny are you? Bathing under some like bathing under the moon, like, oh how green and tasty are you.
That's it for today's episode. Don't forget whether you're a beginner like me, a pro trying something new, or someone in between enjoying your community garden. There are incredible resources waiting for you on the Miracle Grow website. Next time on our show, we'll focus on the underrepresented gardeners, those who have always been getting their hands dirty but aren't always a part of the narrative. If you like what you heard, don't forget to rate and review the show
on Apple Podcasts. It really helps us out and we want to hear from you. What are your inspiring plant stories and relatable struggles and growing questions? Tag us in your post or tweet using the hashtag Human Growing Stuff and you may just hear your story featured on an upcoming episode. Humans Growing Stuff is a collaboration from I
Heart Radio and your friends at Miracle Grow. Our show was written and produced by Molly Sosha and me Mangy Chatigler in partnership with Ryan Ovadia, Daniel Ainsworth, Hayley Ericsson, and Garrett Shannon of Banter Until next Time, Thanks so much for listening.