The Perfect Time to Start Tough Tools for Tiny Hands From Little Acorns . . . The Perfect Time to Start Gertrude Jekyll, the celebrated English garden writer, thought so much of introducing little ones to nature's joys she devoted a classic 1908 book to the subject, Children and Gardens . Though vegetable gardens are often touted as the best way to plant the gardening seed in children, Ms. Jekyll felt that the pure fun of digging in the dirt was the real key. Fall, with its many garden tasks, offers plenty of this kind of fun. Raking fallen leaves into piles, for example, is work to an adult but can be satisfying for a child.
Planting is another pleasant chore for young and old.
Fall is the season to plant trees, turf grasses and spring-blooming flower bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses. Ms. Jekyll suggested that children begin their garden experience by helping their parents to tend existing plantings. Later, they should be given a spot of their own in which to create a small garden. She counseled her readers not to put the children's garden in a marginal area or back corner, but to give them a prime location where they can take pride in showing off their accomplishments. The child-sized rakes, hoes and spades available today from trendy garden shops and catalogues are an innovation of which Ms. Jekyll would surely approve.