On Children and Gardens

Today I checked in on the organic vegetable garden I planted at my kids' school and was astonished at what I saw. 

The carrots are flourishing, the sunflowers are growing into huge beasts, and the other veggies are coming along.  Things are, in fact, growing better and faster than in my own garden at home. 

So I asked myself why that is.  It's not the seeds, it's not the soil.  These are the same in mine.  It could be the slope of their garden - there's probably better drainage. 

But I think the more likely reason is all of the attention being lavished on it by the children at the school.  Every class ventures out there every day, admiring it, whispering to it, picking out the weeds, dreaming alongside it, putting small fingers into the soil to make sure it has enough water.  They love that garden. 

The implication is clear: children are as good for vegetable gardens as vegetable gardens are for children.  

Plain and simple.

Happy Earth Day!