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Northernfox
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Location: Fort Saskatchewan Alberta

Gardening and Kids! Id like some help planning

So on or around March 28th 2013 I am going to become a father for the first time! My wife and I are expecting our Son and are super excited!

that being said I have been running around the last few weeks getting things ready for the baby! but naturally after I finished the Honey-Doo list as long as my arm I started thinking about the garden ;)

I did start my hot peppers. My Brother and Father really enjoy them so I started 7 varieties 2 plants of each.

I am also expanding my strawberry and rhubarb area so I can make Wine with them (my other hobby is brewing ;) )

Other then that I am not sure! Id like to do something baby/mom friendly this year with the rest of my garden.

I have the following seeds:

Spaghetti Squash
Two types of Water mellon
Carrots (Orange and Purple)
strawberries
Pumpkins (White and Orange)
Zucchini (Yellow and Green)
assorted herbs
Radish

So by the time I am in harvest my son should be 6 months old. Any ideas what might be nice for Baby/Mom?
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digitS'
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Congratulations, Stephen!

Hey, if that baby is just a day or 2 late, he might be showing up on my birthday! If'n you name him Stephen Jr., I'd almost feel like I could claim grandfather bragging rights :wink: !

Six months . . . I don't think you will be getting too much vegetable food into him right about then. . . . I don't know. My kids liked anything that was orange - sweet potatoes, squash and carrots. I'm not sure if they could tell the difference. It almost seemed like the color was what excited them about those foods. Green? Nope!

If you are thinking of making your own baby food maybe you'd better hesitate to do that with winter squash since it is so fibrous. And, you probably can't grow sweet potatoes in your northern location. Carrots will store well for the winter :) .

Steve
Northernfox
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Ha ha ha there seems to be a lot of birthdays around there !!! Both of my brother have birthday around then as well!

I did try to name him Stephen Jr. However there is already one in the family!! Although I would be honored to have another grandfather :)

So from the sounds of it carrots are on tap for this years garden! I did try sweet potatoes but alas I think I am a little too far north!

Do you think the little guy would like spaghetti squash?
Northernfox
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Oh and thanks!! My wife and I are super excited!
Northernfox
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Unfortunately we have an Uncle Stephen, cousin Steven jr. And me Stephen. That being said the name we do have picked out I like a lot!

Speaking of eating ! My wife has gestational diabetes and pregnant. She has two long lists of stuff she can not eat! What she has been doing lately is making the list of things she wants to eat after the baby is here! I am thinking a run down to our favorite pie and sandwich shop with baby is likely to happen :)

Garden 2014 ill have to fill with baby friendly snacks !

Oh I am sure to be posting pictures of the little guy! :)
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GardenRN
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Big congrats Northern Fox!!

My kids loved the pureed carrots around that age. A good food processor will come in handy to get it fine enough. It may be just that frustratingly simple this year as far as the little guy is concerned. But next year will be eve more fun, and every consecutive year after gets better and better as far as how the kids relate to the garden. My suggestions would be more for your second year. My kids LOVE the cherry tomatoes, snow peas, green beans, lettuce and carrots.

Obviously you can visualize it already....but sharing the garden with the kids has been ab-so-lute-ly one of the more rewarding experiences of fatherhood. And it'll boost your ego too when your kiddo can look at and name all of their veggies and fruits just by looking at the plants when all the other 4 and 5 year olds don't even know what a tomato, radish or potato looks like before it gets on their plate. ;) My daughter just started identifying 3 or 4 of the weeds that grow around our home and knows which ones the chickens like to eat. :) love it!
Northernfox
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Oh my goodness that sounds like so much fun!! I cant wait!!

We got "the baby bullet" from my mother in law. My wife thinks it will work great for making baby food from the carrots and zucchini.

As a Biologist I really do hope to foster the love of everything alive with my children! The garden seems to be a great place to start.

8-10 weeks to go and I am so very excited and terrified!
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GardenRN
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Northernfox wrote:8-10 weeks to go and I am so very excited and terrified!
Ha! I know the feeling, seriously, don't be terrified lol. I sounds cliche', but it's true, everything comes naturally. Before long you'll know the difference between an "I have gas cry", the "I'm hungry cry" and about 50 other cries. Seriously. As a biologist I'm sure you have a fairly analytical mind. Put that to rest ;) It's easy as pie. :) The only part that is rough is getting up every few hours to feed for the first few weeks. There were times I thought that would actually give me a heart attack from lack of sleep. But it's over before you know it. And the first time that little boy looks up and says "I love you daddy"....holy junk. It's lightening. My oldest is 5 and trust me, it's just as special every time. :) You're gonna love being a father! Nothing tops it.

Cheers to your family!
Northernfox
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Thank you and I appreciate the support! I'll keep you Allinformed as things happen!

On a gardening note I moved my hot peppers to their red solo cups :) only a few short months and I'll be planting as well! I may be a zombie planting but I will :)
imafan26
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Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Congratulations.
For April through July, think about plants that more or less take care of
themselves with an automatic timer for the watering.
Northernfox
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Do you have any suggestions for the self watering system ? I don't have a large garden area but a system with a timer would be great!
imafan26
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Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

There are a lot of choices available but the simplest is just soaker hoses.
Attach a faucet timer to a faucet. Run a hose to the garden. from the garden run the soaker hose up and down rows in the garden. Plant seeds near soaker hose watering points. Mulch after seedlings emerge to conserve water. Most timers can be set for up to 4 times a day and any number of days in the week. How often you need to water will depend on how fast the soil dries out and the watering needs of the plants.

There are also self watering containers for container gardens and different types of emitters. It really depends on what you need.

Search the forum, watering systems have been discussed before and you can also check out you tube as well


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