By Marion Mass, M.D., Pediatrician

Featuring article from the Physician Outlook magazine.

I do not want to write about the obvious benefits (it tastes better, less pesticide exposure, sense of responsibility, sense of accomplishment) of getting your kids to help you grow organic produce.  It is the things I never expected, that you need to hear:

You are fostering common sense. You can’t buy it at the world’s best Universities!!!   Neither of my parents went to college.  So I had a little of the “do I belong here?” feeling in my first weeks at a top tier medical school.  It went away.  A little common sense can carry you through many a challenge, but how do you help your kids get it? One way is by cultivating an appreciation for the natural (common) world.  As we morph into an increasingly techno-rich world, we need to hold on to common sense!!! 

You are also fostering problem solving.  My 8 year old son and I were out in the garden during one of the early years.  The whole top of a tomato plant had been gnawed back.  “Stupid deer, “ I muttered.  But my son was looking at the ground below the chewed leaves.  “What is this stuff?  It looks like tiny animal droppings” He began to look above those droppings, and found a 3 inch tomato-leaf colored tomato hornworm (our introduction to the culprit) camouflaged in plain sight.  He went to go read all about hornworms, and together we protected our crop.  Couldn’t have fixed the problem without him.   

Getting dirty is beneficial!  Studies show that kids who grow up on farms have lower rates of asthma, food allergies and seasonal allergies. (It’s nice to know that SOMEONE has lower rates!)  Why?  It’s called the hygiene hypothesis.  The arm of the immune system that responds to parasites (commonly found in the soil ) is partly responsible for the allergic and asthma response pathways.  The increasing lack of exposure to parasites has this part of the immune system ready to respond to other issues, such as environmental allergens, etc.  Keep in mind, it still is a good (common-sense) idea to wash off your hands after gardening.  Aim for exposure, not ingestion!

They will try and eat more vegetables.  Even the ones they think they hate. These past two summers, my daughter and her friends have been growing and selling produce from our garden for charity.  Two of the girls hated tomatoes when the project started.  No longer!

It’s a great time for communication, especially with the pre-teen/teen crowd.  I know you hear that advice, talk to your kids in the car.  There is something about that time that doesn’t feel like an interrogation to them and they talk.  It works even better in the garden.  When they are bent over the bush beans, or searching for ripe peppers, they relax, let down their guard and open up.

Do you need any more reasons?  It really is easier than you think! Start small…. A window box, a 4 x 4 plot.  Expand as you become comfortable with gardening.  Start planning now by gathering advice from blogs, websites, books (gasp!) local gardening clubs and extensions.  You will reap more benefits than an armload of beautiful produce!!!