“Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.” Lewis Grizzard. “Indoors or out, no one relaxes in March, that month of wind and taxes; the wind will presently disappear, the taxes last us all the year.” Ogden Nash. “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” Charles Dickens. “This is the perfume of March: rain, loam, feathers, mint.” Lisa Kleypas. “The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another.” Henry Van Dyke. “March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes, and a laugh in her voice.” Hal Borland.
See Part I here.
Give kids their own garden space: Digital gardens give kids control. In the virtual world, players create gardens filled with whatever they like—or at least, they start out with basics and earn more elaborate additions as they progress. No adult lurks over the screen, telling kids where and what to plant. The success—and failure—of the virtual garden rests on the player’s shoulders. Garden games help kids build confidence, correct mistakes, and celebrate successes as their gardens grow. A real-world garden should mirror the digital independence. Give kids a garden space of their own.
Whether you have ample room in the backyard, a slice of space in the front garden, or a sunny balcony, kids can grow a garden anywhere there’s sun and a nearby source for water. Involve them in selecting the site, asking where they think the garden should be placed, based on their gardening games. Most games show players what plants need to grow successfully, so ask leading questions to help your young gardener pick the perfect place for their garden. (And add gentle reminders, if necessary, about light and water sources.)
If you have space, in-ground gardens mirror many farming-based games. Clearing the site, adding compost, and hoeing rows for crops may appeal to kids who want to follow the game closely in their real-world garden. But for an easy transition from screen to soil, you might consider containers, raised beds, or raised planters. Perfect for smaller yards or poor soil, these products help get kids growing quickly. Just remember: this garden space is for kids. Let them lead the way, with only gentle guidance from you.
Empower kids with choices: Cozy garden games give players options—and now, it’s time to let kids transition those choices to their real-world garden. Here’s where seed catalogs, the designed posterboard, and games themselves can guide your young gardener. Ask your child which foods and flowers they want to grow, as well as how those plants grow in the game. Let them take the lead. If needed, remind them which plants grow in cool seasons versus the heat of summer, as well as plants that need full sun and those that tolerate a bit of shade.
Next, let the kids pick their favorite foods to grow. When you study seed catalogs together, you’ll find many edible varieties with fun, kid-appealing names, like Dragon Tongue beans, Green Zebra tomatoes, and Tom Thumb peas. Discuss how many plants can fit in the garden space, but then the choice of plants is theirs. Offer commentary only if those plants won’t grow well in your USDA zone. A few plant options to consider, based on those grown in cozy garden games, include Yellow Moon carrot, Chioggia Guardsmark beet, Camaro pumpkin, Claney potato, Mambo watermelon, and strawberries.
Sneak in some garden lessons: As the kids pick their plants, sow their seeds, and tend their gardens, remind them of several game-inspired tasks that translate into a productive, healthy real-world garden. In Stardew Valley, for instance, certain crops—like beans—require trellising to grow well. Help your gardener build a trellis with bamboo poles and jute, or let them select a cute trellis to add character to their garden.
In Minecraft, bees pollinate crops, advancing plants’ growth, while in Stardew Valley, players plant sunflowers to attract bees. Adding pollinator-friendly plants to the garden mimics the digital game, helping to boost harvests. Feeding plants, too, is important in both virtual and real-world gardens. Here, though, you may need to explain the difference between real fertilizers and virtual ones. In Roblox’s Grow a Garden, for instance, players use Quick-Grow Fertilizer to reduce harvest time by 30 percent. Stress the importance of feeding the garden with healthy, strong plants that produce a good harvest.
Celebrate garden successes big and small: You know how it is. The garden thrills—and disappoints. Be your young gardener’s biggest champion, cheering on successes and comforting their disappointments. Share your garden-fail stories with your kids when things don’t go as they hope. Kids need to know grownups fail sometimes, too.
When the first flush of strawberries ripens, let your kids eat them straight from the plant—and then ask them what treat they’d like to make with the next strawberry harvest. Help them pull carrots when the shoulders appear above the soil line—and make a soup together with the fresh food. Give them a pair of snips to collect sunflower blooms for a pretty bouquet to decorate the dinner table. They’ll love showing off the food and flowers they grew in their real-world garden.
And then, spend a little time playing with them in their cozy digital gardens to plan next year’s IRL (In Real Life) garden.
This fact sheet is provided as an education/inspirational service of the National Garden Bureau (https://ngb.org/gaming-to-garden-kids/). Happy Family Gardening!
“Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39. “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” 1 John 4:9. “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7.
Eddie Seagle is a Sustainability Verifier, Golf Environment Organization (Scotland), Agronomist and Horticulturalist, CSI: Seagle (Consulting Services International) LLC, Professor Emeritus and Honorary Alumnus (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College), Distinguished Professor for Teaching and Learning (University System of Georgia) and Short Term Missionary (Heritage Church, Moultrie). Direct inquiries to csi_seagle@yahoo.com.
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