![]() ![]() ![]() Yes, I thought I was going to teach my children a good lesson when I decided to use fish to fertilize our garden.īut I think the person who really learned a lesson was me. Even then, I could tell the girls wanted to bury Christopher in the garden! It must’ve been a half hour before I finally got things calmed back down. I was too busy trying to get my girls to stop crying, trying to get Shawn to stop laughing, and trying to get Christopher to understand what he had done wrong. I was shocked, but I didn’t have time to think about that. Christopher really had absorbed my lesson about the benefits of burying fish to fertilize a backyard garden. “Where are they now?”Īnd he meant in the garden. “Why in the world did you do that?” I demanded. It was Christopher, the ten-year-old who spoke. I moved a few of the aquarium decorations around. Sure enough, all the fish in our aquarium were nowhere to be found: the neons, the guppies, the zebras, and the black-and-speckled mollies. “They dis-dapeared, Mommy,” explained my five-year-old. “What?” I yelled back, throwing on my bathrobe and open- ing the door. I was just stepping out of the shower when I heard all three girls shriek, “MO-MM!” When we were done, I headed inside for a quick shower before I started dinner. They did a fantastic job helping me with our all-natural fertilizer. “You two are just scaredy cats!” yelled Christopher. “Okay, girls,” I admonished them, “but you are missing a valuable lesson.” The three girls started heading back to the house. “I ain’t touching that stuff!” said Norma. “This will help our garden grow and give us a lot more to eat,” I explained cheerfully. I showed them how to bury the scraps near our plants. One day after the kids and I caught several catfish and trout, I took them and all the leftover fish parts out to the garden. Now it was time for me to teach this lesson to the children. The year we did that, the garden produced better than ever before. We both love to fish, and one year, after cleaning our catch, he took the bones and fish heads and buried them in the garden. The trouble started when I decided to save money on fertilizer by incorporating a technique my husband taught me long ago (before he died in an accident). The boys, in truth, prefer to search for strange insects to scare the girls with. Even Norma, the five-year-old, likes to help.Īctually, all three girls are helpful. And it is a great way for us to spend time together as an entire family. It also gives me the chance to teach my children the art and benefits of gardening-something I felt proud of. Growing a large vegetable garden helps us cut corners on the food budget. Every time I hear one of them shriek, “Mo-mmm!,” I mentally prepare myself for another round of conflict resolution.īut there was one day that even I, Super Mom of five kids, was unprepared for. Teaching Carla (13), Michelle (12), Christopher (10), Shawn (8), and Norma (5) how to work out disputes has been an ongoing battle. By Donna HicksĪs a parent of five children, I have become accustomed to settling arguments. Enjoy! Fish For Fertilizer They work great. Pieces like these that inject gardening humor into everyday life lessons always brighten up my day, and I hope it does for you as well. This story comes from our archive that spans over 30 years and includes more than 130 magazine issues of GreenPrints. Yes! I want this FREE sampler! Kids Make the Most Funny Gardening Stories I think you’ll get a real kick out of this story, just like I did. As three of her kids decided today wasn’t the day they wanted to learn, the other two stayed to absorb-perhaps a little too much-of the information.īut boy, that Christopher sure knows how to follow instructions! The piece is called Fish For Fertilizer, by Donna Hicks, and it starts out with a mother eager to get her kids excited about getting their hands dirty in the garden, and tackles the ever-important topic of fertilizing garden beds. The most funny gardening stories, like the one I’m sharing today, lead with a big “ohhh, noooooo” and end with an “awwwww…” which is exactly how any good children’s tale should go, if you ask me! I recall my own children praying over tiny seeds, nurturing baby seedlings, and then promptly forgetting about them until a tomato or two showed up and they’d woo and sing to them until they ripened. When I think of how many treasures and funny gardening stories that readers have shared with us over the years, many of my favorites involve children finding their way around their first garden. ![]()
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