Children’s Garden
With the snow off the ground for only a few weeks, it is difficult to start thinking about fall. But that is exactly what I have been doing in between watering flowers and organizing the garden centre.
One of the main attractions of our farm is the Pumpkin Patch. We have the largest pumpkin patch in Saskatchewan and it has been a family tradition for many locals for over 20 years. We grow literally thousands of pumpkins in every size, shape and colour. Each year we try to develop more things for children and families to do while they are visiting. During pumpkin season we offer a picture taking area, straw-bale maze, huge pumpkin display, haunted house and special events with face-painting and free hot dogs. One of the things we are expanding on is the school tour option.
Schools come to the farm for tours which focus on the life cycle of plants, growing veggies, and of course the pumpkins. So this year I am growing a special “Children’s Display Garden” so that teachers and parents can show their children some of the vegetable plants and pumpkins growing.
The garden will have carrots, beans, peas, potatoes, beets, onions and cucumber as well as some edible flowers. Some of these will be heirloom varieties growing beside more common varieties so children can see the difference in the food they eat from that their grandparents ate. I am also including giant pumpkins, squash, gourds and sunflowers for the fall tours.
This is the beginning of our expanding Ag-Tourism experience. Many families and tourists already come to the farm to spend time picking berries and to simply enjoy the rural area. But we have not had organized and well planned things for them to do when they get here. Often we find customers wandering the private areas of our farm (our backyard and the yard of the other family on the farm) and we know they are just looking for a place to go for a walk. So we are creating this space on the land; a place to look around, see the fields, watch the river, and even have a picnic.
The children’s garden will be incorporated into the herb patch which is also getting a renovation this year. We are going to start growing the herbs in a ‘formal garden’ with raised beds, paths and sculptural elements. I think that it will become quite an attraction once it gets established.
The Children’s Garden will be open for school, daycare and family tours by the middle of June and will be changing with the seasons through the end of the growing year.
