When Laura and John Fisher's son Kevin was just 3 months old, Laura rented a $20-a-year plot at the Sepulveda Garden Center in Encino so she could get some light exercise and fresh air. "I used to take Kevin over to the garden in an infant seat and put him under a tomato bush for shade," says Laura.
Now that Kevin is 6, gardening has become a family affair, involving even Kevin's grandfather, Art Fisher, who lives in Van Nuys. Together, the adults have taught Kevin the basics of how plants grow and where food comes from. "He knows his vegetables," says Laura, "and he knows how to harvest the cucumbers, string beans and blackberries."
But beyond the produce itself, the Fishers say the best thing about gardening together is the camaraderie--the feeling that they are accomplishing something tangible and enjoying each others' company in the process.
According to Pamela Ingram, owner of Sassafras Nursery in Topanga, the most important part of gardening as a family is the togetherness. Ingram also believes that the urge to garden is instinctual and that children often don't need much encouragement to get started.