Kids of all ages enjoy being outside. And there is no better way to engage a child both mentally and physically than to teach him or her all there is to know about gardening and horticulture. Here's an idea - if you are a parent or teacher, tell your children that you will be growing pumpkins for Fall.

Let's say you wish to plant a row or two of pumpkins in a garden. You'll need a couple stakes and some string for starters. (It also helps to bring along some kids). Ask a child to hold one end of the string on one end of the intended row while you line up the other. Tie each end of the string a few inches off the ground to its respective stake once you have made a straight line. Now you will have a site line to help you plant your pumkin seeds in a neat row.

You'll need some garden tools such as a trowel, cultivator and possibly a garden hoe. Unearth an area if planting along a row, sow 2-4 seeds approximately 1"-2" in depth spaced every 16"-18" apart. Try and keep your rows 6'-8' apart since the pumpkin vines are very busy and can take up your whole garden area. Close your seed areas using your garden tools such as a hand trowel or garden hoe. Then be sure and water your newly planted row.

As you and the kids watch the seeds germinate and sprout into pumpkin vines, you'll be interested to learn that pumpkins are considered a squash fruit and grow as a gourd from a trailing vine. They can reach 40 lb. to 80 lb. in weight, but can be picked when they are much smaller than that in size.

Also, pumpkins are known botanically as a fruit, referring to how a plant grows from a flower. However, it is widely regarded as a vegetable since it is most often cooked and eaten in dishes such as pumpkin pie. Yum Yum!

Growing pumpkins to eat or enjoy for your Fall Festival is a fun gardening project and one that involves the use of all kinds of garden tools. For more ideas visit HortiKids.com and browse our categories of gardening resources that help you teach kids about gardening and horticulture. You can also find helpful articles while visiting our Learning Directory for other fun ideas and projects.

Make it a great Day in the Garden!