My mother grew up on a Northern California farm, and you would think that, as a child, I would have developed a strong sense of appreciation for what we grow in our own backyards.

But I grew up in the late ’60s and ’70s, in an era of canned tomatoes, frozen peas and sugar-coated mandarin oranges. My mom didn’t forget her roots, but they did stay dormant as she struggled with raising four kids and handling a full-time job. But she still had a terrific green thumb that she practiced on weekends – and during 49er games when the score got too close and she couldn’t stand to watch.

I inherited a lot of my mother’s traits, but a love of gardening wasn’t one of them. In fact, I had no interest in flowers, and I was petrified of live vegetable plants after I witnessed an unfortunate incident between a weed whacker and a caterpillar on a tomato stalk when I was 8. Quite simply, gardening didn’t interest me.

But I married an Italian, and my husband taught me the joy of a fresh tomato salad and roasted pepper salsa from my own garden. And now I even plant bulbs and perennials each spring around our backyard, and actually admit to enjoying it. While my thumb may not be totally green these days, it is more beige than brown.

That’s why I am so amazed by my neighbor Liam. We fondly call him the neighborhood green grocer, as he comments on our daffodil bulbs, bougainvillea vines and our vegetable garden. He tells us when we should plant things, shares with us what has sprouted in his garden and comments on the quality of our heirloom tomatoes.

The thing is, Liam is 6. But ever since he was 3 or 4, he has been fascinated with gardening. He can rattle off the names of plants like a pro, and he eagerly awaits the first budding rose and lily of the spring.

But it is the vegetables that really interest him. Almost every night during tomato season last summer, Liam would walk through our door, out to the garden – with one of his older siblings in tow – and proceed to pluck the vegetables off the plants. He put them in a bowl, came into the kitchen, made a few comments about how red or yellow they were (the guy knew his colors at 2), then took them home.

And that was fine. Anyone who has ever grown tomatoes knows that you can never eat as many as you grow, so Liam’s harvesting helped us tremendously.

His mom grows pretty flowers, and his dad is the envy of all the other dads because of his nice front yard, so Liam’s enthusiasm for gardening may be inherited. But never in my life have I seen a kid so interested in how things grow. I think of how much he enjoys it and I am envious. I wish I had that thrill when I was a child.

Luckily, with the help of some dedicated gardeners and teachers, more kids will be exposed to the joys of gardening, and maybe even become as fascinated as Liam. School learning gardens are a great way to introduce kids to the pleasure of growing – as well as teach valuable skills at the same time. Check out our story about school gardens, one of several stories this month dedicated to Earth Day on April 22.

And don’t forget the joy of planting your own flower garden or vegetable patch. Children will be more enthusiastic about eating veggies if they grow them themselves. And if you need planting advice, never fear: I’ll just send Liam over.

____________________________________________________________________

We Are Golden!

Bay Area Parent won FIVE Gold Awards in the 2010 Parenting Publications of America’s annual design and editorial contest. Read our winning entries – and what the judges said – at BayAreaParent.com.