Weekly Update — Planting Guide, Gardening with Kids, & Roof and Basement Leaks from Spring Rains

by Sarah Snodgrass   ·   June 6th, 2025   ·   Filed Under Architecture + Design, Garden + Chickens   ·   No Comments

I’m a mom, and that means my children are out of school and my life and rhythms are a bit different than normal. Can you relate? It’s fun, but I worry about spending too much time with them and domestic life and too little time on work. Can you relate? When I think this way, I’m reminded of someone who once said that you won’t wish you spend more time working and less time with your family when you are on your deathbed. Sort of a morbid line of thought, but poignant nevertheless. Plus, my kids are awesome.

Speaking of not working, we took the kids up to Minnesota for Memorial Day weekend for hiking and biking on the Saint Croix River. It was a gorgeous river valley and we stayed in a very cute little town called Taylor’s Falls, MN. If you are looking for vacation that’s a day’s drive from KC, I recommend it. Then last weekend, we visited friends in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Their home is a combination of new and old construction (old like 1860’s old!), and the land, gardens, stone, views, sights, and sounds were an elixir to someone like me who spends most of her time in an urban environment. I particularly loved how it all felt so earthy, natural, and textural. The walls are plaster with lime wash paint, the floors are Kentucky Coffee wood, the stone is local limestone. We have become so accustomed to latex, vinyl, and various plastics in our homes, and I didn’t realize how soft and comforting a more natural style of construction could feel.

Rain and Roofs

Spring in Kansas City means occasional torrential rains, flash flooding, tornado warnings, and hail. Yep, it’s a cruel town for roofs. So earlier this week on Tuesday, while we were holed up in our basement, tornado sirens blaring, rain pouring, we noticed a spot where our gutters were overflowing. They were clogged with Maple leaf debris. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of such a thing… If you spot poor drainage or water coming into your house, check it out right then! If it’s in your basement, then literally go outside in the storm and watch where the water flows and look at your gutters/drainage. If it’s a leak in your ceiling or walls somewhere, then check your attic. It’s much easier to diagnose the problem right then, rather than when everything is dry.

Planting Guide for Early June

  • Corn (seeds)
  • Cucumber (seeds)
  • Okra (seeds) – technically it’s late, but I’d go for it if you want to try
  • Green Beans (seeds) – technically it’s late, but I’d go for it if you want to try. I like to stagger my bean planting so I always have some ripening
  • Pumpkin (seeds)
  • Summer Squash (seeds) – such as yellow squash and zucchini
  • Sweet Potato (plants)
  • Swiss Chard (plants or seeds)
  • Annuals – Spruce up your pots and beds with flowering plants to add color and texture to your landscape, curb appeal and entry
  • Perennials – Plant native and non-native perennials; note: plants may be small and not flower much the first year

Kid’s Corner

This is a somewhat boring time in the garden for kids. Things are growing, but there isn’t much to harvest yet. There are always plenty of weeds to tackle, but I advise against having kids weed your garden for a couple of reasons. First, they might inadvertently pull out a good plant. Second, I think kids dislike weeding and it can feel like a chore; instead we want to teach kids to love the garden by giving them fun jobs.

  • Keep a diary – have them get a ruler or tape measure and measure the plants each week on a specified day. Either have them write it down, or maybe let them start a spreadsheet on the computer or iPad. My kids are so deprived of screen time that they LOVE any sort of screen time I’ll give them. Even spreadsheets. This helps them learn measurement, math, and useful apps if you let them. Drawing the plants is also a good activity for kids who love to draw.
  • Dry Plants – Pick pretty stems and blooms from your yard and hang them upside down to dry them. Then let your kids make dried floral arrangements.
  • Water – Watering is crucial to a successful garden, and what kid doesn’t love messing around with a water hose? Let them loose and don’t worry if they get wet or the garden doesn’t get evenly watered. You can always go back and do it.