Did you know that May is National Garden month? It’s a wonderful time of year when spring has sprung and homeowners everywhere celebrate and participate in gardening. Flowers bloom, the sun shines and life is good!

But wait…if you’ve been part of the gardening community for awhile, you know that noseeums, mosquitoes and biting gnats can make your gardening experience nothing short of miserable. Especially if you work during the day and only have time to garden in the evening when noseeums bite the most. While it’s the best time of the year to expand and design your garden and landscape, it can also be a challenge to focus when you’re being attacked by biting insects.

So with an ever growing population of parents who realize the health benefits of gardening, what’s a mother to do? Well, first things first, avoid bug sprays with DEET as an ingredient. It just doesn’t make sense to cover your child in a cloud of chemicals while you’re busy teaching them about the beauty and wonder of nature and gardening. Keep in mind that many products that are DEET free have other harmful chemicals.

Next, choose some long sleeved and light colored “gardening outfits” that are banded at the wrists and ankles. Have your kids wear hats as well and mist both clothing and skin with an all natural bug repellant. The most effective bug sprays will have some combination of citronella, lemongrass and geranium. You’ll also want to try to avoid gardening in the early morning or evening hours. Optimally, right after the kids get home from school would be the best time as the sun will still be high.

Now get out the trowel and the pepper plants and start building your garden so you can help develop your kids healthy attitudes towards food and wellness. You may be surprised to know that they’ll also likely do better and school and begin to take more personal responsibility in their lives.