If you want your children to become ready, willing, and able gardeners, take steps early. It is not difficult, but you might need to change your thinking about children in the garden. That is one of the many suggestions made by Jeff Lowenfels. He writes about gardening for the Associated Press. Lowenfels says that gardeners are made, not born. He suggests several ways to help turn a child into a gardener. The first step is to get your child interested in plants. This, he says, is getting more difficult because of competition from electronics. Taking a child to a plant store is another good place to start. There they can smell the flowers and touch other plants. Next, let your child buy a plant. Lowenfels says he still remembers the first plant his father helped him choose when he was six years old. He says that plant, called a lantana, is where his love of plants and gardening began to grow. Children not old enough to care for a plant by themselves, need adults to teach them. This may be the best way to get children interested in gardening. Children copy adults. So, let them see how much you enjoy working with plants.