Gardening with children
Gardening with your children is an ideal way of introducing them to the world of nature.
They can experience at close-quarters the satisfaction brought about by careful nurturing, while also learning about life-cycles, self-sustenance and how to care for their environment.
It may mean giving up a little of your own gardening time, but ultimately the experience can be as rewarding for you as it is for them.
Getting young children enthused about gardening isn’t always easy, but they are inquisitive by nature and given the more ‘glamorous’ tasks of seed planting and fruit picking, their interest is more likely to hold.
Below are some top tips that should help you and your children get the most out of the gardening experience:
Plot carefully
Give your children their own individual plots in your garden or allotment.
Keep them small and manageable, but make sure they are in a prominent area of the garden with good soil and plenty of sunlight.
A strong plot will give your children every chance of success – which in turn will breed enthusiasm.
Start from seed
Starter plants can be a tempting shortcut, but child gardeners will learn more by starting from seeds.
The nurturing of sprouting seeds is central to the growing experience, and, what’s more, children will delight in watching their creations break through the soil.
Make it fun
Pulling up weeds is few people’s favourite part of gardening, but such mundane tasks can capture children’s imagination given the right approach.
See who can collect the most weeds in five minutes, with a small reward for the winner. Just be sure to keep a close eye on proceedings to see that your prize radish isn’t uprooted.
The right plants
Planting the right crops is vital in order to retain your children’s enthusiasm for gardening. If weeks pass without any sign of a breakthrough, their interest will quickly wane.
Anything they can pick and eat straight from the plant will prove popular – strawberries and tomato plants are ideal. Ultimately though, let them decide what they grow. The more involvement they have from the very beginning, the more likely they are to see it through.
Other popular plants for young gardeners include:
Sunflowers – Can grow to more than 2ft tall in just four weeks. Grow confectionary sunflowers and you will be able to eat the seeds, which are rich in iron and protein.
Lettuce / Radish – Quick-growing salad vegetables that will give your child fast results.
Useful sites
www.bbc.co.uk/gardening
www.kidsgardening.com
Related articles
Garden hints and tips
Gardening in winter
Going organic
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