Growing fruit and veg is rewarding in so many ways, especially when you involve your kids. There are so many learning opportunities and you can start as soon as they can crawl - the earlier the better. Just now my two and a half year old said, “I want to do gardening on my own Mummy”, as she dashed off with her trowel to do some digging. We've been gardening together since she was about nine months old and I’m very happy to say we both love it.
Being outside in the fresh air helps to keep children active and offers endless opportunities for sensory development from feeling the textures of the soil, petals and leaves, to hearing and seeing a multitude of different insects and animals. Plus, the repetition of daily tasks means they learn quickly and can be left to get on with tasks independently, which they absolutely love.
If that's not enough, there are other benefits too:
· Fosters an understanding of where food comes from and encourages healthy eating.
· Helps build physical strength, together with fine and gross motor skills.
· Helps kids to understand responsibility by being careful and gentle when touching seedlings or small insects, and patience whilst waiting for plants to grow.
Your little one will love talking about what they are seeing and doing in the garden too, which has great links to literacy and language development. And there are plenty of maths and science links too, so it’s a great one to link with the school curriculum (when they get to school, that is).
Ready to get growing? I hope so. Read on to find out what you need to get started and, most importantly, what to grow...
What do I need to get started?
Designated growing area (indoors and out)
You don’t need a huge amount of space to grow fruit and veg but choose your plot at the beginning so you can plan what you're going to grow. You don’t have to spend a fortune and could simply dig over a patch of garden, or, if you’re quite handy with your tools and have some spare wood lying about, you could build a raised bed.
Alternatively, get some larger pots or growbags for a container garden. This can be easier to manage sometimes, especially if you’ve got poor soil (like us).
Seeds & compost
If it’s your first veg garden I recommend choosing one or two things and trying to grow them well, rather than over facing yourself by trying to grow too many things.
Ideally, go to your local garden centre with your little one(s) and choose the seeds and compost together. Doing this gets them involved in the entire process and if they are anything like mine, they’ll love looking at all the different plants and seed varieties. Just don’t go crazy. Have in mind what you want before you go, otherwise you’ll buy too much (trust me, I always do!).
At the moment garden centres are closed and while everyone is at home and keen to get their own garden in order a lot of stock has run out, but it is still possible to order seeds and compost online, just be prepared to wait in a queue and expect a slightly longer delivery time.
You can get seeds from all good garden centres, as well as garden suppliers, such as Thompson & Morgan and Suttons Seeds:
Pots, containers or growbags
My daughter and I always start seedlings off on the kitchen windowsill because it’s the sunniest place in the house. We use 10cm pots and put two or three seeds per pot, but you can use seed trays and put one seed per square if you prefer. When the seedlings get to about 5 or 6 cm tall it’s time to transplant them into their own pot, to harden them off outside (get them used to be outside during the day), so you’ll need some bigger pots too.
Finally, we plant them in their designated space when the time is right*. If you're going for a container garden, remember, a small pot will restrict the roots, which restricts the growth, so go big - the larger the pot, the larger the plant will grow and the larger the produce will be.
*Each plant is different. Always follow the guidelines on the packet for timings.
Trowel ‘digger’
Digging in the mud brings such joy (for adults as well as kids). It inspires creativity, relaxes and soothes our mood, and it’s actually been proven to have health benefits, as well as increasing serotonin in our brains to make us happier. So, if all you do this Spring is free up some dirt so your little one can have a daily dig, then it’ll be a great start and you’ll soon see the benefits.
Try to have a number of different sized ‘diggers’ so your little one can practise with different sizes and improve their spatial awareness. We’ve got three different sized trowels and a random assortment of old spoons (plastic, wooden and metal), a fork, a ladle etc. Anything that can be used for digging will go down a treat.
Read more about the benefits of mud play here:
Small watering can
It’s an exciting fact that kids love watering the garden and when shown how to do it right this can save you a massive job. There really is no better sight than watching my toddler water the plants on her own, putting a little bit in each pot and moving around the garden until she’s done them all. Just brilliant.
Little ones will always want to use the biggest watering can, even if they can’t hold it up and all the water ends up all over the patio. So, unless you want a bad back from helping them to carry it all the time, get them their own small watering can and teach them how to hold it (with two hands so it doesn’t tip up), then just let them go. You can be the re-filler when they need it (which will be a lot), “More Mummy, more more!”
*You might have to watch for overwatering in the beginning, especially with the seeds as they won’t grow if they’re too waterlogged, or on the flip side you might need to follow round with your watering can to top up those that don’t get quite enough water.
*Remember not to water in full sun, as this can scorch the leaves. We always do it after the sun goes down just before bath time.
Waterproofs
A full waterproof suit is advisable for children under 3 years old and there are loads of really funky designs on the market to choose from.
A raincoat is sufficient too, and if you get one with big enough pockets, they’ll love being able to put their utensils, spoons, trowels etc in it. Oh, and you might find the odd snail or caterpillar in there too!
From Spring onwards, I prefer to brave the elements and enjoy the sensory experiences the garden has to offer. The muddier the better.
p.s. Don’t forget the wellies (or go bare foot – the soil feels great between your toes)
What should I grow?
If it’s your first time growing veg with a child opt for things that are easy to grow and versatile to cook with, so you’ll have plenty of options to use them. Here’s a few of our favourites:
Cress
This is the obvious one, as you can grow it on your kitchen windowsill and it grows fast, which your kids will love. It’s a great introduction to growing and they can easily look after it independently.
Use a 12-15cm pot filled with damp compost for the best effects. The first shoots should start to sprout after two days, and you’ll be able to eat it by the end of the week. Yum.
Tomatoes
We’ve tried all kinds of tomatoes and in this country without a greenhouse it can be frustrating to get the fruit to grow big enough or to ripen. But a few years ago, I stumbled upon an amazing variety, Unwin’s Sweet Million Cherry Tomatoes. As its name suggests it’s high yielding and produces juicy little cherry tomatoes daily throughout the summer. It really works too, even outdoors.
Your little one will love to play the ‘spot the red ones’ game and then pick them. If your toddler is under two and doesn’t know their colours yet, it can take a bit of repetition to teach them you don’t just pick them all (as we found out last year), but this can also be fun and with a bit of practise they soon get the hang of it.
*Remember to teach them you don’t eat directly off the plant, you have to wash them first.
Courgettes
Courgettes are a firm favourite for many veg gardeners. They are so easy to grow, and you’ll be amazed at how many you get. Plus, the more you pick, the more they grow, so you could be picking and eating them all summer. My favourites are Tristar F1 Courgettes, but I’ve never had a problem with any variety, so any will do to get you going.
Green Beans
These are another one that come in abundance when the conditions are right. Plus, they can be picked and eaten straight away, which kids love. We’ve tried a few varieties and this year will be growing Dwarf Stanley French Beans.
Carrots
It can be very exciting to harvest carrots, especially if they are multi-coloured, but as they grow beneath the soil and take a long time to grow (2-4 months), kids can soon get bored with them. I try to get round this by making it fun. I read once that tickling their leaves encourages them to grow, and whether it’s true or not, it certainly adds a bit of fun to the process and can make a great daily independent task that they will relish. It’s also a good opportunity to teach the more heavy-handed toddlers about being gentle and not damaging the leaves.
*Unlike other seeds you need to sow carrots in their final resting place, as they don’t transplant well.
*Remember to put them in something deep so they have space to grow down and thin out the seedlings when they get to about 1 inch tall, otherwise they’ll be too overcrowded and will have to fight for nutrients and water, so as a result won’t grow very big.
*Also, resist the urge to pull them out too soon. Check the packet and grow them as long as it says, otherwise you’ll be disappointed by how small they are!
Strawberries
Kids love strawberries so they’ll certainly love growing (and eating) them. They’re relatively easy to grow and can be grown anywhere – borders, baskets or containers – so will work well in any garden.
Summer-fruiting varieties have a short but heavy cropping period, so expect to pick a lot of strawberries from early to mid-summer. Or you can get perpetual strawberries, which produce smaller crops of fruit for longer (early summer to early autumn).
Potatoes
Back in my teaching days I grew potatoes with all my classes, and it was so much fun, especially when we cooked with them afterwards. Potatoes grow under the soil, so they are another one that’s not very exciting while they're growing, but when harvest time comes it can be very exciting indeed.
How to do it:
· Buy 3 seed potatoes (or take 3 sprouting ones from your food cupboard)
· Put them on the windowsill to chit (basically sprout some more) until they have loads of sprouts coming off them
· Fill a large 34cm diameter pot or potato growing bag half full with soil
· Place your 3 chitted seed potatoes equidistant apart (kind of in a triangle), cover with a little soil and add some water to get them going
· Water a lot every day (they need a lot of water)
*Growing bags are great, as they have little peep windows so you can see the potatoes growing, which helps to keep the excitement going until harvest.
We bought ours from here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plant-Growing-Gallon-Planter-Vegetables/dp/B073GWWRHG?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_12
Anything else?
Last but not least, as with everything, if you bring some excitement and enthusiasm to the garden your kids will too. So, don’t hold back. Get your wellies on, get excited and get gardening. You won't regret it.
Share what you're growing in the comments. I'd love to hear from you.
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