Live chat by LivePerson

 

 

 

Getting ready for spring – planning a child’s garden

Give your child his or her own small plot or a well-defined section of the larger family garden to encourage a sense of ownership without being overwhelming. A square-yard garden is a good size for a young child and doesn’t take too much from your own garden plans. Mark it out with a low fence so the child knows it’s really theirs.

Plant vegetables that your child loves to eat and are easy to grow from seed sown directly in the garden. Large seeds, such as beans, cucumbers, pumpkins and zucchini are easiest to plant and sprout quickly. Radishes and cress are the fastest!

Grow dramatic flowers such as sunflowers and zinnias, which have large, fast-growing seeds and produce bold, colourful blossoms. Both require warm soil and full sun.

Appeal to all the senses. Include herbs, such as basil and parsley, for garden grazing. Add fragrant plants, such as lemon verbena, rose-scented geraniums and pineapple salvia. Some plants are just for touching, like perennial lamb's ears with its soft, fuzzy leaves. Alpine strawberries are great for harvesting too.

Go to the garden centre together to buy plants and seeds, include some seedlings, which provide instant gratification. Cherry tomatoes are a popular choice because they produce loads of bite-size treats that children can pick and eat straight from the garden – assuming you aren’t using chemicals, and in the flower department, snapdragons are favourites because of the flexible dragon's jaw that invites pinching.

Initiate children's projects to keep things interesting while plants grow. Encourage your child to make a sign for the garden or let them build a scarecrow, paint stepping-stones or construct a twig wigwam.

Child gardener photograph by chefranden, used under a creative commons attribution licence

© blueworldgardener.co.uk