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Top tips for gardening success
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There are so many fantastic fruit, veg and flowers out there
that you can grow with your child that we found it tough to narrow it
down to a chosen few! However, the following should provide your garden,
windowsill or patio with brilliant colour, heaven-sent scents and yummy
fruit and veggies to tuck into in the summer months.
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Don't forget the sun cream
It's hard to take this one seriously at the moment, with hail storms
and sleet showers, but soon the sun will be strengthening and you'll need
to keep skins protected against the powerful rays.
Even if you are only planning on popping into the garden for ten minutes
it's advisable to put something on as ten minutes can easily turn into
20, 30, 40…! Also, avoid the sun in the middle part of the day, between
11am and 2pm or 3pm in peak summer, as this is when it is at its strongest.
 Lovely
lollipop sticks
This wonderful excuse to enjoy ice lollies will provide you with useful
labels for the garden. Once you have consumed the contents, dry the sticks
for a day or so and then use them to mark out plants in the garden or
in pots, one end in the soil and one as the marker.
Remember to use a waterproof pen though, or the information will be
quickly lost with all the watering and rain!
Make a mess!
If you are imagining floating around in a pristine Cath Kidson gardening
apron, you'll be in for a shock! Gardening is for getting down and getting
dirty. Your kids will love squelching in mud, grabbing fistfuls of dirt
and getting grass stains on their knees, which is what it's all about
and what washing machines were made for!
On a more serious note, though, if you are pregnant always wear gardening
gloves and take care around soil with cat faeces which can cause a serious
disease called toxoplasmosis.
Dress appropriately
Some mud and grass stains are difficult to get out, even with the huge
selection of stain removal agents out there, so don't let your children
wear their Sunday best in the garden. An old pair of jeans or shorts and
a long-sleeved T shirt and jumper are ideal as they also keep harmful
sun rays off delicate skin.
Relaaaaxxxx
Unless you're a Chelsea Garden show winner, gardening should be a relaxing
activity. Try to keep things light and fun with your children; if you
become too obsessed with neatness, order and results, the joy can quickly
go out of the activity.
Keep it safe
People often think that anything natural cannot possibly be dangerous
but some garden plants can be unsafe to the point of being lethal if eaten.
For a comprehensive list of plants to avoid, read our Garden
Safety feature.
Wash your hands!
While it is important to encourage children to get dirty, it is equally
essential to make sure they keep their fingers out of their mouths as
much as possible in the garden and to wash their hands thoroughly after
a session. Soil does carry tetanus so make sure your child's immunisations
are up to date.
Get
kitted out
There is no need to spend a fortune on gardening equipment for children
but a few well chosen items can help make the experience more fun for
them, not to mention the fact that adult trowels and rakes are much too
large for little hands.
Kim Wilde recommends the following. "Invest in some children's gardening
tools, special children's seed packets (available at good garden centres),
and a funky pair of wellies.
In fact, use anything that makes them feel encouraged and supported."
Plant something with quick visible results
"My daughter is impatient when it comes to seeds so when we plant up
some patio tubs with bulbs etc I always do a few little pots for the window
sill with something fast-growing like mustard or cress; we also get to
eat the end result as well!
We also start our beans off in glass jars with a bit of kitchen paper
in so that the roots and shoot can be seen as they start to grow before
putting them in the garden."
"Try growing seeds on windowsills"
"My grandson has enjoyed planting seed potatoes with me and can't wait
for them to come up. He has also enjoyed sowing seeds on his windowsill
in trays which we can plant outside later on e.g. marigolds - these are
very easy to grow!
I have never ever grown carrots as we have clay soil and I understand
it's not the best, but kids usually love carrots."
"Empty loo rolls make great individual planters"
"If you have any left over 'bum' cream, put it on your hands and get
it behind your nails before starting - it acts as a barrier cream and
your hands and nail come clean easier! Empty loo rolls make great individual
planters.
When the seeds have grown big enough to go out the remains of the loo
roll goes in the ground too, they normally start to drop to bits by then
anyway! The boys love growing runner beans, as they grow quickly and they
get something they like eating.
CDs make great bird scarers; put them on a string or stick near your
seeds. Save your wine corks to go on the end of any sticks in the garden
- makes them slightly more child friendly! The large plastic pop bottles
with the bottom cut out make good cloches."
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