Growing a gardener

If you and your child enjoy being outdoors, why not give gardening a try?

Depending upon the age and ability of your child, you will first need to decide together whether to plan a ‘flowers only’ garden, a vegetable garden, a herb garden, or a combination of flowers and food. We have a wonderful herb garden and my little one loves to pick her own parsley or snip thyme for a recipe. Sometimes just touching a rosemary plant and then smelling her hand makes her smile. The choices are as diverse as the child making the decision. The only constraint is the climate and how much space you have. Gardens can also be grown on a window ledge or a balcony or even in just a few pots around the kitchen.

Selecting seeds

Before you begin, keep in mind some basics. You are looking for low-maintenance, disease-resistant plants that will grow well in your environment. You will also need plants that will appeal to your child. The other important factor in choosing seeds with children is to find things that grow quickly. Little ones get very frustrated and worried about their ‘little plants’ if they take too long to appear. Keep that in mind when choosing your seeds.

There are lots of options. You can go to your local nursery to choose your seeds. You will benefit from having a professional available to answer questions and give advice. This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to choose his own seeds and gardening tools.

You could use seeds from the fruit and vegetables you buy. Keep in mind that sterilised or irradiated seeds won't grow anywhere. One way to test whether they are likely to germinate is to place a few seeds on a wet sponge in a sealed plastic bag. Put them in a cool dark place and then check on them every three days. If nothing's changed after three weeks, your seeds are probably not going to grow. Any indication of life means you can immediately transplant them.