Gardening Tips
52
a beginner’s
GUIDE Kids
It's never too soon to get children interested in gardening and where their food comes from. Even the fussiest child should be prepared to try a warm, sweet strawberry or raspberry straight from the plant or a handful of peas out of the pod (my Dad often wondered why half of his pea crop had suddenly disappeared although I'm sure he had his suspicions!) At any time of the year, children can start to understand the concept of things growing from seed if you give them a packet of cress seeds and, although they can be grown in a shallow tray, make it even more fun by saving the shells from
their breakfast boiled eggs that have had their tops cut off. Draw a face on the eggshell and fill with peat free compost or even moist kitchen roll and sprinkle with seeds. When it grows the little egg man will have a mop of green hair that they can snip and eat. In the spring, let them have a competition growing the tallest sunflower by learning how to feed and water them. They can keep some dried out seeds for next year and feed the rest to the birds in winter. Although they might shy away from anything green on their plates, they might find plenty of chopped chives, basil, marjoram/oregano and/or thyme only improves their favourite pizza or Bolognese sauce.
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