Growing, design, and care advice from David Domoney. David is a Chartered Horticulturalist with over 40 years of experience growing and caring for plants. David has also worked on UK national television for over 2 decades. As a garden designer, David has won over 30 RHS medals for his garden designs at leading UK gardening shows and events.
When I was a child, we were barely ever indoors. And I believe that gardening is really important for children. There’s no doubt that if you make it fun, kids will get involved. So here are my top ways to get them outside – all we need now is some good summer weather!
1 Start a plot
Identify part of the garden that belongs to each child. My father did this for me, my sister and brother. Let your children plant what they want to grow in their own patch. You’ll be amazed how much difference that little bit of ownership will make to them.
2 Make it fun
Encourage them towards plants that have a life outside the garden. Growing pumpkins for Halloween, for example, or an apple tree or peanuts to eat. It’s not just leaves and flowers – it’s all the other things that plants give.
3 Try something new
There are heaps of plants, fruit, veg and colourful shrubs that are a bit different from what’s in the rest of the garden. Don’t be afraid of something that might look a little odd in your design!
For younger children, sunflowers are always a winner because they grow so quickly. They are also easy and inexpensive. Get siblings really invested in it by making it a competition to see whose grows bigger! Get sunflower growing tips here.
5 Follow the feathers
Pick up a small pair of binoculars and a birdspotting book. It will encourage kids to take an interest in what’s going on outside. Birds are free pets.
6 Feed the fish
If the kids aren’t too young, add a pond – you can get by with less than two metres sqaure. Introducing frogspawn or goldfish will let them interact with living creatures – pondlife is fascinating. But make sure it’s well covered so no one falls in.
7 Grow your own
We all know kids love to eat, but it’s even more special when they’ve grown it themselves. Fruit goes down well and strawberries are a firm favourite. If you’re struggling to get kids motivated, take them to a pick-your-own farm and grab a couple of strawberry plants on the way home.
8 Start indoors
You can also grab their attention inside the house first. There are fascinating plants such as Venus flytraps, the Dracula plant, the hooded executioner and the deadly dew plant – they’re fascinating plants that eat insects and are guaranteed to be a winner on a bedroom windowsill.
Simple maths: kids plus creepy crawlies equals hours of fun! Try creating a bee or insect hotel to attract more bugs into the garden. Simply stuff straw into empty pipes or fill a plant pot with pine cones. Or check out my bee house, made from an old terracotta pot!
And don’t be squeamish – insects attract birds and protect the garden. A ladybird eats 5,000 greenfly in its lifetime, so everyone wins!
10 Make them work
If you can’t drum up any enthusiasm, make the kids earn their pocket money in the garden. It gives them an incentive to cut the lawn, dig weeds and water plants when it’s hot. It worked on me when I was young!
hands picking fresh lettuce in the vegetable garden
Are you thinking of growing your own veg this year? Put down those seeds until you have read my Ultimate Vegetable Planting Calendar. It’s a simple, easy-to-follow guide to growing all your favourite veg at home!
The calendar shows you the best times to sow, plant and harvest your crops so you can make the most of your plants.
[fusion_dropcap]A[/fusion_dropcap] Of course you can!
I know that many people are pushed for space, with waiting lists for allotments running into years in some places. But there are loads of ways to grow veg without having acres of land.
Many species of veg have dwarf varieties that don’t grow as tall, making them ideal for smaller gardens. Some grow best against a wall, climbing upwards to make the most of your space.
A lot of veg is also suited to container growing – pots, planters and growbags all work well. You can put containers on patios, balconies and even in cool conservatories, and small pots can be hung from railings and walls.
Container growing is also ideal for people who rent their homes, as landlords don’t always allow you to dig up the garden. But containers allow you the freedom to grow almost anything you want, and can be picked up and transported to the next place if you move!
Very small plants can even be grown on sunny windowsills, providing it’s not sat over a radiator which will scorch the plant.
So you see, where there’s a will, there’s a way. I believe everyone should have a go at growing their own. It’s easier than it looks, and there really is nothing like eating food you’ve grown with your own hands.
