 | Childrens gardening section
Kids fun in the garden- a chance to get dirty and play outside!
Apart from the sheer enjoyment of being out doors there are the added benefits of growing your own foods plus the educational aspects that come as a natural part of gardening!
We have lots of ideas for you here plus childrens gardening tool sets
First the safety issues-but don't get too hung up about them - practical precautions are sensible but needn't be too onerous! |
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7 Ladybird facts
1. Ladybirds - Ladybirds are beetles and the most common type is bright red with seven spots.
2. Most gardeners love Ladybirds because they eat garden pests such as green fly.
3. 43 species of Ladybirds are common in Britain, but there are 3500 species of Ladybirds world-wide (approximately!).
4. Ladybirds hibernate in houses during the winter and emerge in March/April - or earlier if the weather is warm.
5. Ladybirds are red in colour because they taste foul and the bright colour warns other creatures not to eat them.
6. Ladybirds will secrete small amounts of oily foul-smelling yellow liquid from its legs as a further warning to predators such as ants or birds.
7. Join the UK Ladybird Survey http://www.ladybird-survey.org/recording.htm to help find out where they live.
Look out for the destructive Harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) It was first seen here in 2004 and originated in Japan.it was used as a biological control in the USA. It is threatening the survival of native British species
If you see one don't kill it-it won't deplete the stocks already in this country and may lead to other insects mistakenly identified as harlequins being killed. The best thing to do is to report them to www.harlequin-survey.org giving details of when and where the insect was found (include the postcode if you can).
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Health, Hygiene and SafetyDress up in the right gear - nothing fancy and always wear sturdy footwear.
Keep a first aid kit to hand.
Use sun cream and hats appropriately and don't let them de-hydrate keep cool water to hand. Don't let them work in the garden unsupervised and tell them why.
Talk about keeping your hands clean and why. Wash your hands together!
Garden safety- respect your tools, store them and use them safely. Show them how!
Keep away from ponds. Cover yours with mesh if you have one even a shallow pond can be a danger! And look out for less obvious dangers like uncovered water butts too.
Teach them which plants to avoid and most importantly WHY- e,g
Poisonous plants, especially berries such as deadly nightshade -don't eat anything till you've looked at it together
Wear protective gloves when handling;-
Plants that can sting or burn the skin like stinging nettles and Euphorbia.
Plants with thorns or hooks, such as roses and cactus.
Plant leaves that can cut, for example, pampas grass or phormiums, agaves.
Steer right away from chemicals and do not let children handle blood, fish and bone etc
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 | Maths in the garden Count those seeds-easy if you have nice big beans, nasturtiums etc
Make a diary and tick off the days it takes for a seed to germinate. Choose cress, lettuce and annuals.
Plan your seedbed -draw a circle, square.
Use some twine or string to mark a straight line.
Measure the growth of achocha, beans ands sunflowers by placing a stake alongside and marking off the height. This will also work for any number of bulbs inside and out.
See how the sun moves during the day. Watch the shadows lengthen.
Use big paint brushes to paint the garden furniture or paths with water. See how fast the water evaporates in the sunshine!
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NatureWatch it! Listen to it! Collect it!
Wear your gloves to collect snails in the garden! You might like to mark the ones you find with a dot of nail varnish and then take them to another part of your garden.
Keep watch! The snails will either come back- bad luck- but at least the children will know that snails have a homing instinct! If they don't come back great! They'll have just found out how to get rid of snails!
Feed the birds and grow plants that will attract wildlife into your garden. Our Bird, Bee and Butterfly collection will help you do just that! Take some time to listento the buzzing insects and the birdsong and the rustle of the grasses.
Look at the whole life cycle of annuals like sunflowers and their importance in the food chain. Collect your own seeds and plant them.
Let them cultivate the soil and plant their own seeds.
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 | Ideal childrens plants Let them cultivate the soil and plant their own seeds.
Give them a little plot of their own or a window box or large container.
Seed compost is readily available and is pleasant to handle and easy to work for little hands.
The best seeds to start with are the larger ones like beans because they are easier to handle.
Encourage children to grow their own veg, choose brightly coloured veg for flavour and extra goodness.
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Kids are more likely to eat vegetables that they have grown themselves!Beans.
You will probably have to dig the trench but let the kids plant 2 seeds to a station and remember to water frequently.
Try growing some Purple Bush Beans, large seeds are easy to sow and the beans are delicious to eat and easy to pick as their purple colour contrasts so well with the foliage you can find them easily.
Runner beans, Phaseolus coccineus; are easy to grow and kids usually love them! Water well in dry weather, otherwise the plants will not produce beans.
Carrots are great to grow for flavour and colour and are quick to mature. |  |
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 | Peas Peas
Plants lots and enjoy shelling them and eating them raw - another chance to practice those counting skills, just how many peas are there in those pods?
Sugar Snap peas are easy to grow, delicious to eat and so good for you!
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Squash and Pumpkins Unbeatable for size, colour and shape- how about comparing their weight?
And of course delicious- see our recipe section.
Don't forget to save the seed at the end of the growing season and you'll be ready to start again next time for free! |
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 | Don't despair if you don't have a garden. A window box can be an easy way to keep interest going and a garden in a bag simply couldn't be easier!
We have gardens in a bag that will give you flowers, herbs and even fruit. Easy, no mess and quick. Why not give them a try?
Try mustard and cress seeds on damp kitchen paper on the windowsill.
Sprout your own seeds in clean jam jars. Good to eat, quick and simple! Stir fry bean sprouts in a liitle oil and soy sauce, they're tasty and full of goodness
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Plants for Free!Let your children dig up and divide clumps of Galanthus nivalis Snowdrops "in the green" they are easy to divide before the plants die down and you get rejuvenated plants and more plants for free!
Show children how to use a trowel to split clumps of plants and then transplant them into another part of the garden.
Plants for free!
Try Lamb's ears, Stachys byzantina; it's easy to see how this plant got its common name when you touch the silky foliage.
Maltese cross flower, Lychnis coronaria- is another easy plant to divide and has beautiful magenta flowers.
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