plan for a child's garden LIFE 51-05-21

war garden 572 · April 2023

even in 1950's kids would reject broccoli.
given the bitterness. also beets are more
useful given the root and leaves are both edible.

the design is rather plain in my opinion.

Dovefromabove · April 2023

In the UK in the 1950s children (not kids … in those days kids were young goats) ate what they were given and were thankful for it. Children did not reject food. That was not an option. We ate our broccoli, which in those days was purple sprouting. The larger-headed calabrese type wasn’t grown in the UK then and wasn’t imported until well into the 60s.

Dovefromabove · April 2023

And those hard peas that would shoot off your plate and across the table if you pressed your fork onto them in just the right way 🤪
Remember those @pansyface?

Dovefromabove · April 2023

@war garden 572 … in the 1950s British children were expected to help their parents in the vegetable garden and allotment … I remember putting the seed potatoes in the trench while Ma earthed them over; helping to push elm and hazel pea sticks from the hedgerows into the ground along the rows of emerging pea shoots (growing from seeds covered in red leaf oxide powder) and helping Ma to dust the brassicas with that marvellous white powder to kill the caterpillars … yes, DDT liberally scattered around … those really were the good old days weren’t they? 🤔

Fairygirl · April 2023

Ironic isn't it @Dovefromabove - Joni was a lone voice back then in terms of being environmentally aware -
# Hey farmer farmer, put away that DDT now,
Give me spots on my apples,
But leave me the birds and the bees....

We still haven't fully learned though - more than fifty years later...

I'm a child of the fifties. Broccoli? In Scotland? You're having a laugh!

raisingirl · April 2023

Fairygirl said:

Ironic isn't it @Dovefromabove - Joni was a lone voice back then in terms of being environmentally aware -

Rachel Carson's book was 8 years earlier, so Joni wasn't alone - she raised the profile though

Fairygirl · April 2023

I recall you mentioning that book before @raisingirl, although I'm not familiar with it.
Yes - the profile was raised by her, but we've learnt b*gger all have we?
By 'we' I mean those who can really make a difference, as opposed to those of us who are ordinary gardeners....

Busy-Lizzie · April 2023

Dovefromabove said:

In the UK in the 1950s children (not kids … in those days kids were young goats) ate what they were given and were thankful for it. Children did not reject food. That was not an option. We ate our broccoli, which in those days was purple sprouting. The larger-headed calabrese type wasn’t grown in the UK then and wasn’t imported until well into the 60s.

At last, another who doesn't call children kids (or do you?), I've never liked it. Children are children, kids are young goats.

I liked broccoli when I was small and so do my grandchildren. Maybe because my children grow vegetables. Their children like to help and to gather in the crops.

I don't think children are that interested in formal plans. They just like to sow seeds, see them come up and eat the result, preferably raw.

I saw that plan mentioned "plant the carrots" - should have said sow, you sow seeds and plant plants.

Dovefromabove · April 2023

I used to have a herd of dairy goats @Busy-Lizzie … I knew the difference between kids and children and have continued to maintain that difference … and when I worked for Children’s Social Services I sometimes pointed out that to call them kids was disrespectful to the children we were there to help.

And I agree about planting and sowing … you plant plants and sow seeds. To use the word plant indiscriminately can sometimes cause confusion.

BenCotto · April 2023

I don’t use the word ‘kids’. And for good measure eschew veggies, rhodies, spuds, toms, mums, cues and daffs as well.

plan for a child's garden LIFE 51-05-21

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