This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
childrens gardening
stefanie white
Posts: 6
in Talkback
Hi i am new to this site and was just wanting your advice on some easy gardening ideas to do with my five year old daughter. Thanks for reading
0
Posts
Hi Stefanie and Hi to your daughter too
When my daughter was around 5 she had her own flower bed and she grew nasturtiums, calendula and sunflowers (amongst other things). When the caterpillars ate her nastutiums she said that was ok because it was now a 'butterfly farm'.
It's also great fun to grow some little cherry tomatoes in a tub. If you don't want to start them from seed yourself you can buy the plants from a garden centre. My niece got into gardening by growing a butternut squash plant - also available from garden centres for you to pot up or grow in the garden.
Great fun, teaches a sense of responsibility (regular watering etc) coping with disappointment (we all have to be able to do that) and an interest in nature.
Have lots of fun
.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Definitely give her her own space, if you can. Even if it's a little area at the end of your existing garden. Just put a little fence between the spaces to clearly define the area. That way you can let them go to town, without her accidentally destroying something important to you. As Dove said, purchase some starts from a garden center for instant success.. but try some seeds too. I found peas were a big success with my four year old last year, he loved eating them straight out of the garden (but wouldn't touch them on his plate at the table). Some plants are easier to grow than others, so perhaps do a bit of research first.
My two and a half year old son follows me around the garden and is happy to "help" when he can. He loves helping me to plant trees and shrubs, although I have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't pull them back out again. He also loves helping me plant seeds in trays.
Get them hooked as soon as you can and it's a lot easier than trying in later life.