I am so happy we have finally got around to replanting our vegetable garden. It has been so hot here since the start of Summer and with us being away before Christmas most of the plants had gone to seed or dried up. So apart from a few leeks our normally productive garden has been looking a little bare.
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| Lettuce and green onion seedlings |
We have started with some green onion, lettuce and cherry tomatoes seedlings. I am trying out some heirloom varieties of cherry tomatoes. Heirloom vegetables are older varieties that are easy to grow and of high quality. They also tend to look different to what might be considered a 'typical' version of that vegetable. For example, the majority of cherry tomatoes available from the supermarket are red and round. These heirloom ones we are growing include yellow pear shaped cherry tomatoes. Can't wait to see what we get at harvest time!
Bear and Bee absolutely love getting their hands dirty and set about looking for earthworms with gusto. Bee also took it upon herself to start planting the shallot seedlings while hubby and I weren't looking. She did a pretty good job too and just needed a little help with not planting them too deep. Bear just loved to help with digging the holes.
It is great to be able to plan the vegetable garden with your children. Older kids could investigate the best position for different vegetables as well as crop rotation. Younger kids could compare the seeds or seedlings being planted to pictures of the mature plants and what they produce. You could talk about vegetables that your children already like to eat and see if you could grow some in your own vegie garden and also pick a few new varieties to introduce into your child's diet. Children are more likely to try a new vegetable or fruit that they have helped grow.
I am also planning to extend the garden so there should be plenty of room for some sweet corn and perhaps some different types of beans such as climbing beans to grow up the corn stalks and borlotti beans for their interesting markings. And down the track I would love to invest in some dwarf fruit trees that could be grown in large containers along our fence.
Bear and Bee absolutely love getting their hands dirty and set about looking for earthworms with gusto. Bee also took it upon herself to start planting the shallot seedlings while hubby and I weren't looking. She did a pretty good job too and just needed a little help with not planting them too deep. Bear just loved to help with digging the holes.
It is great to be able to plan the vegetable garden with your children. Older kids could investigate the best position for different vegetables as well as crop rotation. Younger kids could compare the seeds or seedlings being planted to pictures of the mature plants and what they produce. You could talk about vegetables that your children already like to eat and see if you could grow some in your own vegie garden and also pick a few new varieties to introduce into your child's diet. Children are more likely to try a new vegetable or fruit that they have helped grow.
I am also planning to extend the garden so there should be plenty of room for some sweet corn and perhaps some different types of beans such as climbing beans to grow up the corn stalks and borlotti beans for their interesting markings. And down the track I would love to invest in some dwarf fruit trees that could be grown in large containers along our fence.
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| Cherry tomatoes and their "companion"plant basil. |
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I believe gardening with your kids is an essential part of a healthy childhood. It doesn't matter what size your garden is or even if you only have time to look after a few herbs pots on the kitchen windowsill, getting your kids involved in gardening will have many positive results. You can read more about gardening with children on the Picklebums site and here on the Little Green Fingers blog.
What do you have growing in your vegie garden?
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