Summer Growing
16th July 2004


For the next eight weeks children will not be in school and that can cause all sorts of problems. They quickly become bored with garden games and yet it is much better to have them outside in the fresh air than inside pushing buttons and facing a screen.




Why not give them a portion of garden and encourage them to grow flowers and vegetables?

It can be great fun but for it to succeed there are rules that are carved in stone. The plot chosen should be the best soil in the garden. If necessary improve it by digging in sand and peat.

Choose a position in sun or light shade. Dig it well before hand and remove any stones larger than a fifty pence piece. Remember that a child's spade hasn't a lot of strength.

Dig out and remove all perennial weed roots and cover the soil with clear polythene for a week. This will encourage annual weed seeds to germinate and be removed before any seeds are sown.

Have the labels written for each packet of seed with only the sower's name and the date of sowing added.

Protect against vermin, pests such as slugs and snails, cats and dogs.

An unseen helping hand applying fertilizer at night and removing weeds is allowed.

Buying transplants of lettuce, parsely and leeks will speed up the end result. Choose annuals that will quickly come into flower such as nasturtiums, Livingstone daisy and pansies.

Clear plastic soft drink bottles, with their necks removed, make excellent mini cloches. They may be used to cover individual plants protecting them from pests while helping them grow more quickly.

For peace of mind site the mini-garden where it can be seen from the kitchen or living room window.

Writing initials in the soil with lettuce seeds is fun and you still end up with lettuce plants.

Once a gardener always a gardener.




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