5 Things To Grow With Children

By Mel Evans

We have pretty much gardened our way through lockdown and are hoping for an abundance of flowers and vegetables anytime soon. If you haven’t started yet then there is still plenty of time and you don’t even need a big outdoor space. Plenty can be achieved in pots or on a sunny window ledge.

In some ways gardening and Forest School go together hand in hand. Both take place outside, and encourage an awareness in nature and the changing seasons. Both involve exercise, gross and fine motor skills and are believed to improve well being. Both encourage us to get our hands muddy!

I also like to grow things that can be taken to the woods and used in some of our activities so we are not always having to take resources from the woodland we are in.

However, unlike Forest School, which is child led and focuses on the processes with less thought to the end product, gardening is a bit more of a science. You should not let this put you off though as there is still scope for experimenting and improvising and just like Forest School, trial, error and reflection all have their place.

If you are starting out growing a few things with your children it is important that you aim to grow things that are easily achievable. Success now could spark a lifelong love of growing and all the associated benefits. You can also mix up your quick wins or things with a high chance of success with more experimental crops.

With this in mind we have put together our top 5 things you can grow with your children right now.

Peas

There is a pea to suit every taste Mange Tout, Sugar Snaps or fat Garden Peas bursting out the pod. They delicious eaten raw straight off the plant as well as cooked. Little fingers are perfect for extracting peas out of the pod. If you have the space you can sow peas in rows in a trench 15 cm wide and 3-5 cm deep. If not they can be sown in a pot. As peas grow upwards they are a great space saver. They just need a support to grow up. Twiggy branches or netting will work or you could try some Wild Weaving.

You can sow excess seeds densely in a pot or tray and eat the shoots as soon as they emerge while you are waiting for the main crop. They are good for a fancy garnish or a quick snack or salad.

Nasturtiums

I love growing Nasturtiums as once they get going they reward you with lots and lots of colourful flowers all summer long. They feed the bees right into the Autumn and best of all we can eat them too. This means they can be used to decorate cakes or add colour to salads. It also means they are perfect for sensory play as they are totally safe for children that like to taste things. You can get a packet of seeds and sow them outside now. They like a sunny spot with good drainage, but apart from that they are quite versatile. I have a bed of them and have also sown seeds on the edges of pots containing herbs and salad leaves. They would probably be at home in a hanging basket or window box too.

Radishes

Radishes are one of Peter Rabbits favourites so that is reason enough to grow some! They grow really quickly so are great for keeping children interested. We sowed some 5 days ago and we already have lots of leaves. We can expect radishes in 4-6 weeks. You can sow these in gaps in your veggie patch or in a pot. The most important thing is to keep them moist.

Bean Sprouts

Evidence that you can grow something tasty in a very small space. You can buy specialist ‘sprouters’, but a jam jar and an airing cupboard will do the job if you don’t mind keeping an eye on them. You have to rinse the seeds several times a day, but up you could be eating the shoots in as little as four days. This is a first for us, but already looks like a lot of fun!

Sunflowers

There is something so joyful about sunflowers and all the family can have fun trying to grow the tallest one. It always amazes me that one tiny seed can create so many seeds all arranged in a perfect pattern. The sunflowers should flower in late summer and after the heads will feed the birds or be the beginning of next years blooms. Sunflowers need a sunny sheltered spot and can be sowed outside now. There are lots of varieties so you should research what suits you. Some such as American Giant can grow to 4 metres, where others such as Big Smile peak at just 30 cm.