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Giving your children their own vegetable patch can awaken their interest in good food, says Sophie Pierce

 

 

Countless parenting books are given over to the subject of getting a recalcitrant child to eat vegetables, but almost every one overlooks the obvious solution: get them to grow their own. What child can resist a broad bean or a pea that she has sown, watered and harvested herself?

 

Giving children a small veg plot of their own or indeed just a few containers - gives them so much satisfaction and teaches them so much. Early spring is the perfect time to start. They learn where their food comes from, and that it takes skill and hard work to grow it. They learn elementary botany. They learn about the different conditions required for different plants, and that wildlife isnt so cute when it attacks the crop. Finally, they experience the joy of the harvest and the ritual eating of the first yield.

 

It doesnt matter if youve never grown a bean in your life. It really isnt difficult, and you dont need much space to do it. I only started a couple of years ago, aided by my trusty book The Vegetable and Herb Expert by Dr D G Hessayon (Expert, (6.99). Most of our classic summer vegetables like potatoes, beans and carrots take only a few months from sowing to harvest, so children can experience that all-important result in just a short space of time.

 

Whether your garden is large or tiny, it is best to restrict a childs project to just a few vegetables in a small area, so its easy to maintain and gives a good chance of success. The vegetables I have found easiest to grow are potatoes, broad beans, runner beans and lettuce, all of which can be sown directly in the ground. If you are operating on a small scale its a good idea to get together with friends to buy the seeds you get far more than you need in one packet. Seed potatoes in particular are hard to buy in small amounts.

 

Before sowing, dig over the soil, removing any weeds and breaking down any big clods to get a fine consistency. I have given guidelines on how to sow, but if in doubt, follow the instructions on the packet. If there is space, you can select a small area no more than 10ft x 10 ft for your childs plot and then mark out the edge with attractive stones. I would suggest growing just three rows of vegetables to allow room for manoeuvre. If the garden is smaller you may prefer to work in containers. The main thing is to get the biggest you can, and then fill them with multi-purpose compost. Make sure there is a drainage hole.

 

A vegetable plot gives children responsibility and something to care for, but it isnt as drastic as having a pet. It is also a creative activity with a genuine point and a purpose that you can do together. Growing vegetables with children is vastly more satisfying than cooking cup-cakes together. And I speak as someone who generally cant stand doing any kind of craft-type activity with her offspring.

 

Once the plotting has started, its a project which should yield delicious results. And even if the children get bored, you can continue and enjoy the accolades when the first bowl of buttery minty potatoes comes to the table in June.

 

Getting started

 

Potatoes

  • Buy seed potatoes from a nursery or garden centre. Ask them for a first early: Rocket and Swift are good varieties to try. There is no need to sprout them before planting.
  • Plant in March (but they can go in as late as mid April. Plant 5in deep at 12in intervals.
  • When the plants come up, push the earth up around them to protect the tubers from the light.
  • After the plants have flowered, they can be harvested usually from June onwards. One of the greatest thrills is putting in your fork and catching the first glimpse of the crop.

 

Broad Beans

  • Sow any time from March to May; choose a dwarf variety such as Express, which is a fast grower
  • Sow the seeds 2in deep at 8in intervals, in rows 9in apart.
  • The plants may need supports. If so, put a stake at each end of the row, with string in between. The beans should be ready in about 14 weeks.

 

Runner Beans

  • Choose an early variety such as Kelvedon Marvel or Scarlet Emperor and sow in Mid-May after the risk of frost has passed
  • The beans need something to climb up. If they are planted in rows, you need to create a structure before sowing. The traditional way is by creating a tent of two rows of bamboo canes sloping towards each other and held together by a central cane running along the middle at the top. In pots, a wigwam of poles works very well.
  • The beans should be ready in about 12 weeks.

 

Lettuces

  • Try loose-leaf varieties such as Lambs Lettuce (also known as Corn Salad) and Salad Bowl; they seem to be the easiest to grow, and are also faster than hearting types. Sow from mid-March by making a drill 1in deep. Sow the seeds as thinly as possible (it is difficult because they are tiny)
  • When the leaves appear, thin them out successively until the plants are eventually about 9in apart. The loose-leaf varieties should be ready in about eight weeks.