Allotments 4 All

Hi All,

Just after some advice on some bits my 3 young kids can grow that are easy and likely to give good results - dont want them to get disheartened!

They have shown interest in growing tomatoes (possibly tumbling) and onions amongst other bits and they each have a 1m x 1m raised bed.

I was thinking of maybe a small strip of veg seeds and maybe a colourful flower next to it - not really sure though.

I have seen in B&Q some seeds labled for children - are they generally 'good growers'?

Thanks again
Liam

I would have thought they are the same as 'normal' seeds, just packaged differently.
Check the price, as I think you'll find they're more expensive.

Sunflowers are easy to grow, kids love to see who will grow the biggest.

radish / salad bowl lettuce (red and green) my grandkids were amazed that lettuce can be red. there fast to grow remember kids get bored easily.
hope that helps.
Alan

Well you've gotta have a sunflower - the bigger the better!!

And my son just loves to grow spuds - he loves planting them and best of all - digging them all up again and eating them!!!

Louise
X

You could grow spuds in a bag if you want to leave the bed free.

Also Pak Choi are very fast growing.

Personally I'm a big fan of runner beans as a beginner plant - they've done me well in my first two years of veg gardening - but I can't think how you could support them without blocking the rest of the bed.

I still have some Royalty dwarf french bean seeds. They grow purple but turn green as you cook them - might be fun?

Grow a row of peas, both my girls just love picking and eating them, in fact we hardly ever get to eat them with a meal.

How about Strawberries. Every kid loves these. Runners are easy to plant and now available are the Strawberry bags that can be kept by the back door.
Regards
Jon

Pumpkins are always a favourite in our house.
also sweetcorn and sunflowers

My kids have about the same size. Last year they grew 6 red onions, 6 white, lettuce, a sunflower, 2 summer cabbages, some peas, beetroot, 1 outdoor cucumber plant (Burpless tasty - did not do too well though), All were fast growers so they were pleased. You could also put in some radish

Thanks everyone, thats great.

I will give them a choice of veg to grow and a sunflower seed so they can see who gets the highest.

Quote from: shaolin101 on January 30, 2008, 09:41:23
Thanks everyone, thats great.

I will give them a choice of veg to grow and a sunflower seed so they can see who gets the highest.

We got a fun video one summer of the grandkiddies climbing a ladder to measure the sunflower!
I remember it well. I yanked on the ladder, felt a pop and had to have rotator cuff surgery ::) Made for VERY expensive sunflower seeds! :D

Give them the chance to grow the mini pumpkins, they can be grown up a trellis, about the size of an apple, orange ones are  Jack Be Little and white  ones called Baby Boo, or possibly Batwings which have a bat shape  at the base of the plant.

Let me know if you have a problem finding seeds.

XX Jeannine

Quote from: Stevens706 on January 29, 2008, 13:38:28
Grow a row of peas, both my girls just love picking and eating them, in fact we hardly ever get to eat them with a meal.

We didn't have one meal from our peas, we just sat and ate them each evening on the bench after work. Oh can't wait for warm summer evenings

I reckon it's hard to fail with courgettes, and you could always leave them to grow into marrows and have a competition for the biggest one. NOT carrots- my OH has never recovered from failing to grow carrots as a child!

Quote from: caroline7758 on January 30, 2008, 17:33:26
I reckon it's hard to fail with courgettes, ...

No it ain't >:( 

My votes would be for bush beans - quicker and easier for kids, pumpkins (the ones Jeannie suggests), Courgettes (cos it is only me that is absolutely rubbish at them) salads and tomatoes.

I like the seeds that are packaged for Kids.  Suttons do a good basic range.  Buying them their own seeds gives them greater ownership.  If they are getting a pinch of yours, they don't have their own packets to open and they are just growing your seeds (for you!)

Rainbow radishes, all colours in 1 packet, and  if you do decide to do carrotts perhaps do other  coloured carrotts as well as  orange, I have white,yellow, orange, purple, red, and black. They also probably come in mixed packs.

With the kids at school they were really keen on anything that had a country name.

XX Jeannine

Some of the kids packets were actually cheaper... for the same number/same variety I noticed last year!!
::)

my boys are age 4 and 7 and love planting.  I got them tons of veg to grow ( the internet is wonderful for info lol) They have planted sunflower seeds, round carrots, potatoes, peas, cress, tomotoes, and their halloween pumpkin.  Don't buy the childrens seeds as they are often more expensive.  Their is a site called www.moreveg.co.uk and they sell little packs of seeds very cheap, so that you can get tons of different seeds and not stretch the budget.  Things like parsley and marigolds are lovely aswell, and my boys love the rainbow carrots, so easy to grow, and diffrent coloured radishes.
Hope this helps
Linda