How to get your children into gardening, according to a Chelsea Flower Show expert

With children’s gardening being prominent at RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year, it is high time to grow some colourful, striking child-friendly plants.

Easy, rewarding and safe plants for children include edible flowers – these can be quite the surprise, being flavoured and bright. Chives, for instance, with their mild onion-flavour white flowers, bright yellow honied pot marigolds (Calendula) and clove-like flavours of cornflowers – all are easy to grow in any reasonable soil in sun or shade from a May sowing.

Sunflowers too have edible petals and are a firm favourite of children – not least as some are notably tall and fast growing. They are members of the daisy family which also includes quick-growing cosmos with lacy foliage and numerous colourful flowers, and the native ox-eye daisy which will feed pollinating insects including hoverflies that often look like bees or wasps but hover as they go from plant to plant and can fascinate children. Their immature forms (larvae) can be fierce hunters of unwanted insects such as greenfly.

Speed is important for children’s plants – speedy performers include climbing beans; French beans – available with purple, speckled and yellow pod – as well as green and runner beans. Pumpkins too, or winter squash, ideally the rambling ones if you have space, that romp widely. These climbers will clothe teepees, fences and other structures often until the first frosts. Larger fruited pumpkins are very acceptable for halloween, but may be too heavy for children to shift. Smaller fruited ones, which fit in the (adult) hand, such as Jack-Be-Little have the advantage of numbers. Baby Bear pumpkins – slightly larger at about 1kg – make fine, if small, round orange pumpkins. In addition they have “naked seeds” that lack hulls and can be eaten, including after roasting, without dehusking.

Nasturtium, a reliable favourite with edible leaves and flowers, are available as bushy varieties or spreading, sprawling climbing ones. The latter are the most fun, although adults may prefer something less rumbustious. They support insects but may fall victim to cabbage-white caterpillars. This may be disappointing but on the other hand, the caterpillars and chrysalids can be of considerable interest to children.

Herbs have great potential as children’s plants – despite often not being particularly colourful – as they are so deliciously scented. Fennel, for example, is very vigorous with masses of scented, feathery foliage and greeny-yellow flowers which are highly attractive. Mints – such as peppermint or pineapple mint – with their lush green, textured, scented leaves are prolific and don’t mind being heavily handled as children savour their crisp fresh scents.

Space is often limited so for compact places, consider growing baby salads from seeds sold for the purpose. As the plants are eaten raw they must be scrupulously clean, and that includes the seeds. Mild flavoured lettuce, spinach and lamb’s lettuce (mâche) are core ingredients, but depending on taste more flavoured possibilities include coriander, mustard greens and rocket.

Useful crops can be raised in pans, pots and trays filled with peat-free potting compost sowing the seeds about 2cm apart and lightly covering with fine potting compost before watering. The leaves are harvested after about three weeks when they are big enough to eat.

In the bright days of summer, crops can be gathered even from quite shady spots – in fact, texture and flavour are more delicate in light shade. Sow another small batch every week for continuity. Where space allows, they can be allowed to run to seed, with the seeds (collected in September) being usable for winter crops and for next year.

Source: inews.co.uk