A Kid’s Guide to Growing Vegetables
- Learning Resources Posted On Feb 7, 2023 | Learn
Growing their own fruit and veg is an ideal way to get kids outside to play and learn all year around. But whether it's a family veggie patch, or a school or community garden, there's some preparation work that's needed before planting season. That's why we've put together this series of blog posts to help you get started. Grab your gardening gloves, forks and spades, and join us outside!
Check out more in our gardening for children series:
Step 1: Get rid of weeds and dead plants
- We don’t blame you for not wanting to drag your children out into the freezing cold to pull up weeds but, as the weather gets a little better, it’s a task that will need doing. Wrap up the little ones and get in the garden, teaching them the difference between weeds, grass and plants you’d actually like in the garden.
- A small rake or fork can help them dig the weeds out and gives them a great excuse to get muddy!
Step 2: Know your soil type
- This is an important step so you know what you need to add to your soil to make it the best quality for your vegetables. If you have clay soil, you may want to add some sharp sand to improve the structure, breaking down large lumps and improve drainage. Introduce lots of compost to make it easier to turn and add extra nutrients for your produce.
- Adding compost to light soil will help it hold moisture and the all-important nutrients, giving it more bulk ready for your vegetables to be planted. Good compost is readily available in garden centres all year round.
Step 3: Turn the soil
- When adding compost to your soil, you can turn it over to get the compost mixed in. This will help plant roots to bed inand penetrate the soil. This isn’t essential, but it’s another excuse for children to get their spades and forks out, digging in the mud.
- The alternative is spreading a layer ofcompost, between 1-2 inches deep across the top of your soil and planting directly into this.
Step 4: Mulch it!
- Mulch will keep the weeds away and retain moisture in your soil so you won’t need to water as often. The other benefit is it will continue to add nutrients as it breaks down over time.
- There are plenty of mulch options available, but a cheap and affordable method is laying a thick layer of newspaper for weed control, followed by a layer of straw, grass clippings or leaves. Let kids get their hands dirty by throwing down the mulch.
- Stick to a lightweight mulch as anything too heavy will make planting tricky. The lightweight options mentioned above will do a grand job at keeping the weeds away and improving the success rate of your growing vegetables.
Why are bees so important?
Bees are in decline and need your help! Learn about the importance of bees and how you can turn your garden into a bee-friendly haven.
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WIN with Nest Friends on World Bee Day
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World Bee Day takes place on the 20th May every year. This annual event was created by the United Nations in 2017, with the first event held in 2018, to raise awareness about the importance of bees and the essential role that they play in the world.
We all depend on bees as they help to pollinate plants that create the food that we eat. In fact, a third of the world’s food production depends on bees – so we need to take care of them!
There are certain plants that a very bee friendly, so try and fill your garden with some of these flowers, herbs and shrubs!
Photo credit: Urban Organic Gardener
Another way you can help to keep bees safe, is to make your very own Bee B&B. This is something that can be hung outdoors on a balcony or in a garden, to give bees a place to rest.
How to Enter
To celebrate World Bee Day 2021, we are collaborating with Nest Friends to give you a chance to win some awesome prizes. All you need to do is make a Bee B&B out of household items. You can use wood, plastic bottles, bamboo and so much more! National Geographic Kids, RHS, and CBBC’s Newsround, all have some great creations that you can follow step-by-step!
Once you’ve finished your Bee B&B, why not decorate it to really make it stand out?!
To enter, simply create your wonderful Bee B&B, take a picture and post it up on either Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. Make sure you are following Learning Resources and Nest Friends & Tag both in your post!
- Instagram: @nestfriendsofficial and @learningresourcesuk
- Facebook: @nestfriendsofficial and @Learning ResourcesLtdUK
- Twitter: @nestfriendtweet and @lruk
To make sure we can see it, please use the hashtags #LetThemBee and #Beebandb
What you’ll win
The prizes up for grabs are 1x winning bundle of Jumbo Insects, Critter Habitat and Explorer Scope. 2 runners up will receive a Critter Habitat.
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Want to learn about nature? Explore your spring garden with Learning Resources, and download the following activity sheets:
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