Playing outside is an essential part of a child's development. From making mud kitchens, to getting to know nature, learning and playing outside will help little learners form key developmental skills such as physical health & self-confidence!
Fresh Veggies Day is on the 16th of June and emphasises the importance of eating fresh fruit and vegetables every day.Liz Roffe is our Sales Office Manager and resident vegetable grower! We caught up with her to find out about her vegetable patch and asked for hints, tips and recipe inspiration in celebration of Fresh Veggies Day! Where is your vegetable patch and how long have you had it for?Our veggie patch is part of our garden and we have had it since moving in, so around nine years.It’s nice having it as part of the garden as you can just pop out and get fresh veggies for tea each evening (you’ve got to have obligatory veggies for tea in our house!) What vegetables do you grow and which is your favourite?We grow a range of veggies including: carrots, parsnips, sweet corn, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, peas, broad beans, leeks, spinach, potatoes, onions, beetroot, runner beans, French beans & broccoli. My favourite is freshly picked sweet corn, you can’t beat it!(Liz’s sweet corn plants in the greenhouse before being planted)(Liz’s sweet corn plants after being planted)What is the easiest vegetable to grow, and which one takes the most effort?I grow most of my plants from seeds in pots before planting them in the patch. Things like carrots, potatoes and parsnips are planted directly. The easiest things to grow are sweet corn and butternut squash as, once planted in the patch, they pretty much look after themselves. Carrots, beetroot and parsnips just need a bit of thinning out and covering but apart from that they are quite easy to look after too.How much time goes in to maintaining the patch?Once the veggies are planted it’s just a case of keeping the weeds down and watering them when it’s hot. Initially it can be a little time consuming but just doing the odd 15 minutes here and there is enough to keep on top of things. What are the biggest challenges when growing your own veg?Bugs and slugs! We do our best to use natural remedies and nets to keep them at bay. What time of year do you reap the rewards of your efforts?We try to have things in the garden all year round but there are some times at the beginning of the year when things are a little sparse. It’s normally from July/August onwards when we have an abundance of veggies.How do you keep the soil rich and nutritious?My husband David and I compost all of the leaves from the garden and use it on the veggie patch. We also add horse manure. Once a year, to help keep the soil light, we add recycled compost from a nursery, normally a tractor trailer load.(David ploughing with his Anzani Iron Horse, a piece of horticultural machinery from 1945)What advice would you give to somebody who was thinking about starting a vegetable patch? Do it! Even if you don’t grow things from seeds you can get veggie plants ready to set out from garden centres. However small a patch, there is nothing better that having fresh veggies straight from the garden.Do you have any special recipes you can share with us?As we get quite a lot of butternut squash I make soup which is lovely. *Browse our outdoor discovery and exploration tools on our website!
#LoveLearning #WildAboutLearning
Liz's Vegetable Patch - A Q&A for Fresh Veggies Day Fresh Veggies Day is on the 16th of June and emphasises the importance of eating fresh fruit and vegetables every day.Liz Roffe is our Sales Office Manager and resident vegetable grower! We caught up with her to find out about her vegetable patch and asked for hints, tips and recipe inspiration in celebration of Fresh Veggies Day! Where is your vegetable patch and how long have you had it for?Our veggie patch is part of our garden and we have had it since moving in, so around nine years.It’s nice having it as part of the garden as you can just pop out and get fresh veggies for tea each evening (you’ve got to have obligatory veggies for tea in our house!) What vegetables do you grow and which is your favourite?We grow a range of veggies including: carrots, parsnips, sweet corn, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, peas, broad beans, leeks, spinach, potatoes, onions, beetroot, runner beans, French beans & broccoli. My favourite is freshly picked sweet corn, you can’t beat it!(Liz’s sweet corn plants in the greenhouse before being planted)(Liz’s sweet corn plants after being planted)What is the easiest vegetable to grow, and which one takes the most effort?I grow most of my plants from seeds in pots before planting them in the patch. Things like carrots, potatoes and parsnips are planted directly. The easiest things to grow are sweet corn and butternut squash as, once planted in the patch, they pretty much look after themselves. Carrots, beetroot and parsnips just need a bit of thinning out and covering but apart from that they are quite easy to look after too.How much time goes in to maintaining the patch?Once the veggies are planted it’s just a case of keeping the weeds down and watering them when it’s hot. Initially it can be a little time consuming but just doing the odd 15 minutes here and there is enough to keep on top of things. What are the biggest challenges when growing your own veg?Bugs and slugs! We do our best to use natural remedies and nets to keep them at bay. What time of year do you reap the rewards of your efforts?We try to have things in the garden all year round but there are some times at the beginning of the year when things are a little sparse. It’s normally from July/August onwards when we have an abundance of veggies.How do you keep the soil rich and nutritious?My husband David and I compost all of the leaves from the garden and use it on the veggie patch. We also add horse manure. Once a year, to help keep the soil light, we add recycled compost from a nursery, normally a tractor trailer load.(David ploughing with his Anzani Iron Horse, a piece of horticultural machinery from 1945)What advice would you give to somebody who was thinking about starting a vegetable patch? Do it! Even if you don’t grow things from seeds you can get veggie plants ready to set out from garden centres. However small a patch, there is nothing better that having fresh veggies straight from the garden.Do you have any special recipes you can share with us?As we get quite a lot of butternut squash I make soup which is lovely. *Browse our outdoor discovery and exploration tools on our website!
Free Easter worksheets ideal featuring the adorable Hoppy Floppy bunny! This printable Easter activities pack contains a fun word search, maze, colouring sheets, and more!
Free Easter worksheets ideal featuring the adorable Hoppy Floppy bunny! This printable Easter activities pack contains a fun word search, maze, colouring sheets, and more!
We believe educational toys and games aren’t just for Christmas; they inspire a lifetime love of learning! Play nurtures development and is the foundation for all learning, helping children to build everything from communication and language skills to imagination and creativity. With this in mind, we’re confident that our educational toys will be played with all year round and have put together a list of ten areas of development that they support.
1) Communication and Language
Educational toys can provide children with opportunities to use their vocabulary and discover new words. Imaginative play tools such as puppets help young learners to express themselves, ask questions and practice the art of conversation.Educational board games are a great way to help children make sense of social constructs such as following rules, listening to others, asking questions, winning and losing. Family games also help children to play co-operatively and, by actively listening, they will begin to take account of other people’s ideas and feelings.
2) Physical Development
Toys that aid physical development help children to be active and develop their co-ordination, control and movement. Fine motor skills refers to small movements such as gripping object and uses the small muscles of the fingers, toes, wrists, lips and tongue. Resources such as Jumbo Tweezers and Handy Scoopers™ help to strengthen these muscles and prepare children for tasks that will increase their independence, such as holding a pen or dressing themselves.Gross motor skills refers to the movement and co-ordination of larger body parts such as the arms and legs. Active play is a great way to develop gross motor skills through actions such as running, walking, jumping and crawling. Toys that encourage movement such as Pancake Pile-Up!™ and Math Marks the Spot™ help to promote physical activity alongside learning essential core skills.
3) Personal, Social and Emotional Awareness
Toys such as Mirror Boards and Puppets help children to build self confidence and form relationships. Children can use these tools to initiate conversations that help them to manage their feelings and sharpen observation skills. Through play, children become familiar with social constructs such as turn-taking, helping them to form relationships and develop respect for others.
Children discover the world through their senses. Toys that promote tactile awareness and sensory exploration help young learners to make sense of the physical world around them.  By combining sensory awareness and scientific discovery with exploration toys such as magnifiers, projectors and microscopes children can satisfy their natural curiosity in the physical world.
5) Creativity and Imagination
Play is a full time job that is fuelled by creativity and imagination. Imaginative play resources encourage children to draw on first-hand experiences in pretend play scenarios, helping them to make sense of day to day life. By the age of three, children are able to absorb themselves in make-believe and will often start to create elaborate story lines. This type of play is important as it helps young learners to build confidence, perseverance and self esteem.
Starting school is an important chapter in a child’s life and educational toys help them to develop basic early skills to prepare them for their new adventure! By playing with toys that help with pre-writing, speech language and communication, confidence, numbers and early phonics, young learners will have the head-start they need to shine at ‘big’ school.Learn more in our ‘School Readiness’ blog post.
7) Outdoor Exploration
Outdoor learning and active play are an essential part of a child’s development, building a variety of key skills including confidence, social skills and well-being whilst experiencing the wonders of the world around them. Hands-on tools such as Kidnoculars® and Jumbo Magnifiers encourage children to get up-close to nature, helping them to understand the world around them.
STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. STEM toys encourage children to solve real-world problems through enquiry-based problem-solving, hands-on experimentation, trial and error, and self-discovery. Challenges follow the Engineering Design Process (ask, imagine, plan, create, improve) and can pose challenges such as building simple machines or programming a Robot Mouse.
9) Core Skills
Learning Resources’ toys are designed in-line with the National Curriculum for England and help to support core skills across Literacy, Maths, Science and Geography. Through exciting game play and engaging activities, children will improve essential skills from the alphabet and phonics to fractions and measurement, without even realising they’re learning!
10) Learning is fun!
We think it’s important to keep children captivated while learning! Hands-on toys that are fun to play with, help to keep children present in the moment so that they can uncover their true potential. #LoveLearning#Givethegiftoflearning
Educational toys can provide children with opportunities to use their vocabulary and discover new words. Imaginative play tools such as puppets help young learners to express themselves, ask questions and practice the art of conversation.Educational board games are a great way to help children make sense of social constructs such as following rules, listening to others, asking questions, winning and losing. Family games also help children to play co-operatively and, by actively listening, they will begin to take account of other people’s ideas and feelings.
2) Physical Development
Toys that aid physical development help children to be active and develop their co-ordination, control and movement. Fine motor skills refers to small movements such as gripping object and uses the small muscles of the fingers, toes, wrists, lips and tongue. Resources such as Jumbo Tweezers and Handy Scoopers™ help to strengthen these muscles and prepare children for tasks that will increase their independence, such as holding a pen or dressing themselves.Gross motor skills refers to the movement and co-ordination of larger body parts such as the arms and legs. Active play is a great way to develop gross motor skills through actions such as running, walking, jumping and crawling. Toys that encourage movement such as Pancake Pile-Up!™ and Math Marks the Spot™ help to promote physical activity alongside learning essential core skills.
3) Personal, Social and Emotional Awareness
Toys such as Mirror Boards and Puppets help children to build self confidence and form relationships. Children can use these tools to initiate conversations that help them to manage their feelings and sharpen observation skills. Through play, children become familiar with social constructs such as turn-taking, helping them to form relationships and develop respect for others.
Children discover the world through their senses. Toys that promote tactile awareness and sensory exploration help young learners to make sense of the physical world around them.  By combining sensory awareness and scientific discovery with exploration toys such as magnifiers, projectors and microscopes children can satisfy their natural curiosity in the physical world.
5) Creativity and Imagination
Play is a full time job that is fuelled by creativity and imagination. Imaginative play resources encourage children to draw on first-hand experiences in pretend play scenarios, helping them to make sense of day to day life. By the age of three, children are able to absorb themselves in make-believe and will often start to create elaborate story lines. This type of play is important as it helps young learners to build confidence, perseverance and self esteem.
Starting school is an important chapter in a child’s life and educational toys help them to develop basic early skills to prepare them for their new adventure! By playing with toys that help with pre-writing, speech language and communication, confidence, numbers and early phonics, young learners will have the head-start they need to shine at ‘big’ school.Learn more in our ‘School Readiness’ blog post.
7) Outdoor Exploration
Outdoor learning and active play are an essential part of a child’s development, building a variety of key skills including confidence, social skills and well-being whilst experiencing the wonders of the world around them. Hands-on tools such as Kidnoculars® and Jumbo Magnifiers encourage children to get up-close to nature, helping them to understand the world around them.
STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. STEM toys encourage children to solve real-world problems through enquiry-based problem-solving, hands-on experimentation, trial and error, and self-discovery. Challenges follow the Engineering Design Process (ask, imagine, plan, create, improve) and can pose challenges such as building simple machines or programming a Robot Mouse.
9) Core Skills
Learning Resources’ toys are designed in-line with the National Curriculum for England and help to support core skills across Literacy, Maths, Science and Geography. Through exciting game play and engaging activities, children will improve essential skills from the alphabet and phonics to fractions and measurement, without even realising they’re learning!
10) Learning is fun!
We think it’s important to keep children captivated while learning! Hands-on toys that are fun to play with, help to keep children present in the moment so that they can uncover their true potential. #LoveLearning#Givethegiftoflearning
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Getting ready to start ‘big’ school is a brand new adventure for young learners and marks a new chapter in their life. It is an exciting time but can sometimes bring about feelings of uncertainty in both parents and children.Our in-house educational expert and early years teacher, Joanne Moore, has laid out a typical first week to help you and your family prepare for it over the summer break.Â
The first day
The day of the week your child begins school depends on how the school year falls, but in the UK is usually somewhere around the 5th of September. Your child is likely to be broken into the school routine gradually, beginning with attending mornings only, however this varies from school to school.Many schools will allow children to settle and build up to mixing the reception class with other year groups. This is particularly true of lunchtimes, where a busy environment with children from other year groups can be overwhelming.Dropping off your child at school for the first time can be an emotional experience but it is important that you don’t convey negative emotions to your child. In this situation, positivity is key and it is better not to linger once your child is safely inside as this can be unsettling. It can be tough to walk away when your child is upset but from experience I can say that within the first five minutes they will become distracted by a toy or join in with a game – teachers and school staff are well prepared for such situations.If your child has been upset in the morning you will likely receive a phone call to let you know that they have settled. If you don’t, then don’t hesitate to call the school yourself, they will not mind one bit.The first activity of the day will be the register. The whole class will gather on the carpet with crossed legs, which can be a new concept for some children. The register will help children become familiar with the other names in the class and the process of answering to their name in a class setting.After the register has been completed, this is usually followed by a circle time activity. One that I used in my classroom was the name game. Children would roll a ball to another child and say “I’m rolling the ball to Harryâ€, Harry would then say “thank you Rosie, I’m rolling the ball to Peterâ€. This helps children get to know everyone’s names and begin working on their social skills. The Learning Resources Circle Time Activity Set is perfect for this.All AroundLearningâ„¢ Circle Time Activity Set The majority of the first day will be mostly child initiated play as children will be free to roam through all of the different classroom areas. These usually consist of areas allocated to:
The first week at school is an opportunity for the class teacher to understand what children already know by observing play and asking questions. This helps them to know what style of activities to plan and where to take them in their next steps. The week will consist of class and group activities and purposeful play as children become familiar with their new surroundings and peers. At this age, making friends is easy for children and they are very open to new relationships. It is often the case that some children in the class have come from the same catchment nursery, but do not worry if your child didn’t attend a preschool or nursery as they’ll soon adapt and make friends very quickly.A topic that children will likely be focusing on during their first weeks at school is ‘All About Me’. This topic focuses on every day things that they’re used to such as:
Going to the shops
Familiar stories
Places – doctors surgery, dentist etc.
Emotions
Their appearance
Within this topic you can usually expect children to be doing activities such as role play, painting self portraits or reading familiar stories. Learning Resources All About Me Double Sided Mirror Boards are perfect for this as they feature a regular mirror on one side and a wipe-clean panel on the reverse. Children can study themselves and their emotions in the mirror before drawing the facial features on the reverse.All About Me Double Sided Mirror Boards
What differences will you notice in your child?
In the first few weeks children will be extremely tired. They are not used to being so busy and having to concentrate for long periods of time. Â If your child is tired when they get home allow some down time or a short nap to re-energise them. A good bedtime routine is very important at this chapter in their lives and will help them keep their energy levels up throughout the day.They may also be hungry as they will be using up a lot of energy at school. Most schools have the free fruit scheme where the children are offered a fruit or vegetable mid-morning. Make sure your child has breakfast before starting school so that they are refuelled and able to take part in physical activities.Â
How can you prepare?
Daily Schedule Pocket Chart          Good Job Reward Chart When your child starts school they will need to complete self-care tasks independently that they may have had help with at home. These include things like going to the toilet, getting dressed, washing their hands, feeding themselves and tidying up. Over the summer break it would benefit your child if you begin to encourage them to complete these tasks on their own. There will be somebody available to help if your child is struggling but with 30 children in a class they may not get the attention they are used to. A star chart is a great way to introduce these tasks and provide an incentive for them to succeed.It may also help your child to familiarise them with sitting cross legged. In nurseries and pre-schools children often sit on chairs and are not used to sitting on the floor. In their first week at school they will be sat on carpet for long periods of time, so if they are used to sitting that way it will be a lot easier for them.You can create a positive outlook towards beginning school by having enthusiastic conversations about their journey to school, things they might do at school and the topics they will be learning about. Finding out their teacher’s name means you can mention them in conversations building up a familiarity. Visiting the school with your child for an informal event before they start such as a fete or open day will help you both to visualise it when you are talking about it.Children are like sponges when they begin school and are ready to take in a lot of information. The reception teacher will support your child in developing new skills ready for Key Stage 1. Social and communication skills are important in reception as the ability to communicate thoughts and feelings will allow your child to form relationships and express themselves. Try teaching your child phrases such as “can I join in?â€, “can I play with you?†and “do you want to share?†Lastly, a few practical tips from teacher to parent:
Make sure you know what equipment will be needed, a list will be circulated at the new parents evening so make sure to request one if you haven’t received it yet. It will be made up of items such as sweatshirts, t-shirts, socks, PE kit, PE bag, school shoes, book bag, coat.
Put name labels on absolutely everything! When children start school they all bring in a book bag with a name tag but may not be able to read their name confidently. Attach a recognisable key ring to your child’s book bag, this way they will be able to find it with ease.
Make sure to provide your child with a water bottle, as it is most schools policy that children can only drink water at school. If your child isn’t used to drinking water try to reduce the amount of squash within their drinks during the summer so that water eventually becomes a familiar concept to them.
Practise using pencils and scissors over the summer break, this will aid their fine motor skills and help them to improve their grip before beginning school.
What to expect from your child’s first week at ‘big’ school Getting ready to start ‘big’ school is a brand new adventure for young learners and marks a new chapter in their life. It is an exciting time but can sometimes bring about feelings of uncertainty in both parents and children.Our in-house educational expert and early years teacher, Joanne Moore, has laid out a typical first week to help you and your family prepare for it over the summer break.Â
The first day
The day of the week your child begins school depends on how the school year falls, but in the UK is usually somewhere around the 5th of September. Your child is likely to be broken into the school routine gradually, beginning with attending mornings only, however this varies from school to school.Many schools will allow children to settle and build up to mixing the reception class with other year groups. This is particularly true of lunchtimes, where a busy environment with children from other year groups can be overwhelming.Dropping off your child at school for the first time can be an emotional experience but it is important that you don’t convey negative emotions to your child. In this situation, positivity is key and it is better not to linger once your child is safely inside as this can be unsettling. It can be tough to walk away when your child is upset but from experience I can say that within the first five minutes they will become distracted by a toy or join in with a game – teachers and school staff are well prepared for such situations.If your child has been upset in the morning you will likely receive a phone call to let you know that they have settled. If you don’t, then don’t hesitate to call the school yourself, they will not mind one bit.The first activity of the day will be the register. The whole class will gather on the carpet with crossed legs, which can be a new concept for some children. The register will help children become familiar with the other names in the class and the process of answering to their name in a class setting.After the register has been completed, this is usually followed by a circle time activity. One that I used in my classroom was the name game. Children would roll a ball to another child and say “I’m rolling the ball to Harryâ€, Harry would then say “thank you Rosie, I’m rolling the ball to Peterâ€. This helps children get to know everyone’s names and begin working on their social skills. The Learning Resources Circle Time Activity Set is perfect for this.All AroundLearningâ„¢ Circle Time Activity Set The majority of the first day will be mostly child initiated play as children will be free to roam through all of the different classroom areas. These usually consist of areas allocated to:
The first week at school is an opportunity for the class teacher to understand what children already know by observing play and asking questions. This helps them to know what style of activities to plan and where to take them in their next steps. The week will consist of class and group activities and purposeful play as children become familiar with their new surroundings and peers. At this age, making friends is easy for children and they are very open to new relationships. It is often the case that some children in the class have come from the same catchment nursery, but do not worry if your child didn’t attend a preschool or nursery as they’ll soon adapt and make friends very quickly.A topic that children will likely be focusing on during their first weeks at school is ‘All About Me’. This topic focuses on every day things that they’re used to such as:
Going to the shops
Familiar stories
Places – doctors surgery, dentist etc.
Emotions
Their appearance
Within this topic you can usually expect children to be doing activities such as role play, painting self portraits or reading familiar stories. Learning Resources All About Me Double Sided Mirror Boards are perfect for this as they feature a regular mirror on one side and a wipe-clean panel on the reverse. Children can study themselves and their emotions in the mirror before drawing the facial features on the reverse.All About Me Double Sided Mirror Boards
What differences will you notice in your child?
In the first few weeks children will be extremely tired. They are not used to being so busy and having to concentrate for long periods of time. Â If your child is tired when they get home allow some down time or a short nap to re-energise them. A good bedtime routine is very important at this chapter in their lives and will help them keep their energy levels up throughout the day.They may also be hungry as they will be using up a lot of energy at school. Most schools have the free fruit scheme where the children are offered a fruit or vegetable mid-morning. Make sure your child has breakfast before starting school so that they are refuelled and able to take part in physical activities.Â
How can you prepare?
Daily Schedule Pocket Chart          Good Job Reward Chart When your child starts school they will need to complete self-care tasks independently that they may have had help with at home. These include things like going to the toilet, getting dressed, washing their hands, feeding themselves and tidying up. Over the summer break it would benefit your child if you begin to encourage them to complete these tasks on their own. There will be somebody available to help if your child is struggling but with 30 children in a class they may not get the attention they are used to. A star chart is a great way to introduce these tasks and provide an incentive for them to succeed.It may also help your child to familiarise them with sitting cross legged. In nurseries and pre-schools children often sit on chairs and are not used to sitting on the floor. In their first week at school they will be sat on carpet for long periods of time, so if they are used to sitting that way it will be a lot easier for them.You can create a positive outlook towards beginning school by having enthusiastic conversations about their journey to school, things they might do at school and the topics they will be learning about. Finding out their teacher’s name means you can mention them in conversations building up a familiarity. Visiting the school with your child for an informal event before they start such as a fete or open day will help you both to visualise it when you are talking about it.Children are like sponges when they begin school and are ready to take in a lot of information. The reception teacher will support your child in developing new skills ready for Key Stage 1. Social and communication skills are important in reception as the ability to communicate thoughts and feelings will allow your child to form relationships and express themselves. Try teaching your child phrases such as “can I join in?â€, “can I play with you?†and “do you want to share?†Lastly, a few practical tips from teacher to parent:
Make sure you know what equipment will be needed, a list will be circulated at the new parents evening so make sure to request one if you haven’t received it yet. It will be made up of items such as sweatshirts, t-shirts, socks, PE kit, PE bag, school shoes, book bag, coat.
Put name labels on absolutely everything! When children start school they all bring in a book bag with a name tag but may not be able to read their name confidently. Attach a recognisable key ring to your child’s book bag, this way they will be able to find it with ease.
Make sure to provide your child with a water bottle, as it is most schools policy that children can only drink water at school. If your child isn’t used to drinking water try to reduce the amount of squash within their drinks during the summer so that water eventually becomes a familiar concept to them.
Practise using pencils and scissors over the summer break, this will aid their fine motor skills and help them to improve their grip before beginning school.
Fresh Veggies Day is on the 16th of June and emphasises the importance of eating fresh fruit and vegetables every day.Liz Roffe is our Sales Office Manager and resident vegetable grower! We caught up with her to find out about her vegetable patch and asked for hints, tips and recipe inspiration in celebration of Fresh Veggies Day! Where is your vegetable patch and how long have you had it for?
Our veggie patch is part of our garden and we have had it since moving in, so around nine years.It’s nice having it as part of the garden as you can just pop out and get fresh veggies for tea each evening (you’ve got to have obligatory veggies for tea in our house!) What vegetables do you grow and which is your favourite?We grow a range of veggies including: carrots, parsnips, sweet corn, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, peas, broad beans, leeks, spinach, potatoes, onions, beetroot, runner beans, French beans & broccoli. My favourite is freshly picked sweet corn, you can’t beat it!
(Liz’s sweet corn plants in the greenhouse before being planted)
(Liz’s sweet corn plants after being planted) What is the easiest vegetable to grow, and which one takes the most effort?I grow most of my plants from seeds in pots before planting them in the patch. Things like carrots, potatoes and parsnips are planted directly. The easiest things to grow are sweet corn and butternut squash as, once planted in the patch, they pretty much look after themselves. Carrots, beetroot and parsnips just need a bit of thinning out and covering but apart from that they are quite easy to look after too.
How much time goes in to maintaining the patch?Once the veggies are planted it’s just a case of keeping the weeds down and watering them when it’s hot. Initially it can be a little time consuming but just doing the odd 15 minutes here and there is enough to keep on top of things. What are the biggest challenges when growing your own veg?Bugs and slugs! We do our best to use natural remedies and nets to keep them at bay. What time of year do you reap the rewards of your efforts?We try to have things in the garden all year round but there are some times at the beginning of the year when things are a little sparse. It’s normally from July/August onwards when we have an abundance of veggies.
How do you keep the soil rich and nutritious?My husband David and I compost all of the leaves from the garden and use it on the veggie patch. We also add horse manure. Once a year, to help keep the soil light, we add recycled compost from a nursery, normally a tractor trailer load.
(David ploughing with his Anzani Iron Horse, a piece of horticultural machinery from 1945) What advice would you give to somebody who was thinking about starting a vegetable patch? Do it! Even if you don’t grow things from seeds you can get veggie plants ready to set out from garden centres. However small a patch, there is nothing better that having fresh veggies straight from the garden. Do you have any special recipes you can share with us?As we get quite a lot of butternut squash I make soup which is lovely.
*Browse our outdoor discovery and exploration tools on our website!
