I'm new here, please be gentle

[Naturesbane]

Hi all.

This is my first post and I thought saying hello to you all first would be the best way to start.

I'm a Mum to 5 kids (yes I am mad before you ask ).
I want them to see how varying types of veg are grown, how successful we are remains to be seen.

As my username suggests I'm not that good with with plants etc, but I'm planning to change that. I'm sure my presence alone is enough to destroy the most hardiest of gardens
We moved to a house with a very big garden last august. We have a veg patch ready for planting. The previous inhabitants used to keep chickens where our veg patch is so we are hoping it's fertile.

We bought the GYO mag with all the seeds, we have put some in seed trays just waiting to see how they go. My 3 year old daughter keeps asking if they have grown yet

I'm sure I'll be coming back and asking the most stupidest questions know to man with regards to growing fruit and veg.

[Flummery]

Welcome to the grapevine. The best advice I can give is read the seed packet! You can sometimes push your luck and sow early but if you want to impress youngsters, wait till the sowing date on the packet (if you live in the Far North you can add a couple of weeks) and they will come up nice and fast for you.

Good luck with the garden - once you get into it you'll be on a roll!

[smallblueplanet]

Hi Naturesbane, whereabouts are you? You could put your location in your personal info. As Flum says sowing seeds when advised (sounds obvious doesn't it, but no, we all try and cheat nature!) is probably the best way to ensure good germination, but if you're in the cold north.......well brrrr!

Good luck with your growing.

[Naturesbane]

I've added to my profile, I'm in Somerset.

I did consider germinating some seeds in the airing cupboard, but knowing my luck I'd forget they were in there

[pigletwillie]

Welcome to the vine Naturesbane, were always gentle here.

Enjoy.

[Headfry]

Hi NB and welcome to the vine, you certainly have your hands full! get the kids some scrapbooks, they can keep records, if old enough, let them help with prep and cooking of produce. Sounds like you are going to have lots of fun

[jeannine]

Hello and welcome - what a joy for your kids to get growing veg. If my nephew is anything to go by they'll love it, especially the watering!

I'd recommend you grow strawberries and peas - things they can pick and eat right away always seem to go down very well.

if you soak pea seeds overnight in a glass of water and then plant them, the shoots will probably be up in a few days (to the wonder of your 3 year old) and you can just keep them on a windowsill till you're ready to plant them out.

[zazen999]

Somerset, lovely

Welcome, I always give my nieces seeds for Christmas/Easter/Birthdays and they love growing stuff [much less eating it but you have to start somewhere]. The Fairy Dust Poppies and the Jack and the Beanstalk Beans went down well, I'll be planting them with them at Easter when I go over again.

I hope you enjoy the season, one tip for a beginner is not to sow all the seeds from a packet at once, but to sow some every few weeks. Then you get a longer crop and if anything goes wrong, it increases the chances of some surviving.

[lumpyjumper]

Welcome Naturesbane,

Very friendly and gentle site this, I'm always asking the most basic of questions and no one has yet complained...

I'm in East Devon which bit of Somerset are you?

I'm growing in my back garden at the moment until a lottie becomes available, daughter (aged 11 ) was interested for about 3 months last year and then things didn't happen fast enough! Good luck in keeping your charges involved, I think mine will come back once she tastes the results!

[Seahorse]

Hello and welcome I'm Mum to four littlies and they all love joining in with the gardening, especially when they get really dirty

[Naturesbane]

Thanks for the warm welcome

We are just south of Bath.

We were all out in force a couple of weeks ago to tidy the garden. We weeded and turned our veg patch. The kids were covered in mud it was great
I need to get a back carrier for my youngest to go in, she is 6 1/2 months old.

As we are a large family we try to be as "green" as possible. We recycle as much as we can and we compost. Nothing gets thrown out if I can invent a possible future use for it it stays.

[winolover]

Hi Naturesbane

i haven't been a member for very long ? about a week i think, i have to say everyone is really nice, i have asked the most stupid questions, and everyone has helped me.
i used to live in somerset up until 1999, now i live in rainy manchester, oh how i miss Yeovil.
i'm not sure i'll be any help. but just wanted to say welcome.

[piskieinboots]

5 children I'll be very gentle

Welcome to the Vine

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the vine. If the little ones are really keen to see something grow fast, fill an empty egg cup with damp cotton wool and sprinkle some cress or mustard seeds on top, keep it moist and they will be able to eat the shoots in a few days - what's more, everything is happening right where they can see it. As mentioned before, sow stuff as the packet indicates and the results will be better and won't need special care. Tomatoes and peppers are good to start now and cucumbers are fascinating to grow too. Spuds in buckets are fun for kids too as they get to watch the strong stalks growing (and sometimes flowering) then there is the treasure to find in the bucket.