How does your family grow ? Gardening with your spouse and children..

[Mamzie]

Basically the title says it all. How does your family garden together?

We do a lot together, but I want more I have a very keen 9 year dd who loves to help sow, transplant and harvest. My son is nearly 16 and will dig and labour, built a large fish pond so we get frogs and newts as well, however he much enjoys eating food cooked rather than growing it. My oldest is completely disinterested until the salad and tomatoes start cropping than its like she is at her own personal All you can Eat buffet

My husband, my poor old husband.. Loves dahlias, but gasp, I prefer vegetables.. So hubby gets to labour, and plan, while I happily sow and grow ignoring what he request and growing what we need instead.. He has grumpily allowed me to mulch the last few years, but is steadfastly refusing to convert to no dig - I am aiming to pinch the 2 beds bordering the social garden area and sneakily convert them.

Mr Mamz and my son have been a wonder through as this house and garden was derelict and completely overgrown when we bought it. So slowly we have been creating our forever garden - we have veg area, greenhouse, patio, play area, wild bird and hedgehog area, fish pond... It has changed so much x

[Small pumpkin]

Other half isn’t aloud in my veggie garden without supervision.
I don’t have kids

[veggiechicken]

No kids - its all my own work (almost!).

[Mamzie]

Whoops, I forgot to mention this is a disabled forever home as I have mobility problems due to illness. So j am very grateful for their help and would really struggle without it

[Logunner]

“Lets get an allotment” she said, “it’ll be great, we can do it together” she said...

Lies all lies!

Now the major digging work is over she is nowhere to be seen. Oh the bliss of peace and quiet

[PotteringAtPlot12]

Hubby's favourite things to do is lop & burn the bramble, he can be nagged into digging on occasion. I have a feeling though once the allotments cleared and its mostly sowing, growing and maintenance he'll soon dissappear. Little man (6) is full of enthusiasm. Planting, sowing, digging, weeding, worm inspecting you name it he's up for it the grump (11) graced us with her presence there once, now I just get glares if I ask her if she wants to come along. Who knows that may change when we start picking and havesting........ I live in hope!

[Chestnut]

Allotment is definitely ‘my thing’. OH doesn’t mind helping in dry weather, tends to prefer stuff that doesn’t need too much thinking about (weeding Only if nothing in that bed needs to be kept...), and cricket always takes priority;-)

[greenishfing]

The allotments were my husbands idea, but we do them together although I'm not sure what he actually does most of the time. Other family members visit but generally not to do any work although my niece and a couple of teenage friends managed to pick her favourite cherries one year. Our allotment is generally not child friendly.....too many hazards for a young child.

[Stan79]

I do the veg and fruit, grass cutting, hedge trimming, etc. My Mrs does the flowers.

Our children are interested - particularly in the potato harvesting and tomato tasting! Not so interested in anything else!

[Mr Bones]

We both work the allotment together, Mrs B tends to do the more delicate stuff and I do the heavier things. The greenhouse at home is probably a 60/40 split in Mrs B's favour and she does virtually all the back garden.

[elsie-scot]

Why can’t your DH grow some dahlias? They aren’t much work and will encourage pollinators.

Garden and growing is really my thing. DD (9) does enjoy and likes to help out.

DH likes to sit in garden when it’s sunny! He does grumbly do two things but makes such a mess. - He cuts the grass but has a tendency to try and strim everything in sight. He also cuts the hedges at front with no finesse and leaves all the cuttings lying.

He does love the strawberries and potatoes.

Dog loves digging and running through the border.

[Bren In Pots]

The veg garden is my hobby

I do the sowing and planting while MrPots does any construction I need he's also handy at picking beans and digging up JA's,

[Babru]

My OH is the landscaper and makes a great job of it (retired roads engineer). He also helps with things like power washing the greenhouse glass etc. Sort of 'man things', that need 'man tools', of which he has a great many . I am very grateful.

He likes looking at nice flowers, and over the years has learned some names just by hearing me talk. He was very interested in the different tomato varieties in the greenhouse last year.

This year, he has bought some seed potatoes which he plans to grow in a ton bag that came with gravel in it. I'm happy he's showing an interest.....as long as it remains MY garden! I had neighbours years ago that had to split their small garden in two, as they liked different things.

We also share our garden with our two cats, who regularly help by digging things up and chucking dirt all over the path .

[Mamzie]

Why can’t your DH grow some dahlias? They aren’t much work and will encourage pollinators.

Because I know how they take over your life He does have a few, but we have loads of flowerrs, hedging and vegetables here, and I refuse to have just beds and beds full of Dahlias.

My bil has greenhouses and polytunnels, plus allotments full of them. He shows, used to be very involved with the Dahlia society, and even buys his cars by first ensuring his flowers can fit into boot.

[Babru]

'even buys his cars by first ensuring his flowers can fit into boot.'

Well, that's fairly extreme! However, if he gave up dahlias and took up serious drinking and gambling, obsessing about dahlias would come to seem like a blessing.