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

[Snadger]

Allotment and garden is mine all mine. Children have fled the nest, OH has no interest in gardening although she likes house plants which she doesn't look after. She is disabled so couldn't garden anyway, bless her.

[Starch]

I spend too much time up the allotment and my wife mostly does the flowers, hanging baskets etc. My Dad used to be an obsessive dahlia and chrysanthemum grower, which he used to show, so had to be perfect consequently most of our back garden used to be lots of neat rows of sticks with a paper bag on top to protect the bloom inside from damage, really attractive!

[Guest]

The garden, veg patch, animals (except dawg) are all my domain. Hubby loves them but I am ultimately the responsible one. My girls love sowing, planting, watering and harvesting, but only one will eat the fruit and veggies. My oldest does feed and fuss the bunnies - Mummy just mucks them out.

[bramble]

The garden and greenhouse are all mine.
Hubby just likes to admire the flowers and eat the fruit and veg.
He is there if I need any heavy work done.
My children, and grandkids seem to only recognise the garden when there is something edible growing in it.
That's the way I like it.

[Right Shed Fred]

The allotment has turned out to become a really good family activity for us. The littlest (3.5) has a sandpit and will happily water everything and anything, regardless of the weather. Big one (10) can work together with little one to replenish wood chip on the allotment paths, and can run about with a friend occasionally. Big one particularly likes harvesting herbs, and has a flower bed of her own now too.
The little ones don’t really do anything on their own, which is fine, but there’s always so many little jobs, that everyone has something to do. Bored little ones use the sandpit or bury themselves in wood chip.
The key thing for us, is to always take one meal, and a round of hot herbal tea + biscuits for a break. We BBQ a lot there too. Meals help break it up for the kids, and make sure the adults remember to enjoy the surroundings, and not just work.
Other half is very into building structures, mostly to keep the blackberries and now Japanese wineberries from taking over the planet. Kinda ignores the rest of the garden, but that’s fine, that’s my zone.
Everyone likes harvesting, only I am really planting any seeds (or weeding), but well, if I plant the seeds I get to choose what grows, which suits me fine ��

[burnie]

Great thread, my families business before the war was market gardening, my Dad was a keen gardener and got me into it at a young age. Drifted away from it through my late teens and twenties until I got married and started again. Used to rotovate my Dads plot when it got too heavy for him and helped with weeding and watering. My own garden is very low maintenance raised beds that my own kids never showed an interest in, though daughter is now growing a few flowers with grandsons. Sons in the forces so never in one place long to garden, his young un's have no interest in gardens just now. Harvest time is always of interest when there's fruit to eat though from all of them.

[ESBkevin]

Carol and I garden together/apart. Whilst we don't have designated roles her temprement is better suited to pricking out and potting on, or hand weeding. Whereas mine is all bluster, sudden projects and heavy lifting.
Some projects are best achieved with both of us (adding a tap to a half full water butt last week), and others can be solo or together like pruning fruit trees.
Because Carol is retired she is potentially available a lot more than I am, but we discuss what we plan together and tackle what we get around to.
The grandchildren are quite in awe (range from 3-13) of the plot and are content to harvest whatever is ready and dig 'something'. We never have any resistance to the question 'Do you want to go to the plot?', quite the reverse sometimes when it's half dark or pouring with rain and they have unsuitable clothing.

[roodles84]

We only got our plot in June last year, but I'm definitely the boss of the plot so I've planned what's going where this year. OH will do the heavy work clearing ground and building supports. I'll do all the delicate work of sowing and transplanting. We'll both tackle the weeding and watering, and I'll do most of the harvesting.
DS1 is 5 and can help with planting, watering and harvesting, but has to be kept busy constantly or he starts moaning.
DS2 is 2 and last year did a brilliant job of watering the squash. Nothing else, just the squash. He loved digging up worms but was often digging in the wrong place and didn't know which bits of the plot he was allowed to walk on, so frequently went straight across the lettuce. Hopefully now the beds are more clearly defined, he won't be quite as unintentionally destructive.

The greenhouse at home is mine. It's not big enough to need any help from OH and the kids aren't allowed in there as they just end up destroying whatever's growing.

[elsie-scot]

Oops missed to add quote about the dahlias taking over if your DH could.

Ha I watch a video yesterday about a guy who does that!

[Vegi potager]

No kids here... him indoors did the great bramble clearance for me while I had a 3 week holiday in France ( it was great thanks!) He also painted the shed and the fence.

Now he comes out with the super sprayer for any brambles that dare to return, fills the peanut feeder for the birds as he has so "anti-squirrelled" it I am unable to refill it. Wheelbarrows my annual chipping/compost purchases from the car to the back garden and finally brings me an occasional cup of tea

He is also known to follow me around the garden asking what a particular plant is... Forgot to add that he insists on me growing sunflowers and garlic each year, likes the trombocinos and strawberries, but generally grumbles about anything green (kale, spinach, chard, broccoli, beans.......!!!)

[Right Shed Fred]

I just wanted to add that if anyone else has the magic combination of small children and a huge pile of woodchip that starts to breakdown, partially burying children in a warm woodchip pile is huge fun, especially in the winter. Mine also make a sort of trench and sit in it calling it their 'warm bath'. Makes it much easier to get the kids to come down to the plot in the winter!
Also, rebranding loading manure into a wheel barrow as looking for 'nuggets of gold in the treasure heap' helps get them involved in the manure pile...
Hmm, tips for the allotment/gardening with kids thread anyone?