What can I grow thats kid friendly.

[scripted]

My two boys love playing in the garden when the weather is walm and most of the garden is dedicated to grass for them to be able to play in this way. However I also like growing things, I have one side of the garden thats quite good in terms of light but im not very good at planning and everything is in containers so its starting to look a bit messy. What can I grow thats kid friendly and how can I stop the containers looking messy. I can't afford to go splashing out on matching sets of containers but I want to grow more stuff.

Maybe i Just want everything.

[tamsin]

How about flower buckets - they are plain black and pretty cheap to get hold of. My local flower shop sells them at 25p each for charity or you can get 8-10 for £1 from some supermarkets.

Tomatoes grow fine in those - pick a cherry tomato and there will be loads of little toms your children can help themselves too. Lettuce is also good for snacking and buckets are deep enough to grow carrots. You could grow a few peas in another.... most things really it depends what you like to eat

It what way do you containers look messy? What's in them or because they are a bit mismatched? I find lining things up spaced evenly looks neater even if the containers don't match.

Another alternative would be to put a raised bed it - wooden frame filled with soil. That way you just have one big container.

[womble]

Can you fence a bit of the garden off?

[Bigmallly]

Another alternative would be to put a raised bed it - wooden frame filled with soil. That way you just have one big container.

Sorry to raise the subject but you could also divide the bed into foot squares.
It may be ideal for the kids & if you are short of space.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_44388.html

P.S. Welcome to the vine.

[scripted]

I like the plan Bigmallly. It looks like the Farmville. I have a big planter I made of spare wood and it's fairly protected from the kids.
I don't think I could fence any in without reducing the amount of sun it got and I have a fairly small garden.
Tamsin. My pots are those flower pots scavanged from Asda lol ..
They look messy as i have all my plants in one place because its the best place for the sun.
I think i'm going to make another planter as im quite proud of the one i've made.

[womble]

How about fencing the kids in then? I'm thinking some kind of prison exercise yard in one corner type thing.

[scripted]

Hmmm. I will think on it womble, for the time being I think ill put up with the occasional ball hitting my plants and the odd broken stem.

[scripted]

I have posted an album now of my growing corner.

[tamsin]

Your raised bed looks great, that would definitely be a good way to go, would give you a little extra protection too. By the time everything really gets going over summer you won't see much of the pots for the plants

[Flummery]

Fruit's fairly tough. Maybe a blackcurrant bush - they'll love the jam!

[Sanjo]

As far as your raised beds go, and little 'uns balls, why not put canes in front of each bed with net threaded over it. You can put it up and take it off very quickly and it may save you a few broken stems. Course - they may decide it would make a good goal!!!

[scripted]

Ha Ha yep it would most likely end up as being the goal, I am growing some fruits including a goji berry on the windowsil.

[Jeanied]

Oops, Scripted, that goji will get to about 3 foot high with thorns!! It's used as hedging in some parts.

[Rabidbun]

I've just bought my wee one a large football net - it is going to go across either the gap in the trellis fencing (still lets the light in but stops that pesky football) that surrounds my small raised bed area, or up in front of the raised bed (30cm high) that I put the strawberries in!

So far, the strawberries (apart from a runner in a pot), the peas, the herbs (though not the chives) and the blackberry (got it trained up on some bamboo canes) have all survived direct hits with a football. I am sure that very soon something will be squished though!

Oh, and last year the beans (dwarf bean plants in the centre of the pot and french ones up canes around the outside of them to provide a bit of protection) also survived well against a football.