Encouraging the kiddies?

[growerkari]

My middle son seems to have inherited his grandparents green fingers & is very keen to get gardening this year (he will soon be 9) I'm considering setting him up with his own little meter square raised bed, some tools & seeds as an extra birthday pressie.

I'm very new to growing & only started late last year, so am not the best person to help him, but I guess we will learn together

Has anyone seen any Grow Your Own books aimed at younger gardeners? What things would be easiest for him to grow do you think? He will be growing tomatos in pots, I was thinking Lettuce, Carrots & maybe peas in his little bed as those are his favorite things, oh & maybe a courgette if we could fit it in?

How should I prepare the soil in his bed so that he can get the best crops from a little space?

[Munch]

My kids like growing sweetcorn, it grows nice and tall which is quite rewarding for kids I think! (alot to show for their efforts) and its scrummy

Radish are great fun as the grow quickly and they are pretty.

We also gave our kids now 14 and 10 and 2 a square meter last year and they just chucked any ol thing in, mainly brassica seedling that we didnt need and believe it or not theirs did far better than ours!

Good luck I hope you both get as much enjoyment out of it as we do.

[Two_Sheds]

This is a good book, we use it at school RHS Ready, Steady, Grow!: Amazon.co.uk: Royal Horticultural Society: Books

[northepaul]

My DD likes growing radishes! () mainly because they are easy to grow and pink!!

The one thing that she found most useful was smaller tools, such as a trowel and although they can be a bit expensive, a child size spade and fork. (You could look on freecycle though)
Also alpine strawberries - grow really well and prolifically.

[Jono]

Sparkler radish would be good, they grow in a perfect sphere, almost like a golf ball.

You can grow spherical carrots too, which might hold some novelty value for him. I think they're called Parmex.

[mistymist]

Last year I bought a magazine from Tesco called Growing vegetables is fun. It came with seeds to sow and how to grow them. Inside there is ascrapbook for them to complete, lots of information on how to grow, feeding soil, wildlife and reciepes.
My son was 9 at the time and he loved it.
Growing Vegetables Is Fun Bookazine

[Two_Sheds]

I was thinking Lettuce, Carrots & maybe peas

Definitely peas, I haven't met a child who doesn't like eating fresh peas from the pod. Actually, podding is a favourite activity with my school Garden Club; they shucked all my kidney beans last year (a couple of kilos)

[Jelliebabe]

B&Q had some kiddies gardening things at £1 when I went earlier today!

[sarahspatch]

My daughter is 6 and I always thought she wouldn't need much encouragement to garden as her grandad and I have green fingers, but she gets bored very easily!!
Don't think her younger sister will need any help, I can't get her to come in from the garden! Hopefully this may rub off on her sister!

She did like the sweet pea / runner bean teepee that we constructed at the lottie though.

Just checked out the RHS book link, looks great. May just get one.

[Jelliebabe]

You can get multi-coloured RAdishes and also carrots too! Unusual but easy veg may hold their interest and be fun!

[frogga]

I got hooked when my dad gave me a bucket of salt water and showed me to put slugs in it when I came across them in his tunnel and greenhouse, when I was 5 or 6 years old. 20 years on and I love it, being out in the garden and I'm hoping to pass the bug on to my kids now when they are old enough, and my niece who is 2 loves it, although we will have very very fat chickens if she gets her way!

[debbie henri]

I think it's a good idea not to totally rely on seed-grown plants when encouraging a budding allotmenteer. A hot day when you're not around to water it can end in heartbreak - so off-putting to the young.
My boy has had his own little gardening patch since he was 7, and likes growing strawberry plants. A couple of plants make an easy start, so long as you remember not to bury the crowns below soil level when planting and protect the fruit from birds with a little netting. Also, pop a potato into a north corner, should one of your shop-bought ones sprout before you get round to cooking it. Maybe an easy herb like chives will spice up lunchtime sandwiches.
Even after adding the above, there will still be room enough for a few radishes, spring onions, land cress, or carrots.