What Do Your Kids Want Most From Their Garden?

For kids, the garden is a fantastic place to explore and get closer to nature. When we were young, our parents let us scrabble about and play in the garden. It was the way in which we gained mastery over our world. We learnt how to control our bodies and navigate nature safely. It was an important part of our development.

Looking back, many of us can see how valuable this opportunity was. And now, we want to make sure that our children benefit, just as we did. This is what you need to know about making a garden that’s perfect for your kids.

Plant An Apple Tree And Watch It Grow

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Even as adults, many of us can appreciate the magic of watching a single seed grow into a fully fledged plant. Now it’s time to share this magic with our children.

Why not start by planting an apple tree? It’ll grow quickly. And when it has matured, it will produce delicious, organic fruit. You can use apples you grow in your garden in recipes like apple crumble or apple pie. You can even chop up raw apple from your garden and cook it in your oatmeal.

Use an apple tree how to guide for more information on watering and how to look after it while it is young. If you do it right, the fruit you will get will be higher in nutrients that the apples you buy from the supermarket. And if it’s a good season, they’ll taste a lot better too.

Get Your Kids To Grow Their Own Garden

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You don’t have to turn over your entire backyard for this purpose. Just dedicate a corner of your garden so that your kids can experiment with different fast-growing plants. Sunflowers are a great option since these grow up very quickly. Or if you’re looking for something edible, try growing radishes, arugula and cherry tomatoes.

You could even try to get your kids into competitive growing. You could hold a competition to see whose sunflower can grow the tallest or whose radishes grow the biggest. Competitions like this pique their interest. They also get them asking important questions like, what makes plants grow? You never know, they could wind up winning a competition one day.

Create A Whimsical, Memorable Space

You don’t have to go down the growing route to make a better garden for your kids, of course. Another idea to create a fantasy, storybook garden that reminds them of their favourite fairy tale. Granted, this will take a bit of money and planning. But it could pay off it is enough to get them off their iPads and out into nature.

There are dozens of different themes you could choose from. You could go for an Alice in Wonderland type feel, with strangely shaped ornaments and narrow, cobbled paths. Or you could create a something akin to Santa’s Grotto, especially since we’re in the run-up to Christmas. One cool idea is to put up signs in the garden, directing kids to the princess’s castle or the haunted woods. Try it: they'll love it.