What better way to encourage your child to take an interest in the garden by giving them their very own space in which to cultivate crops or vegetables, fruit and flowers.

If you have children then I'm sure you have all had the day when your child brings home a small pot of cress from school. From an early age children are given an insight in the natural world of nature.



It needs more than an out-of-the-way corner of the garden and a handful of left-over plants to encourage a child's interest in gardening, but it doesn't take much and is probably easier than you think.

However small the plot it must be well-drained and fertile to ensure maximum chance of success. It should also be in a prominent position, because children love to show off their gardens to visitors. The plants selected should be un-demanding, yet capable of producing worthwhile flowers or fruits. Even if space cannot be spared in exisiting beds, a tub or window-box, or even some large pots, should be sufficient.

Flowers may appear the obvious choice, yet children often prefer to grow vegetables, fruit or even herbs. The thought of something to eat as well as to watch growing is a great incentive. Most children also like to earn pocket money by selling a bunch of radishes, or a few sprigs of mint or sage.

Flowers
Where flowers are grown from seed, annuals are the best choice because they are inexpensive, give quick results and provide plenty of colour.
Choose hardy annuals which can be sown where they are to flower. Suitable kinds include alyssum (coloured varieties as well as white), annual chrysanthemums, clarkia, candytuft, shirley poppies and nasturtiums. Half-hardy annuals such as ageratums, petunias and asters, or biennials such as pansies are best bought as plants.
Bulbs are always a good choice as they seldom fail to give a colourful show. Daffodils, tulips, crocuses and lillies-of-the-valley can be grown in the border, in pots, in tubs or in window boxes. For indoors there is an interest in growing hyacinths in glass containers so that root development can be watched before the plants come into flower.
Containers sold for this purpose are so shaped that the bulb rest on a narrow neck over the water reservoir, but any glass jar will serve providing the bulb is supported near the top. This can be done by filling the container almost to the top with pebbles, then filling it with water to just below the surface of the pebbles.

Vegetables & Fruits
Children love quick results so radishes, which germinate quickly and can be harvested in about three weeks, are always a popular choice. Lettuces, especially small varieties such as "Tom Thumb" are another good choice. Bush tomatoes, which so not require staking or removal of side shoots, give worthwhile results for a minimum of work. The same applies to runner and french beans and there is added interest to be gained by growing varieties with unusual colouring. Blue Coco, for instance has purple foliage and flowers and blue pods, the latter turning green when cooked. The easiest and fastest growing of all crops is mustard and cress, which reaches maturity within 2 weeks of sowing. Sow the mustard seeds approx 3 days after the cress.

Most fruit crops take too long to mature for interest to be sustained but a few strawberry plants or a gooseberry bush from which a child can pick their own fruits are worth while.

Herbs
Most herbs will grow in a variety of soils but do best in a south-facing plot sheltered from North and East winds. Easy herbs for kitchen use are mint, thyme, sage, marjoram and chives. Parsley is slow to germinate though undemanding once the seedlings appear.

Tubs, pots & window boxes
Bulbs are the best choice for spring, together with forget-me-nots and primroses. Annuals will give a colourful display during the summer.
When growing annuals in a tub or pot it is best to stick to one kind only, perhaps with a foliage plant in the centre to provide contrast.
When the annuals are finished, dwarf michaelmas daises give a lovely autumn display. Alternatively, dwarf dahlia will last until the frosts come. Neither of these plants are demanding and will grow will little intervention.

Enjoy gardening an I hope you manage to pass your interest into the younger generations.