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Weather permitting, I plan to make a small veggie patch tomorrow.
The motivation is to teach my son about plants, food, patience etc.
However, my knowledge of vegetable patches is limited to what I gleaned from my own father's quite poor attempts at cultivating veg.
I want to draw on the knowledge of the locals.
Please, can you provide a few top tips for the construction, planting and maintenance of a small patch (about 2m x 3m).
I guess we want things that are easy to grow, can be harvested at different times, and are visually appealing to a 3yr old.
Tags for Forum Posts: gardening, vegetables
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sharon on
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I'm going to say this in a whisper so no one notices I'm here. Rocket is nice for kids to grow...fast results. radishes too, and chives, carrots, herbs. Tingle his taste buds. Over. Have a nice gardening day tomorrow. :-)
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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You can buy salad leaf seed packs which grow quickly and if you cut regularly they keep coming back. Try mange tout. They enjoy eating the pods straight from the plant. Strawberries also popular with kids. Basically anything they can eat directly from the plant. I'd do tomatoes too if you've got a sunny spot. The little yellow one (Submarine) are popular with kids.
Plus everything Sharon has suggested I would second. Rocket is brilliant and bee friendly when it goes to seed. Will also self sow through the summer.
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Permalink Reply by GillianM on
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We did French beans - great crop and easy for kids to pick. Everything else has been a disaster! Sorry :-) Strawberries took over our entire garden with runners but no fruit. Great broad bean plants but got destroyed by blackfly. Make sure you feed food crops with plenty of organic matter ideally some time in advance. And feed as they grow too.
Good luck!
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I was always served them in "white sauce". Don't understand white sauce - like bechamel without the infusion or cheese sauce without the cheese. Anyway. Love them now!
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Permalink Reply by Susan on
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My top tip is - don't assume that because they're not flowers they don't need as much care. It might be obvious to many, but vegetables are extremely nutrient hungry and not nearly as resistant to disease as many ornamental plants. So I would suggest getting strict quite early on watering (in particular) and water correctly for the right plant/veg and just do what it says in the book (whichever one you choose to work from) in terms of feeding.
Vegetables have Diva-like qualities so treat them with kid gloves or they will simply stop performing and sulk.
Also, in the middle of June when you are not thinking of sowing seeds, don't forget to start off some Cavolo nero and Kale or Purple Sprouting broccoli. These will give you dramatic winter shapes in the garden through the winter until February when they're ready to eat just when you've had just about enough root veg for one season thank you.
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John Seymour was the author, it's been through several editions and slight retitleings.
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Permalink Reply by Dick Harris on
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Good luck with your project. On the subject of construction and maintenance, you may find that good ground preparation will pay dividends. Depending on what is already growing on your 6 sq metres the task may take a little while (and not be very interesting to your son). My rule is to dig up all existing plants by the roots and any stones larger than an inch that are in the soil. If any tree or bush roots are crossing the plot, then cut them at the edges. Then ensure that the soil is dug, or at least loosened down to 6 inches (better to be more if you can). If the plot has not been used before or has a sticky/clayey texture then add and fork in as much compost as you can get hold of. There is a free compost give-away at Ally Pally paddock car park from 10am to 3pm tomorrow (Sunday). Try to avoid stepping on the dug ground, use a board or plank to spread the load.
As to maintenance, certain young vegetable plants (especially brassicas and lettuce) are highly attractive to pigeons and these birds will easily peck off young shoots if they can. I cover mine with fine netting that also keeps out insects. Slugs and snails will attack many plants and, to control these, I use a biological agent (nematodes).
About what to plant I have nothing to add to what others have said. If you use bone meal to improve the soil, you may find that foxes dig up your plants.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Don't know of this is a myth but I always have Calendula (English marigold, not the great showy French ones) to attract pollinating insects and hoverflies (whose grubs eats veggie eating grubs). They also look nice, grow fast and you can eat the flowers.
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Permalink Reply by 1g9i0zrtsaua2 on
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Hi there, I always think that radishes provide a great way to start with kids as the reults are quite fast and edible;
depending on your aspect, mine is easterly so no carrots!, then potatoes pretty good, tomatoes, but southerly aspect for them to ripen well but always good, spinach does well and goes on forever; place in some marigolds as companion as good colour and deters greenfly; runner beans brilliant, grow very fast up those poles.
Use fresh multi purpose compost with some well rotted manure(not too much & towards the bottom); when you see the flowers of the runner bean then feed with a high potash liquid food. Dig the ground well to airate the soil first, ten after planting water in well; in dry weather water every day, at night when the soil has cooled down. Hope thats ok to start.
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Plant runner beans directly into the ground from seed, up some home-made bamboo or other stick support. Scarlet emperor and blauhilde varieties have rewarded me copiously over the last few years and they produce pretty flowers too! You can to use soap-based pesticide (so organic!) against the aphids like green and black fly which are the main pests affecting these veg, apart from the slugs/snails which are controlled in various organic ways which you'll easily find online.
And do underplant with calendula, borage and nasturtiums which will help with other bugs and provide interest through colourful and edible flowers!
Happy planting!
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