Gardening with kids! OK let’s get one thing straight; I’m not about to paint you an idyllic picture of an aspiring ‘Little House On The Prairie’. What I am going to tell you is my honest approach to gardening with kids, or in my case gardening with a 10 year old that has ADHD.

When I tell my boy we’re off up to the allotment, seven out of ten times he will whine and whinge and give me any excuse to avoid going. However once we are there I would say he is in his element but that’s probably an over exaggeration, but he does get stuck in and he enjoys it!

How do I do that? Well for one I never force gardening on him, I talk about it and he sees me actively planting, reading, watching, and just getting stuck in the muck. He then also sees me reap the benefits, harvests, pretty blooms, happy wildlife and also an uplifted happy mummy too.

So when he asks for a patch on the allotment I smile with a whole heart and give him his first slice of heaven!

He dug over and weeded his bed and planted up some plants. Mainly sticking to plants that he’s going to see fast growth and yields from to keep him interested, so courgettes, nasturtiums, sunflowers, peas, beans, radish and beets.

This year he weeded occasionally, but hey nobody needs that shit forcing on them! He picked, he ate and he watered! But most of all he talks fondly of gardening, even plonking his butt down on the sofa with his old mum to watch an episode of Gardeners World or Lavender & Leeks updates on YouTube. He does so with optimism and excitement always asking “Can we do that?” or “Wow, isnt nature amazing”.

So how I see it (but each to their own as I’m no expert) is…. just subtly give them a wee taste and if they like it they’ll come for more. Show them the beauty and passion, after all what made you fall in love with gardening in the first place? Show them and just like waiting for a seedling, give it fertile conditions and room to grow and they will flourish!

Thanks for stopping by, I would love to hear how your kids find gardening and their experiences!

Don’t forget to Subscribe!

Bright Blessings,

Bo x