My introduction to gardening was a small patch of garden which my mother gave to me along with some lettuce and herb seeds which we brought from an old fashioned agricultural and garden shop in our town. This opened up a whole new experience for me as a small child and led to a lifelong love of gardening, natural history, outdoor life and ultimately my career.
Giving a child their own place to grow plants exposes them to so many wonderful experiences especially if, like me, they get to spend time learning with their parents and grandparents. It is easy to do, even with a small space, a large pot on a sunny windowsill will suffice. If space allows, a raised bed will give great results and can be built quite simply.
They can be made from any recycled materials you have available to you, mine are made from scrap wood left over from demolition. I would avoid railway sleepers as tar comes out on hot days and spoils your clothes. I have made lovely raised beds for customers using larch and also oak, which can be obtained from your local saw mill. Lund Gates will be able to provide advice on the timber required and how to make it, or even make it for you! The ideal width for a raised bed is 4 feet (1.2m) as it can be easily reached from both sides without walking on the bed. Children will enjoy cutting, measuring and helping. The beds can be filled with garden soil mixed with compost or well rotted manure.
Gardening teaches you patience and forward planning, but for new gardeners, quick results are more encouraging. In June it is not too late to sow lettuce, peas and sunflowers. The lettuces I grow are salad bowl, red and green varieties; individual leaves can be picked and added to your salad. At this time of year you could be eating your own salad by the time school summer holidays arrive. I also grow little gem which is an ingredient of my favourite salad and the answer to my current favourite joke!
“What do you call a chicken looking at a lettuce?” “Chicken Ceasar Salad”
I like to grow a pea called “Alderman” which I first grew when I was still at primary school. It was about 6 feet tall (1.8m) so needs support but is very productive and the peas are sweet enough to eat straight from the pod. I am trying a mange tout variety with purple pods called “Shiraz”, I will let you know how I get on.
Sunflowers are fun to grow; they are composite flowers, which means the flower itself is actually lots of individual flowers grouped together. As they mature, you can rub the flower parts away to expose the individual seeds. If you do this carefully you are able to form a smiley face. Surrounded by petals, try it and watch the reaction you get when your children discover it.
Garden centres should still have vegetable plants to plant out. Pumpkins are fast growing with big interesting flowers and of course pumpkins can be carved into lanterns in the autumn. R V Roger have a good range of varieties, Crown Prince is probably the best tasting, even better than Butternut. It has a blue/grey skin and will make an interesting lantern with the benefit that the bits you remove can make wonderful soup. Another interesting, but not as far as I know edible variety is Turk’s Turban.
At this time of year the swifts have just returned from Africa. We are lucky in Ryedale as we have a thriving population breeding here. If you notice groups chasing through the streets making their screaming calls you can be sure they are nesting under roof tiles or in holes in buildings nearby.
As buildings are repaired and modernised, there are less nest sites for returning swifts. It is possible to buy nest boxes designed for swifts and put them up on your own house. If you ever get to see a swift at close quarters, you’ll be struck by their big eyes and short strong, scratching feet, so short in fact that they are not able to take off from the ground. They only land to nest, everything else is done whilst flying, even sleeping! The RSPB would like people to let them know about swifts in their area, so they can build up a picture of how the population is changing. Visit RSPB. In their article I read some interesting facts, they have movable bristles around their eyes which can act as sunglasses, their feet point sideways they drink by skimming still water and bath by flying slowly through rain, they build their nests using sticky saliva!
Finally, now is the time to sow biennials which will flower next summer, sweet williams, wall flowers, Canterbury bells are common examples. Sow in rows in a seed bed, water the drills before sowing. Later, thin to about 3 inch (7.5 cm) and grow on until September / October when they can be lifted and planted out in their flowering positions.
As I write, it is the beginning of May the sun is shining and I am going to plant out my cabbages. Until next time, enjoy your garden.
For all your landscaping needs, please contact (there is a listing on the Trusted Trades Page)
Andy Grace
East Cottage Manor Farm
Muston, North Yorkshire, YO14 0HX
Phone: 01723 514223
Mobile: 07958332379
E-Mail: andygracegardener@gmail.com