Watching your parents digging, cultivating, sowing, weeding and harvesting can get pretty boring in the long run. Most children are very enthusiastic about gardening, provided they get their own bed to sow and harvest themselves.
Will gardening still be possible in 2040?
Plan the children's bed
But before mum and dad set about staking out a patch of garden soil for the offspring, some energy must first be put into the planning - the same applies to children's beds that only those who have taken appropriate precautions can harvest. This not only applies to the selection of the right location, but also the preparation of the soil (which should be improved if necessary), the choice of plants suitable for children, etc.
location and size
The same applies to a children's bed: If possible, grow vegetables in a full sun location with humus-rich, well-drained soil. Parents should not make the mistake of giving their children an unsuitable piece of ground; assuming nothing would come of it anyway. The opposite is the case, because if the plants don't grow as hoped, the little ones quickly get frustrated and give up. Also keep in mind that children have shorter arms and the beds should therefore be much narrower than usual. Only then can the little ones get anywhere and garden like the big ones.
Ideal for small people: a raised or table bed
Instead of a conventional flat bed, raised or table beds tailored to children's sizes are also wonderfully suited to bringing gardening closer to the offspring. The optimal raised bed for (larger) children is between 80 and 100 centimeters high and a maximum of 100 centimeters wide - smaller children also need smaller and lower beds, of course.
Suitable plants for the snack bed of the offspring
The smaller the child, the faster a garden has to deliver successes (read: fruits). Fast-growing fruit and vegetable plants are very suitable for children, as they are also robust and can be eaten on the spot. Examples of ideal vegetables for children include:
- radish
- carrots
- Kohlrabi
- Peas (especially sugar and wrinkled peas!)
- cucumbers
- tomatoes
- Salads (especially cut and picking salads)
- and zucchini.
But pumpkins and melons, physalis, berry bushes (raspberries, currants, gooseberries) and strawberries are also ideal for small children's hands.
tips
Don't talk your children into too much planning and maintenance of the garden, just stand by to give advice and help if necessary - the children make the important decisions themselves. If only the adults make decisions, it tends to be demotivating and the little ones lose out I quickly feel like it - mom does everything alone anyway.