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• Use old oil drums to collect rainwater

Contrary to popular belief, there is no need to use tap water to keep your plants alive. Rainwater is just as suitable, even though it contains lots of salts. With that in mind, you should buy some old oil drums online and use them wisely. Leaving the lids off will allow you to collect lots of rain during the wet season. You can then use that water to keep your plants alive when the sun is shining. There are special products you can buy for that, but oil drums work just as well. Just make sure you clean them out thoroughly. The last thing you need is oily water. That will kill your vegetation.

• Grow your food

So long as your garden isn’t tiny, there is no reason you can’t grow some food. Kids love spending time in the garden. So, make sure you involve them in the process. There is a whole range of different fruits and vegetables that will grow in the UK. You can find a full list of them by searching online. Make sure you do some thorough research because it will be a waste of time planting anything that won’t mature. If you live in a rental property, make sure you speak to your lettings agent before digging up the entire lawn. They might not want you to make sure a drastic change. However, there is a solution if that happens. You can use your shed roof!

• Buy old tyres and make some flower beds

Old truck tyres are perfect for making raised flower beds. You might think they would look a little tacky, but the opposite is true. Anyone can purchase them very cheaply online. Just take a look at some of the top providers. Indeed, it is even possible to get them for free if you use your head. Once you’ve obtained the tyres, simply buy some seeds and start planting. With a bit of luck, you should have some pretty amazing flowers by the end of the summer. That is a wise move because it allows you to recycle something that would otherwise have been useless. Also, more plants mean you will attract more wildlife.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my ideas today. They were just a few of the concepts we used when altering our family garden this year. As always, thanks for stopping by and reading this post. It’s nice to know my advice is making a difference to some people out there.

See you back here soon!

The post Easy Ideas For Creating An Eco-Friendly Garden appeared first on Oddfamily.co.uk. A parenting blog where the children run the show.

Along the way I learned quite a few things about how to grow a garden and I love the fact that I can share those treasures and lessons with my son… even if it is just with a potted tomato plant. No matter if you live in the country or in the concrete jungle, your kids can learn a lot about food from the basics of gardening. Sure they can probably help you find the baby carrots or frozen peas in the grocery, but do they know where those carrots and greens really come from? (hint – the answer is not a truck!)

Most kids today find it hard to believe that a lot of their food actually starts out as a seed. There is a serious disconnect when it comes to understanding where food originates. Teaching children not only about where the food comes from but also about how to grow it, helps increase their awareness of the world around them and make them more likely to eat tomatoes instead of just settling for ketchup.

Plus, gardening is a great way to connect our kids with the wonder of the earth – the fact that a seed the size of a tack can grow into a big orange carrot or cucumber. Kids really look at this kind of like a magical, mystical experience.

So – you no idea how to get started growing a garden? Have no fear, I happen to have quite the green thumb and am ready to give you a few pointers.

6 Tips To Grow A Garden With Your Kids

START SMALL – A common mistake beginners make is being too ambitious with their garden plans, only to be discouraged when weeds or bugs take over the plot. Make your project small enough that your child can water it and see everything. Rather than tilling a section of your yard, consider planting in containers, which will help keep weeds at bay and give your child a focus for watering. You can buy pots at a garden store or even use an old sand bucket – just be sure to poke holes for drainage. Containers are great for herbs or patio-type tomatoes but remember if you’re using containers, you may have to water your plants more frequently than if you had planted in the earth. They will dry out faster than plants in the ground.

FOLLOW YOUR CHILD’S LEAD – Not sure what to plant? Take your child to a garden store and let them pick the out the seeds. Your best bet will be flowers or vegetables with relatively fast germination periods (better for short attention spans). When it comes to flowers, think about easy-to-grow, edible choices. For vegetables, try cherry tomatoes or cucumbers and, for a quick turn around, radishes are perfect.

BUY KID-SIZED TOOLS – A well-meaning child with a garden hose can blast a baby seedling away in a matter of seconds, but you can avoid garden floods by giving your little helper a kid-sized watering can. In addition to the can, consider a child-sized clipper, trowel, gloves, and shovel – as well as a magnifying glass, so then can get in the dirt and get up close and personal with the plants.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT – Some of your plants might grow like weeds, others might be stomped out by weeds. The key is to figure out, along with your child, what works and what doesn’t. A garden can become a living science experiment, where they can compare what happens when one seedling receives fertilizer or water or sunlight and when one doesn’t. Not everything will grow in the way you expect, and that’s okay. Don’t be afraid to fail.

MAKE IT FUN – Gardening shouldn’t feel like a chore, so don’t treat it like one. Instead of saying to your child to “let’s go work in the garden” try asking them if they want to go “peek under the leaves” to see what they might find. Discovering the beginning of a pepper or an onion sprig is a really cool thing!

NO OUTDOORS? NO PROBLEM – Not everyone has access to an outdoor garden space, but apartment dwellers and others with limited outdoor space can still develop a serious green thumb by focusing on indoor plants. Try the afore mentioned potted tomato or even try planting aloe vera, which grows easily and can be used to treat household burns. And if all else fails, just visit a local pick-your-own farm where kids can see the real deal in action!

Let us know if you have any great gardening tips and by all means, feel free to share the veggie bounty with your friends and neighbors! Do you think you will grow a garden this season? What are you going to plant?

The post Hey Kids – Let’s Grow a Garden! appeared first on Oddfamily.co.uk. A parenting blog where the children run the show.

1. Figure Out What They Want to Do

First things first, you need to make sure you figure out what the kids want to do in the garden. This means taking them around the local garden centre and letting them pick out what they’d like to plant. If you let them take charge of the process it will mean they develop more of an interest in it. Follow their lead; let them spearhead the project with you overseeing.

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2. Ensure It’s Safe

Your first task is going to be to make sure the backyard is safe for the children. Kids are inquisitive, and generally act before they think. So, as the parent it’s your job to deal with any hazards. This means going around and repairing any damage beforehand. To do this, you’re going to need the right equipment. You can use the Makita DTD146 impact driver to deal with any loose screws. If anything needs drilling, you should dig out your Bosch power drill. You basically need to ensure you’re taking the right steps to make the garden child proof.

3. Leave an Empty Space

For the kids to develop a real interest in the garden, they need to have an area for themselves. It’s no good encouraging them to go outside and then censoring where they go and what they do all the time. Try to leave an area free, like one of the flowerbeds or something. This is a fantastic way of developing their interest. They have an area with which they can experiment and do whatever they like. This is bound to make them more excited about getting out into the garden and planting things.

4. Make Sure They Have the Right Stuff

If you want to garden, it’s essential you have the right tools for the job. So, in this instance, it’s going to be important for your kids to have the right tools as well. This means you need to buy child-friendly tools. They need to be small and light, but also practical. Maybe even think about getting the kids a tool box to make them feel special. Equip it with all the basic gardening tools. Try to go for plastic tools, not metal, for safety reasons.

5. Consider a Greenhouse

You might not want the kids messing around with things in the garden. Perhaps you already have things planted or flowers that you’re tending to. Well, the best way around this is to put up a small greenhouse. You can turn this into the children’s area. They can spend time in here working on their green fingers. The benefits of a greenhouse are that it doesn’t interfere with the garden, and it gives the kids their own private space. This will encourage them to enjoy it more.

It’s important these days to encourage your kids to get out and about. They need to know as much as possible about the wonders of the great outdoors. So try to encourage them as much as you can. The garden is a great place to start because it’s self-contained. Use the ideas on this post to make your garden ready for the kids.

The post 5 Ways to Make Your Garden Ready for Your Kids appeared first on Oddfamily.co.uk. A parenting blog where the children run the show.