We are always being asked for suitable crops for children to grow. Today The Daily Telegraph suggests:

• “Broad beans: Sow broad beans now, either straight into the ground or (faster and more fun) in pots on a sunny windowsill, either five seeds to a 6in pot or in individual 3in pots labelled with each child’s name (sow two per pot in case one doesn’t germinate, and thin out the smallest). Choose a dwarf variety such as ‘Sutton’ that needs little staking, and plant out in the garden when three inches high. Read More »
  vegetable garden

Australians are combating childhood obesity by integrating organic gardening, food preparation and healthy eating into the school curriculum. The initiative stems from
the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. Read More »

Grady Thrasher has written his first children’s book, “Tim and Sally’s Vegetable Garden,” which introduces children into the world of gardening. The author was inspired by memories of gardening with his grandmother as a child. Read More »

Young people relish the chance to get their hands dirty and grow their own vegetables.

Twelve year old Wayne Blackman-Wickens, of Uckfield,won the children’s section of the gardening competition run by Wealden District Council, reports the Sussex Express. Read More »

The challenge to make a vegetable face came from the GreatBigVegetableChallenge

Their collection of vegetable faces was amazing - and inspiring, so this is the effort from TopVeg.

The artwork is built round a beetroot and comprises chives, carrot, runner bean, and broad bean.

DADDY
If all these Kisses aren’t enough,
There’s two hands to help with garden stuff.

We have just found “The Garden Song”� which sums up vegetable gardening and everything involved in ‘Grow Your Own’.�

The first� verse� goes:�

“Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground”

The rest of the song can be found by clicking this link.
�

One potato, two potato,
Three potato, four,
Five potato, six potato,
Seven potato, more!

Five red apples
Hanging on a tree� � � five fingers held up
The juiciest apples you ever did see!
The wind came past
And gave an angry frown� � � � shake head and look angry
And one little apple came tumbling down.
Four red apples, etc

�

Five Fat Peas

Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed
One grew, two grew, so did all the rest.
They grew and grew
And did not stop,
Until one day
The pod went POP!

�

This rhyme was one of the anthems sung in the Dig For Victory Campaign.� It may help present day vegetable gardeners as they find muscles they did not know they had!

�

Dig! Dig! Dig! And your muscles will grow big�

� � Keep on pushing the spade

Don’t mind the worms� �

Just ignore their squirms� �

And when your back aches

laugh with glee� �

And keep on diggin’�

Till we give our foes a Wiggin’�

Dig! Dig! Dig! to Victory”