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When you are starting out on your growing veg journey the key thing is not to rush things and make sure you involve the kids too, kids love planting seeds and seeing them grow!
Tips And Hints For Growing Vegetables From An Experienced Gardener
#1. Start Small
Start small. Don’t try to grow too much. This helps ensure early success which also helps to maintain optimism & interest!
#2. Dig Over Soil
Make sure to dig over your soil before planting. Pull out weeds and add organic matter.
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#3. Water Regularly
Vegetables need regular water to grow and swell. So set up a watering schedule, get the kids involved in helping with that task.
#4. Weed
Not a favourite activity but keep the weeds away as they will block growth of your seedlings.
#5. Control Pests
Keep bugs, slugs & caterpillars away. Put down slug traps e.g. beer in a saucer. Keep an eye out for caterpillars and bugs and remove these by hand if you see them.
#6. Go for Small Veg
Buy small vegetable plants and seed. That way there is something to look at while seeds grow. Or grow cress indoors and watch. Here’s a Fun Cress project to do with the kids.
Good Vegetables to Start With
Things you can do easily on a window sill. I like to call these “window saucer projects”, e.g. cress, mustard.
Jar based sprouts, so using a jar and a damp paper towel, you can sprout mung beans and alfafa to make bean sprouts, these are fun for kids to do and make your salads even healthier and more interesting.
Some things you can grow in a flower pot so e.g. radishes and lettuce.
Veg that you can grow either in buckets or bins. E.g. potatoes, carrots, beetroots.
And finally, why not buy a seed packet of a vegetable that you would not normal see in the shops?
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Some Useful Gardening Websites:
I also recommend Square Foot Gardening and accompanying book.
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Over to you now. Any other tips for growing vegetables to share with first time growers? Share them with us in the comments below.
About the Author: Michelle
