Children are being invited to get creative with little gardening projects, courtesy of former Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins.
It could be making a ‘Pizza Wheel’ where they grow their own ingredients for a pizza topping, nurturing a ‘Cress Caterpillar’ made from an egg carton, or making a ‘Butterfly Pie’ to attract beautiful butterflies.
“Start simple and quick-growing,” said Peter who is head of organic horticulture at the charity, Garden Organic (gardenorganic.org.uk).
“Pea-shoots, cress or lettuce leaves are perfect starting places for impatient minds.
“Shoots will appear in just a matter of days, with only a short wait before you have something to eat.
“Identify colours, draw flowers, count seeds, and encourage home cooking using the produce grown.”
Here are three projects to keep the little ones amused, plus tips for getting kids interested in organic growing:
1. Pizza wheel
What you’ll need:
- String
- 2 bamboo sticks
- pebbles
- shingle or sand
- 4-6 types of seed to suit a pizza topping.
How to make it:
- Fork over a bit of ground and rake.
- You can either do this in a raised bed or a large pot.
- Mark out a circle using the string and sticks.
- This is the base for your pizza and can then be divided into pizza slices using pebbles, shingle or sand.
- Once you have your sections, sow four to six types of seed or plant plugs into each one to make toppings suitable for a scrummy pizza.
- Seeds could include basil, tomato, sweet peppers and rocket – whatever your children like on a pizza.
- Look after your pizza wheel and watch it grow.
2. Cress caterpillar
What you’ll need:
- Cress seeds
- Cotton wool or organic compost
- Egg box
- Scissors
- Paint and paint brush
- Googly eyes
- Pipe cleaners
How to make it:
- First, cut the lid away from your egg box and cut through the middle so you have three sections to plant your seeds in.
- Decorate your box by painting it, adding a face for your caterpillar, along with googly eyes and pipe cleaner antennae.
- Once dry, pop a cotton wool ball in each section.
- Wet the ball with water and sprinkle liberally with cress seeds.
- Keep moist and you should see sprouts within a few days, and be able to chop it and eat it within a couple of weeks.
3. Butterfly pie
What you’ll need:
- Bin liner or pot
- Sugar (white or brown); water
- Partially rotted plums or similar fruit
- Small trowel or spade
How to make it:
- Dig a small hole in a border or pot, about 30cm wide by 15cm deep.
- Create a ridge around the hole and line it with a piece of bin liner and pierce with just a few holes.
- Dissolve some sugar in water and add some partially rotted plums or similar fruit.
- Mix the ingredients together and add to the soil from the hole.
- Pop the final mixture in the hole or pot and your Butterfly Pie is complete.
- Soon you’ll see various butterfly visitors.