Plants are basically magic. We put tiny things into the ground and later they make larger things that are edible or beautiful or sometimes both. Children make natural gardeners- they like to play in the dirt, are curious and learn by doing. Gardening fosters a respect for and connection with the outdoors as well as allowing you to Grow your own food. Often people think they can’t grow anything due to their tiny garden or poor soil- but worry not! There are solutions out there to common gardening worries.

1. Carrot tops

Rather than immediately tossing your kitchen waste you can reuse these to produce lovely flowers. Do note, carrot tops only regrow the green plant on top, not the orange carrot itself. These grow within a few days and produce lovely white flowers.

Where? Indoors in a sunny place.

How? Take the carrot top and place it in a shallow dish of water, changing it out when it becomes dirty. No need for soil. You should begin to see results within a few days.

2. Lettuce

 A fast growing and reliable food that can also get the little ones interested in salads and vegetables. The base of some lettuce types, like Romaine, can be used to regrow leaves, although they become bitter over time.

Where? Indoors or outdoors. Lettuce likes partial shade. It can be planted outdoors once the threat of frost has passed.

How? Plant them a few centimeters apart and be sure to keep the soil around them moist, particularly in the first two weeks. The seeds should begin to germinate within 10 days. Be careful to keep them up high so they don’t get eaten by slugs or practice companion planting by putting onions, chives or marigolds with them. Marigold flowers are also edible! Happy days.

3. Watercress

An extremely simple, easy plant to grow, it is part of the brassica family along with kale and broccoli.

Where? Indoors, protected from full sun.

How? The small brown seeds can be grown on damp cotton- but be careful to eat the short green stalks and leaves once grown as they will wilt within a day or so.

4. Pineapple

Pineapples grow in an odd way- the chopped off tops can be placed in a pot of compost and may make another small pineapple fruit.

Where? Indoors in a bright warm place.

How? Chop off the top of the pineapple (with some fruit around it) and bury it an inch or so of compost. This can start to regrow into a spiky pineapple plant which can, in turn, produce a tiny pineapple. You may have to try this one a few times, but perhaps that can be an excuse to get everyone to eat more fruit.

5. Avocado pits

A little more involved than some of the others on this list.

Where? Avocado plants will need to be kept inside in a bright warm place, like pineapples.

How? Spear a pit on top toothpicks and suspend it over a glass over water. This way you can watch the roots grow down too. Change the water out even 2-3 days.

6. Nasturtiums

These are trailing vine-like flowers with round leafs and brightly coloured, edible flowers. They grow incredibly rapidly and usually flower later in the summer.

Where? Indoors or outdoors in the early spring. Ideally an area with good sun. They prefer poor soil and do not need fertilizer.

How? Plant them about an inch deep, several inches apart and keep watered. These are neat plants in that they could be trained to climb a trellis or chicken wire – useful for a small garden as they can go up a wall and maximise space.

7. Green onions

Often accused of been boring, these plants are quick and easy to grow and can make an ideal companion plant, discouraging pests from devouring your lettuce.

Where? Can be grown indoors or outdoors. Sow in March through to early summer if sowing outdoors.

How? Make holes in the ground about an inch deep and 2 inches apart and place a single bulb into each one. These should begin to germinate and grow within a few weeks. They prefer sunny areas and fertile, well-drained soil.

8. Peas

Peas prefer cooler, more shaded areas in the garden- perfect for those little corners that don’t get direct light.

Where? Can be grown indoors or outdoors. ‘Early’ peas can be sown from February to March both indoors and outdoors.

How? Sow them closely together. Ordinary size pea plants require a trellis or frame of some kind to climb on. They germinate rapidly and should produce pea pods within two-three months. In most species, the pod can be eaten with the peas inside, but double check with the seller just in case.

9. Herbs

Herbs are excellent companion plants for your vegetables, discouraging pests from devouring them. They can be grown indoors and outdoors- some kinds, such as rosemary, are particularly hardy.  Double check their compatibility with your vegetables here.

Most native wildflowers make excellent fast growing plants and also aid our native pollinators. After an unseasonably warm Christmas- Bumblebee queens were seen out of hibernation on the 28th of December- the sudden cold snaps are badly affecting both bees and their food supply. You could be surprised as to what flowers appear if you let an area of your garden grow wild- there are areas in north Dublin that grow orchids when left to their own devices, as well as primroses and forget-me-nots.

In regards to poor soil, a variety of plants can survive in them. In addition, improving the quality of your soil could be an excellent project to undertake with the family. You ideally want soil that is rich in humus, nutrients and drains well. This can be achieved by planting nitrogen-fixing plants such as clover and borage – or any legume. Clover comes in red and white varieties and is manna from heaven for our pollinators, while borage has beautiful bright blue flowers and grows with remarkable speed. Both are seeds that can be sown with ease. Their deep system of roots will strengthen and revitalise the soil in a way grass cannot.

If possible avoid walking on your garden when it’s wet. This leads to compression and collapse of the soil and produces further drainage issues.

As kids love to do their own thing it could be worth giving them a plot of their own, in a sunny plot where their plants are likely to thrive, and starting them off with easy growers. If you have a sandbox your kids have grown out of consider repurposing it as a bed- this will give them ownership of a familiar space and it can be moved around if need be. Child-friendly tools can be tricky to source- plastic ones often break and frustrate the user, and child-sized work gloves are still hard to find. However, they are becoming more common as more and more families take up gardening.

And the most fun part of all: make a scarecrow.

Love this? Share, share, share! Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and our brand new Snapchat is eumom_ie