Gardening ideas for a 4yo

[SerJorahsSecondChoice]

I've just bought my first house and have, for the first time in my adult life, a garden! It's small but I love it - it has some sort of tree-bush-shrub type thing with blackbirds living in it, a shed, a raised side garden and a little bit of decking, a lovely great lavender bush and I adore my little piece of land!

Having lived in a flat his whole life, my 4yo ds is equally in love with the garden so dh and I want to let him have a little patch all of his own (he has his own little tool set). He wants to grow runner beans but I gather it's too late for that. Does anyone have any ideas what sort of things he could grow in his own little plot that is the right season - can be flowers, not just veg!

Radishes, grow very quickly so he can eat some very soon.

Herbs, get plants rather than seeds, so he can some mint with a glass of lemonade for instance, or some sage in a casserole. If you have a garden centre near by you will get lots of ideas there, or if no GC, buy a few little pots of growing herbs in the supermarket and plant them out into bigger pots.

For flowers, try cottage garden seed mix, fun for kids as lots of different colours. In September/October you can get bulbs to plant for next spring.

You might find a sunflower or two left over in the GC, worth a try with them if not too expensive.

Tomato plants in a grow bag
Herbs
Lettuce
Carrots

Nasturtiums
Marigolds

I've planted peas this late and still had some by the end of August - mid-September. Great fun watching them grow.

Stick to things slugs won't eat, it's an awful year for them! Snapdragons. The bees going in and out always made my son laugh his head off.

flowers like calendula, fast (ish) growing and not toxic.
my dc (a little older) are obsessed with smelly stuff, so compost heap or weeds 'brewing' in a bucket of water until they stink

along with the plant ideas, have you thought about a mud kitchen?

IME there will inevitably be lots of mud play, so you might as well make a recognised place for it to happen, and then you can be quite clear about which plants/leaves can be added to 'mixtures' and which cannot.

some more mud kitchen ideas

I was going to say radishes.

I planted them when I was his age.

I see above that it's not too late for peas - they are the ultimate thing to grow as a kid.

Podding is fun. And they will taste better than any other peas.

It's not that exciting to eat for 4 yr olds, but salad leaves grow really quickly. Check out garden centres for vegetables to bring on. Cosmos are great to keep going until the frosts and bees love them.

Check out Pinterest for mud kitchen ideas.

Salad leaves are also the start of the Rapunzel story, so there is a bit of magic to them. :)

Also, stuff that grows quickly is important for 4 year olds. Patience not a strong point.

Your garden and ideas sound great, I'm sure your DS will really enjoy it.

Many garden centres and DIYs sell off already Started veg plants, such as runner beans, for very little money, at this time of year. You could grow some in colourful tubs.

Flowering plants can also be discounted if they are a bit 'over'or need a bit of TLC. I got a pack of 6 phlox, an aubrietia and a pink, all for £3 yesterday.

Happy gardening future!

I dont think most 4 year old like raddishes, lettuces what about sunflowers, all kids love them, strawberries, you can buy varieties that will bear fruit in 90 days, something to eat. You can buy Cosmos and seeds that will grow very quickly, look at the packets, runner beans - Jack and the Beanstalk.

lettuces, Carrots (Try and find mixed colour ones) and peas are all dead easy.

You can buy small pots of herbs which you will be able to harvest this year and most will come up next year. It is a bit late for sunflowers.

Also take a look at some suggestions for vegetables

kidsinthegarden.co.uk/what-to-plant-with-your-kids-in-july/

IF worst comes to worse you can do cress in the airing cupboard.

To keep their interest up during the winter, you can do things like carrot tops in a saucer, sunflower seeds in jam jars with blotting paper or kitchen roll, Christmas bulbs in pots, spring onions in jam jars.
Lots of different things will keep them interested till it's time to get outside and dig!