Working with mental health young people want to work with them to grow something.

[cleo333]

Hi I work with teenagers struggling with mental health and thought growing something would be a good focus . Although we have no money as a service so I will need to source seeds and soil etc free but I’ll try that .

what do think would be a good plant to grow to start ?

I have no advice on seeds and plants because I’m naff at that stuff, but I wanted to say that’s a lovely idea ❤️. Hope you get lots of good suggestions.

Can’t help with the plants because I’d kill a cactus but reach out to your local supermarket such as Tesco and they might help you out with what you need. I used to be a community champion colleague many years ago and they used to have budgets for this type of thing. I know nearly all of the big supermarkets offer similar things and good luck with whatever you grow!

Did you have a time frame in mind as some plants grow quicker than others and were you thinking indoors or outdoors.

Sunflowers are popular but they tend to flower in the school holidays and need outdoors if the young person takes it home.

Spider plants aren't grown from seed, but they are easy to get hold off and rewarding to bring on from a young plant.

Thanks, it’s been a bit of a lightbulb moment where I’m thinking lots of ideas now inc trying charity funding

I’d potentially ask on a local fb group for seeds etc, in my town there’s a similar group for teens and those with disabilities, it started with people donating seeds and what not a couple of years ago, mostly allotment owners. Now they have a large greenhouse and it’s just doing great.

How old are the young people? I would try growing veg and I'd use pallet collars filled with compost as slightly raised beds.
It is a good time to plant seeds now if you are quick about it.

You can plant things like carrot, peas, beans, beetroot lettuce and radish etc out now and tomato and courgette seeds on windowsills/ greenhouses to plant out at the end of May.

If budget allows you could also get strawberry plants.

You will need to cover the beds with raised netting to stop birds eating the seed and make beer traps to catch the slugs!

The RHS website Vis a great resource for good varieties of seed to get and what to do when.

You will need to be able to keep everything well watered!

Thanks so much for your advice this is so helpful

Planting and growing is great therapy: lovely idea. I’d definitely ask for donations from local garden centres: I suspect they would be happy to donate. you might even find a local allotment site would give you a little plot for free: ours would.

Recommendations will depend on whether you want indoor or outdoor, and whether you see them over the school hols.

If outdoor: agree with others that veg are good and fast growing: radishes, runner or french beans, maybe some rocket or salad leaves, beetroot, maybe some strawberries. Peas are fast growing and can be grown for pea shoots salad rather than peas. Herbs are good: mint (in a pot- it takes over) to make fresh mint tea; rosemary, basil if you have a sunny spot. I’d also do flowers: it’s a good time to plant sweet peas which are prolific and fast growing. Also edible flowers: calendula; nasturtiums even lavender. Flowers and herbs will bring in pollinators and bees bussing round is lovely - plus being able to eat flowers is fun and the sensory aspect is important.

as others have said sunflowers are a classic but flower only over the summer so less good for term time. Maybe a small container pond or a big hotel as a project.
if indoor: bean shoots and cress are lovely and fast. Mexican hat plant, spider plants or money plants are fast growing - but imo indoor gardening never has the therapeutic value that being outside does.

Thank you so much your ideas are amazing

Runner beans are pretty easy. As are marigolds.

I would say scented plants like lavender work well. Though its also good to have something in flower all the time - the RHS plants site you can select flowering month, I would go for the tougher plants so they survive the winter. If someone is with you longer term bulbs can be satisfying like tulips, daffodils, etc

This is a lovely idea x could you put an appeal on Facebook or WhatsApp asking for help?? Sunflower are always good. Or how about some vegetables?

This is a good idea, but I think it would be better coming from someone who has some gardening knowledge!

cress is good - quick and easy. Or pea shoots.

I'd join your local olio app. It was originally started to share free food, but there are also free non food items on there, plus a section to ask for things- 'garden pots needed, 'bamboo canes', 'gardening bits needed for a charity' 'Veg seeds wanted for local charity' etc. Market place and freecycle also have free garden items. If that is no good, lidl often have seed packets starting at 29p. Are you allowed to ask the parents to contribute 1 packet of seeds?

Some quick, easy veg to start with include radishes, salad leaves and pea shoots. The greens you can snip with scissors to add to a salad and they keep growing.

In a 30cm pot of larger, you could make a wig with some canes tied at the top and grow mange tout or peas. Dwarf beans can be grown in a small trough and no support needed.

You can also grow things from the stump part of veg you normally cut off. Spring onions, celery, pak choy, beetroot etc. You could ask the kids to bring in their food scraps.

https://stonepierpress.org/gardeningnews/growing-vegetable-scraps

I’ve just planted some chilli seeds in pots on my windowsill. They are just sprouting after a week.

Excellent love chilli . I’ve decided to make the gardening project where everything we gather is at no cost to us , recycled or free and get the children involved in what we need and how we get it - I’m so excited now and appreciate all your comments . I’ve got some small pots already via olio app

Sweet pea flowers
runner beans
tomatoes
strawberries

All easy to grow and quick abundant results

A local garden centre may be happy to donate some things if you ask them

Courgettes, sweet peas, mangetout, tumbling tomatoes (might be a bit late to grow from seeds so plug plants), cosmos, cornflowers, chives

To add to my earlier post OP, not just asking for seeds, but you could ask for seedlings on olio, next door, market place, freecycle etc. Possibly a local allotment or gardening society could help.

I always have an excess of seedlings. If I don't have space to plant them, I either put them on olio for free, or on a stand outside my house for passers by the take.