Carrots and Kids

{Stuff}

Here's a list of things I have been doing or thinking. Sometimes only a list will do.

• Sowing sweet peas: we did some gardening at school which involved making our own pots out of paper (by wrapping newspaper round jam jars) and planting two seeds per pot. Some were straight out of the packet and others had been soaking in water as an "experiment" to see if pre-soaking makes any difference. I think not

• Wholefood eating: I have just started a three-month online course with Heather about wholefood eating. I am so excited. I did her 30-day vegan one in the summer and LOVED it

• Writing my new blog: I feel very excited about this too (although quite vulnerable about showing it. I mean, a blog about that). There are only three posts so far but many more to come. I had a stressful great time designing it and making it look how I wanted (with thanks to Liz who gave me a code for padding, whatever that is, and suggested a few tweaks). Oh and if you fancy a peek it's here

• Looking forward to half-term: yay! Although a week early this year, we are so ready for it. The little children are tired and I am a bit weary of making sad five and seven-year-olds go to school when they just want to stay home and play. There will be lots of Lego, parks and cake in our week and no homework

• Reading: I go through phases although always try and read one fiction book a month, even if it is for book group. Currently reading On The Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin and John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Oh and HUGE congrats to Dawn who's just had her first book published about gardening with children. 

So, as winter trundles on and the snow falls (well, it is here), what are you up to?

:: I'm not sure if the link to my blog is working. I suspect not. This is Typepad's fault and not a cynical ploy by me to get you very curious about the new blog. I'm hiting publish anyway just to confirm my suspicions. Actually, maybe this is a sign...

:: Edited - the link now works! It was me *blush*. My new blog is called birdoosh.

{So What If It's Cold}

Following on from my last post, it is, naturally, now winter proper. I am sat here with a very cold nose, wearing four layers and contemplating a fifth.

Of course, it is not really the weather for blogging either. Really, I should be ironing....

And when I used to run a gardening club I decreed it wasn't the weather for gardening. Oh, I know there are things to do but it was always nice to have a break.

Now I am a helper whose main responsibility is to just turn up, we are ploughing on. This week we replenished a dead hedge. It's quite cool, but something you'd need a lot of space for I reckon. Perfect for a school though.

I am keen to do some gardening with, at least, my children. I'm resigned to it being largely indoors. Possibilities include creating a terrarium, planting winter peas, sowing broad beans in modules and onions too.

Or how about starting a nature or gardening journal? And let's not forget about feeding the birds...

Crikey, I've inspired myself! That's got to be another good thing about blogging.

:: The photo was taken with iPhone. You can see the older, darker parts of the hedge ::

 

{My Big List of Autumnal School Gardening Ideas}

As I was driving back from another food buying expedition (I am always, it seems, restocking the larder cupboard) I mentally went through my list of to-do's. Momentarily the promise at the end of yesterday's post of me posting again TODAY flashed through my mind.

It won't matter, I thought, if I don't write it (yes, I am the laziest blogger). Then I got the loveliest email from someone who was so appreciative of this little space and - you guessed it - looking forward to the list that I felt compelled to do as promised.

So here I am. I also realise that as a post intro it does sound a bit "due to public demand..." but it's not meant to. But I did want to add that, of course, this list is not exclusively for gardening clubs. Grab a child (preferably one you know) and just get out there. Soon it will be snowing/raining and we'll all wish we did.

• Harvesting: lots of green toms (perhaps we could make green tomato chutney?). Seeds to harvest too (sweet peas, beans and calendula)
• Paper pot making: Using jam jars and old newspapers. Fill with compost and sow the sweet pea seeds (could use the ones we harvested. Need to soak in water for 24 hours beforehand)
• Dirt day: test the soil around the school either with litmus paper or a kit from a garden centre. Collect fallen leaves and store in bin bags with holes in to be used on the beds in a year’s time. Spread any compost from the bins. Manure the beds
• Plant for the winter: broad beans directly in the beds, lettuce (with some protection using fleece). Onions. Garlic. Rhubarb crowns
• Plant bulbs in tubs for spring (daffs and tulips)
• Get the children to bring in a jam jar or an old chipped mug from home and plant (wearing gloves as they are an irritant) hyacinth bulbs (cost 50p each) which are then stored somewhere dark and cool until shoots are couple of inches high and they can take them home at the end of term
• Create a new bed while the soil is still workable. Measure and dig it out (could be for herbs?). Could plant some herbs like sage, rosemary and thyme
• Could grow potatoes in sacks for Christmas
• Make old fashioned toys with sticks (willow rod and ring, walnut dice etc).
• Indoor gardening: get the children to save carrot tops, avocado stones, pineapple tops etc then try to grow them on saucers, jam jars etc. and place on a windowsill. Or we could place a whole sweet potato, carrot, turnip etc in water and see what happens after a week or so. Or grow peanuts in glass jars with coloured yarn. They sprout apparently and the children can see the roots (if all children are free of peanut allergies)
• Cress: grow it in eggshells, the tops of potatoes etc which can then be decorated. Leave on a windowsill for the week to see how high they grow. Or you could get the children to write their initials in cress seeds on damp paper
• Decorate a tree as a Christmas gift to the birds with the bird food we made, strings of popcorn and dried cranberries etc
• Celebrate apple day (it’s on October 21 so club date nearest) with maybe a tasting session of different apples and perhaps a visit to the parish orchard (bit of a trek perhaps and no idea what you’d do once there!)
• Make autumnal or leaf mobiles
• Make bird feeders using 1l juice cartons (something for them to take home)
• Make bird cakes (would need a cooker as an adult has to melt the fat)
• An easy bird food make – toast with a hole at the top made with a straw, peanut butter and bird food pressed in. Then thread string through and hang in a tree
• Make a winter frog home: dig a trench, place an old grow bag (with the compost still in) inside, cover with grass clippings and leaves. Could also make other wildlife homes by collecting large sticks and logs and piling them up in corners.

These ideas have been amassed over the years from magazines and books and things I've done in the past with my previous club. Enjoy!

{A New School Gardening Club Challenge}

I admit that when my daughter left her primary school in July, I did heave a small sigh of relief. Not only would it mean no tearing down country lanes four times a day but also I would have my Wednesdays back.

It's not that I didn't enjoy the school gardening club. Working with the children was the best thing ever. But it's hard doing it all on your own. I had help, in as much that the person who offered to help me would turn up sometimes and sometimes not, depending on the state of her love life I think. I wouldn't know until she didn't show.

However, there was no help in the "what shall we do next week" department. And that is where I needed it most, if I wasn't going to spend all day Wednesday preparing for the one hour club.

So it was with a light heart this September that I skipped into the different primary school my youngest two attend. I had cleared the decks. I was Making Changes and Had Plans.

Then the headteacher collared me.

So a few Mondays ago saw me hauling in a bag of top soil. Blimey, I thought as I parked miles away from the school entrance then struggled to open a gate, this feels familiar.

Of course lots of it is. Like my ideas. But the grounds and the area we have to work in are totally different. And we have free range chickens which I think I'm going to struggle to love. Already they have been digging in the raised beds.

There is also a teacher in charge which makes the club feel very organised and not as anarchic as my last one. There was even talk of mind maps, whatever they are. Perhaps the biggest difference is that this school knows about the blog.

The teachers have read the blog. One was looking for Ideas, which was probably like looking for a needle in a haystack. She needn't have worried, I sent her a massive email full of them.

And tomorrow I shall share my Big List of Autumnal School Gardening Ideas with you. Catchy, no?

{A Place of One's Own}

 

One of the surprising things about our recent visit to Queen Victoria's holiday retreat, Osborne House, was the beauty and space. The whole point, I think, of the place for Victoria and Albert was to escape the protocool and goldfish-bowl life being a royal entailed.

Victoria described it as "a place of one's own, quiet and retired" and that's exactly what the family got, a unique family home that managed to be opulent as well as cosy. I learnt all sorts of fascinating facts about her and also discovered that she loved being outdoors and spent a great deal of her time outside. You can even see her bathing machine, which she used at their private beach. Unfortunately, that can't be accessed now as the route to it is too overgrown but there are plans to remedy this.

 

Of course, the 342-acres at this Isle of Wight estate are quite different to what they would have been like in her day but they are still spectacular and some parts, like the walled kitchen garden and Swiss Cottage garden have been renovated to become more authentic after the estate's past duty as a convalescent home.

When she died, Victoria's son Albert decided he didn't want the home as it reminded him too much of his mother and handed it over to the state. Lucky for us but, really, unlucky for future royals.

One of the appealing things about it is that its managed by English Heritage which made for a much more relaxing visit than others we've experienced at National Trust properties. We were able to picnic anywhere so chose a spot high on a hill between the house and the view of the Solent.

But now, thinking about our visit, it's the terraces with their formal bedding that really stick out in my mind. These are dotted with statues Victoria and Albert collected. There is now a rather grand looking restaurant, perfect for a special meal I imagine, looking out on the bottom terrace.

Of course, I also loved the walled garden with its Victoria plums. Prince Albert rhubarb and glasshouses. There were fruit laden trees fanning the walls, arches with pears and apples plus lots of flowers which I imagine would have been used for the extravagant table arrangements.

I loved the small (well, actually rather large really) children's kitchen garden that has also been restored. There are hanging in Swiss Cottage a couple of miniature spades. All the children had their own, each initialled. Part of the ground floor of the cottage is a small tea room and nearby a lovely place filled with heavy teak furniture on which to sit outside and have a coffee.

You can do a Ring Walk around the whole of the estate but with Grandad, hot sun and two little ones (one of whom said it was "very very far for very very little legs to walk") I filed that away under Things To Do When We Are Older and The Children Have Left Home.

I was surprised, actually, at how big the grounds were. There are many trees in the pleasure garden that were planted by Victoria and Albert to commemorate birthdays and other important events and because it was so spacious it never felt remotely crowded.

There is also the famous Royal Myrtle, which I didn't see, but which has been included in royal bridal bouquets including Kate Middleton's. You can buy a small pot to take home which some people may find hard to resist...

{The Best Thing In My Garden}

There is something in my garden that is perhaps the ugliest thing (if you discount the puppy). It takes up so much room and there's really no way to disguise it.

It's not my greenhouse, raised veggie beds or a stunning bit of planting (oh how I wish!). It adds nothing of any beauty to our garden but it's the best thing and I wouldn't be without it.

Our TP climbing frame must be ten years old and has been in constant use since we bought it when most of the children were but twinkles in our eye.

The range of accessories available for it has been greatly reduced and now I think wooden equipment is the way to go. It would certainly look better but was out of our price range back then and I'm not about to swap it now.

But every day I send up a little prayer of thanks that we bought this climbing frame. It was a lot of money for us back then but it has been worth every penny (even if it does make our garden "look like Toys R Us" as a visiting relative very rudely pointed out the other day).

What's your favourite thing in your garden?

Bug Hotel

 

One of the last things we did at gardening club was to make a bug hotel. I had mentioned it to the children and they were very keen so make it we did. I was very keen to ensure they felt the garden belonged to them and I was just helping and guiding. Basically, their wish was my command.

But what to make it from? I searched the internet and there were some wonderful examples but I knew space was a premium for us, plus I had to source and deliver the materials. So large wooden crates, an ideal hotel, were out.

Then along came Hubby, riding on his proverbial white charger. He is a natural recycler and declutter (whereas I have to work at the latter). A quick scout around the house revealed some unused wooden Ikea drawers/storage unit.

He also very kindly made them, complete with a wooden roof and a sign, written expertly by my six-year-old. It was ideal; he got rid of some clutter, I had something that was light and small enough to transport and the children had the basis of a bug hotel. And the critters? They had, eventually, a palatial home.

The children loved it and set to work finding old leaves, twigs, a toilet and a bath (nut shell halves). Well it was a hotel. They found some straw (thank you school rabbit) and some plant pots while I snapped some canes into the required length.

You wouldn't believe how long this took, as well as the assembling. But, y'know, we were aiming high, a five star residence at least.

Before we'd even finished, five spiders were checking it out and one had even moved in. I think it was the toilet that swung it.

 

School Gardening Club: Home-made propagators

I can't believe how quickly the school gardening club comes round (despite not running last week) but I have, finally, realised it's easier to have a plan. And today's? Home-made propagators.

This, I should not point out, is not my idea but one I've taken from Ready Steady Grow. It basically involves an empty, clean clear plastic 2l bottle with cap and some cotton material.

They are going to plant a courgette seed although I fear that is cheating a bit as those babies will grow anywhere. I don't think I've ever had one not germinate.

This is something they can take home; partly because the school (like many nowadays) does not have windowsills ('tis the bane of my gardening life) and partly because I love sending them home with things.

I shall show you the one that ends up coming home with us at a later date. This is, I feel, the perfect gardening club activity, cheap and easy and fun.

:: If you'd like another idea as to an easy children's gardening project check out my latest ReadyforTen post about planting a herbal bath pot ::

Earth Day and a Pink Batman

A rather hot and sweaty pint-sized Batman appeared at the back door yesterday. "Phew," he said, "I'm tired." His dad asked what had he been doing out in the garden with his sister to make him so tired?

"Well, we've been busy looking after the world," Batman replied.

Which is, when you think about it, quite hard work. No wonder he was tired. Plus, he still had his shorts and t-shirt on under his bat suit. He did look a bit pink, underneath his freckles.

That's the thing isn't it? Looking after the world is second nature to Batman and his alter-ego, a four-year-old boy. While they need to expend some energy, make some effort to do so, really it's natural. As natural as breathing.

And that's why I'm not going overboard about Earth Day. I mean, thinking about the planet, our individual eco-systems contained on our plots, trying to ensure we don't do any harm, to nurture what in turn nurtures us, that's what people who garden do. Every single day.

I'm sure that's what you all do, or try to, or make plans to at some point in the future once you get a garden or allotment. Anyway, there are a myriad ways in which to look after the planet.

In my job as a freelance writer I have talked about ways to recycle in the garden, looking after wildlife, great flowers and veggies to grow with children. Yesterday I was on the BBC gardening blog talking about gardening with children.

Here at Carrots, I think of it as my garden and if you happen to peek in you may see me gardening with the children, reading a book or stuffing cake in my mouth (most probably the latter). And what you do see is just a small portion of what goes on.

We're just doing what comes naturally here, on Earth Day and every day.

We're Growing Snakes

My children aren't spoilt but there are two things I will happily throw money on if they ask - books and gardening stuff. The latter is mostly seeds so I'm hardly pushing the boat out.

I haven't bought many seeds for myself this year; I have lots from last year and I'm all about the budget now. Although I'm hoping my husband won't read that last bit as he'll probably die laughing.

But on a recent garden centre trip for the school gardening club I spied some seeds that I knew my four-year-old would love. Gourds that grow into a snake shape.

He's a bloodthirsty little beggar (always first on the scene if someone's hurt themselves asking "Is there any blood?") and loves creatures that are not cute cuddly kitten (although he does love those too) so I knew these would be a hit.

It was lovely planting them in the warm greenhouse with him yesterday. He listened and pushed them in on their sides, after we'd laughed at their funny shape.

My only worry, given my rather feeble track record with such plants, is that they won't grow or produce the snake-like gourd. There were six seeds in the pack so, assuming they all grow, I reckon one for a veggie patch at home, three for the allotment and two for large containers.

I do think garden centres miss a trick sometimes. Think how many seedlings of these ornamental gourds they could sell to other equally doting, green-fingered parents. I'd buy a couple, just for insurance purposes.