When it comes to getting children (and indeed myself) interested in gardening the greatest motivation is usually results!
My go to plant for children is RADISH!
Radish are fun and funky and usually germinate within a few days. They don’t require a lot of space and can be easily grown in pots or planters if you don’t have a lot of ground space; making them an excellent plant for patios, classrooms or windowsills.
Buying Radish Seeds
Kings Seeds has an excellent range of radish varieties including organic and colourful mixes. Garden Centers, hardware stores and The Warehouse will also have radish seeds, though I find their selections are usually limited.
My Radish Garden, Planted September 26th (Early Spring).
I am growing Organic Cherrybelle Radish.
Here is my Radish planter on September 29th, after just three days. Already you can see most of the seeds have germinated.
By October 8th (13 days after planting), My planter is looking a bit over crowded! I will thin them out as they mature. Young radish leaves can be eaten in salads or cooked giving you a harvestable product even before the root has developed.
[I will add more photos as they mature.]
My Radish Growing Tips
#1 Plant in pots or planters
Slugs and snails love eating radish plants, especially when they are young and tender. To help combat this pesky threat I plant my radish seeds in a long clay planter (mine measures 70cm x 26cm x 20cm deep) as opposed to directly in the soil.
#2 Use 3/5th compost and 1/5th potting mix
I filled my planter 3/5th full of compost. I used Kiwi Garden compost from The Warehouse. (It’s a great idea to make your own compost but I didn’t have any ready at this stage.) Compost provides a lot more nutrition to the growing plants than potting mix does and holds in more moisture. I only use potting mix in the area I am sowing the seeds.
#3 Bury pots and planter in the ground
Burying your pots and planters halfway (in my case 12cm) into the ground is another great way of keeping the soil moist for longer. If you don’t have this option place your pot on a saucer/tray so that the soil in the bottom of the pot is always in contact with water.
#4 Compact the soil down well
Compact down the soil/compost in your pot/planter very firmly. Add a layer of potting mix to the surface, smooth it out and compact it down again. Sprinkle over your radish seeds (I like to put them in neat rows so that when the seeds sprout I know they are my radish seeds and not stray weeds). Then sprinkle over a thin layer of potting mix so that seeds are just covered and again press down firmly. Your pot should be about 4/5th full when you’re finished.
Do you have a favorite plant for young children to grow? Or some advice on growing radish? Please leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.