Create a Mini Allotment for a Summer of Fun

Now that winter has officially faded away and the good old British summer is fast approaching it is time to prepare our gardens for the wonderful fun that can be had as a family.

Encouraging the little ones to get outside in the sunshine and enjoy the garden can be a great way of keeping them entertained all while teaching them about the wonders of nature. By giving your children their own allotment to manage you are giving them the responsibility of looking after their own plants and flowers and you can also make it an exciting event when they grow something tasty!


Prepare
The first thing to do to get your mini allotment looking both bold and beautiful this summer is to get rid of those weeds! No garden looks glamorous with those gloomy, dull looking weeds lurking in the saddened soil. So with the help of the little ones pull the weeds out and lay down some fresh soil which will get the flower beds looking fresh. The kids will love getting muddy and feeling the mud between their fingers.


Plant
Have you brought your bulbs and plants ready to plant into your freshly prepared garden? If not, to pop down to the local garden Centre with the children and let them pick something which they enjoy looking at daily, something which will brighten up the space and is easy to maintain such as; Sunflowers, Sweet peas, Californian poppy’s, Pansy’s and Marigolds. 

Alternatively if you’re looking to encourage healthy eating, pick out some fruit and vegetable seeds such as these that will educate your little ones on where there food comes from. Plus they’ll love feeling proud of themselves as they pick their home grown food for dinner.


Enjoy
Once the basics are done and the plants are planted think about what else could benefit the children in the garden. Helping them to craft a bird feeder such as this one, or some colourful bunting for the garden fences can all make the outside space feel more fun.

Remind them to keep on top of their little allotment throughout the summer with books at bedtime about the garden, and their own set of tools.

There are so many benefits for encouraging the little ones to enjoy the great outdoors, but if you feel stuck for inspiration do a little research on Pinterest or with Home Magazines. There are plenty of fun ways of making the garden more child-friendly than you may expect.


Have you started preparing your garden? Do you have any tips you would like to share?