SPROUTING SEEDS
NOTE TO ADULT HELPERS:
Getting kids involved in growing their own fresh food is both educational and fun. It’s a great way of teaching them where fruit and veg come from, how they grow, what varieties look like and, in my experience, encourages them to try what they grow. It certainly got my son into eating salad!
You don’t need a large garden to grow your own fresh veg or herbs; a few pots or even a reused can with holes punctured in the base make ideal containers. We successfully grew pea shoots and cress in a can.
Seeds are cheap to buy and a pack will provide bountiful amounts of produce. Start with the easy-to-grow varieties such as radishes, salad leaves, spring onions/scallions, bush beans, rocket/arugula and other herbs, which will all flourish in a pot of potting compost if it’s watered regularly.
You could start your child off by sprouting seeds, which can be done at any time of the year and doesn’t require any special equipment. Alfalfa are perhaps the easiest and have long, spindly shoots, topped with small green leaves and a peppery flavour.