Advice from an ‘old dad’: Perfect pre-school garden project

On a recent trip to the local nursery, my wife introduced the idea of seedlings to our three-year-old daughter.

They brought home some cherry tomato and strawberry seedlings in trays and together we planted them in pots.

The new crop

The new crop

 

My little girl was amazed, that in four to six weeks the small tomato plants had grown so dramatically, and had started producing beautiful little ‘martos’ as she calls them. They had grown so tall in fact, that we had to put stakes in to support them under the weight of the crop.

Ripening tomatoes

Ripening tomatoes

 

This fun venture has been successful on so many levels – Matilda loves going out every morning to see how many tomatoes have appeared overnight, and if they are ripe enough to pick. She is learning to water and feed the plants with us, and sees the results reasonably quickly. It’s something that we can do together.

Tilly in the garden

Tilly in the garden

 

The plants themselves require very little room, and as long as they have good light and are fed and watered regularly, will look after themselves.

The real upside to this, is that now Matilda loves the taste and texture of tomatoes, and will eat them straight off the tree or as a snack out of the bowl. It is a very healthy win - win situation.

 

All you really need is…

  • Some empty plant pots.
  • Potting mix and soil.
  • Plant food.
  • Trays of seedlings from the nursery or Bunnings. We bought tomatoes, strawberries and some assorted herbs.

 

Add the potting mix and soil to the pots and transfer seedlings from the trays, planting them gently in the soil.

Water them generously and add some plant food.

Place the pots in an area where the plants will get a good amount of sunlight (morning or afternoon).

Keep up the watering once or twice a day, and before you know it you will be picking your own tomatoes.

Tomatoes in the bowl

Tomatoes in the bowl

 

Now we await the arrival of the strawberries.

First published in 9Honey

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