ABC's in the garden

We've been spending a lot of time in the garden lately and one of the things I really wanted to do was a little garden bed for Amelie. We actually bought the raised bed last summer and it's just sat next to our vege garden all year looking very sad and empty!  Finally a few weekends ago we got some top soil and compost and filled it up ready for planting. It was neat planning with Amelie what she would like to plant and going off to the garden centre together.  She chose a pansy in her favourite colour, a cherry tomato,  two strawberry plants and some marigold seedlings.

I remembered seeing ages ago (in a gardening magazine I think) a grandmother that had spelt out her grandaughter' s name using flowers which I thought was such a neat idea.  So we used the marigolds to plant a letter A which she absolutely loves. Everyday for the last couple of weeks she has been out there checking on her 'A' and telling me how many flowers have 'popped' out.

You could use flowers to make little pictures in the garden too- like a love heart , a star  or a flower made of flowers!

♡☆❋

Will have to try growing them from seed next- so far all I've managed is some cress!

Megan

Green Fingers for kids

Isn't this the cutest little packet of seeds! I signed my toddler up to the Daltons Kids Club and every season there is a newsletter in the mail and for her birthday a little gardening treat. This year it was these neat carrot 'Seedsticks' ; last year she received some cherry tomatoes seeds, a little bag of potting mix and some tomato fertiliser.  The newsletter has lots of gardening information, recipes and craft ideas and a colouring -in picture. 

To sign up you can email your child's details to info@daltons.co.nz

A friend gave my toddler this cute card from Cherish Child a while ago- the bear is made from seeded paper which you can plant directly into your garden!

And here is a great kids gardening website 

www.coolkidsgrow.com

Happy autumn gardening with your little ones!
Megan

Ben's Bruschetta recipe

Here is my hubby's delicious recipe for tomato and basil bruschetta- we enjoyed this yesterday in the sun with our bread from the farmers market and homegrown cherry tomatoes and basil. Feels like a bit of a distant memory as it is pouring down now and feels quite wintry for the first time in ages

Ingredients
Bread- ciabatta or baguette is best
Tomatoes
Fresh basil
Olive oil
Garlic clove
Salt and pepper

Roughly chop tomatoes and basil. Mix together with salt and pepper in bowl
Slice bread into thick slices and brush or spray with olive oil (both sides)
Place bread on hot griddle pan or under the grill until toasted (both sides)
Peel and slice garlic clove in half and rub one side of the bread with the garlic
Heap tomato and basil on top of bread and drizzle with olive oil

Enjoy!

it's true what they say

Everyone says kids love gardening and are better at eating their vege's when they help in the vege garden and I am amazed at how true that is! Our toddler loves helping with the watering and picking the 'harvest'. She is eating beans straight from the plant and loves courgettes now too. She loves picking the cherry tomatoes too but is still unconvinced as to the taste of them!
We bought a raised bed kit before Christmas so she can have her very own garden- my ideas for it are to have a swan plant to attract the monarch butterflies, some beans and peas as she really likes them, some flowers which we are going to plant to form a letter A, some sunflowers and maybe some blueberries too.