Get Your Kids Gardening: Expert Tips on How to Make the Most of Your Garden

Many guardians are getting children into gardening to enjoy a hands-on activity which can help them develop various skills while learning healthy eating habits and understanding how plants grow.

With this in mind, Savoy Stewart has offered some tips on the best foods to grow in your garden throughout the year on a budget. Petar Ivanov, a Gardening and Plant Expert from Fantastic Gardeners, also offers expert tips.

The best produce to grow on a budget

Leafy greens and herbs

Produce such as Lettuce is relatively simple for you to grow and can provide a year-round harvest. They often do not require expensive fertilisers to thrive. Investing in all-year-round lettuce seeds may help to save you money in the long run.

Spinach and Kale are also simple options to grow at home, preferring nitrogen-rich soil and can thrive in cooler weather too, meaning they can be harvested all year round.

These crops can provide both mini salad leaves and tasty greens for cooking. Alternatively, you can add these to smoothies for extra nutrients. They are particularly valuable in winter, providing fresh leaves in even the colder weather.

Alongside your leafy green crops, growing herbs at home is easy and rewarding. Petar Ivanov comments: “Many herbs can be grown on a budget and add wonderful flavours to any meal. My favourites include basil, parsley, cilantro, and mint, which can be grown from seeds or cuttings. They often don’t require a lot of space and can even be grown in pots on a windowsill.”

Tomatoes 

Tomatoes are a fairly budget-friendly food to grow yourself. Plenty of affordable varieties such as cherry tomatoes, grow best in full sun and particularly well in a greenhouse. Naturally, they do need some care and attention to grow well, such as protection from frost and regular watering, but they will be well worth the effort when you can reap the benefits of your fresh home-grown tomatoes all summer long.

Petar Ivanov says: “Cherry tomatoes are plentiful, easily grown and well-suited for small spaces. Growing them from seeds or small starter plants can be more cost-effective than buying mature plants.”

Radishes 

Radishes are perfect if you don’t have much space or need to fill a small area on a veg plot, as they can grow very easily in small spaces. Radishes can be planted from seeds and ready to enjoy in as little as four weeks.

Petar Ivanov states: “Radishes are an excellent vegetable to grow for budget situations. These root vegetables are quick to grow and are also perfect for beginners. They mature quickly, can be sown directly into the soil, and are great for intercropping with slower-growing plants.”

Beans

Besides fruits, vegetables and greens, why not consider growing beans if you’re looking for budget-friendly options? Varieties like bush beans and pole beans are very productive and can be grown easily from seeds.

Peter Ivanov comments: “These plants fix nitrogen in the soil by forming a relationship with the bacteria in it, which can improve its fertility for other plants. They will certainly add more to your garden than they’ll take. Their seeds can be preserved easily through drying or canning them and won’t take up much space in the garden and in a storage room. Because they grow vertically, you can fit many of them in a smaller area.”

Peter Ivanov also offers tips on budget-friendly gardening: “To keep your budget on the lower side, consider starting your plants from seeds, saving seeds from your harvest for the next season, making your own compost, and using organic and environmentally-friendly pest control methods. Many easy DIY tricks and hacks for gardening things, such as potty mix, building a trellis and container gardening online, can help you stay on budget.

“Consider also what you will eat, how much of it, and if you’ll have time to take care of everything before you choose properly. Many people tend to go overboard and plant as much produce as they can fit into their space, with much of it going to waste.”

The best seasonal foods to grow in your garden

Spring

Leafy greens, peas and radishes are all perfect for planting in springtime. Varieties of greens such as lettuce, spinach, rocket and Swiss chard are cool-seasoned and can thrive in the milder temperatures of spring before the heat of summer arrives.

Peter Ivanov says: “Peas enjoy the cooler temperatures of spring, and they can be grown on trellises and provide sweet, tender pods. Radishes quickly grow and can be sown directly into the ground in early spring for an early harvest.”

Summer

In the summer, plant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and squash. Both hot and sweet peppers also flourish in the heat of summer, but it is recommended to start them indoors a few weeks before the last frost and transplant them outside when temperatures are consistently warm.

Cucumbers also thrive in the heat and can be grown vertically on trellises to save space, while courgette and squash are fast-growing plants that produce abundantly in the summer months. Harvest them for the best flavour and texture when they’re still young.

Autumn

Autumn is the perfect season for planting hardy root vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes all prefer cooler temperatures, too, as this help to enhance their flavours, and they can be left in the ground longer without worrying about them bolting.

Peter Ivanov comments: “Broccoli and cauliflower crops can be planted in late summer for an autumn harvest because they appreciate cooler temperatures and can withstand light frost. Brussels sprouts take slightly longer to mature, making them a great selection for planting in late spring or early summer for a fall harvest.”

Winter

As the seasons change again to the winter months, you should begin to think about planting garlic, kale and lettuce.

Planting garlic during this time will help it produce bulbs the following summer, and the cold period will help it develop the right cloves. Secondly, Kale is incredibly hardy and can withstand frost and even snow; its flavour improves with cold temperatures. Surprisingly, some lettuce varieties can also tolerate colder temperatures making them suitable for winter gardening in milder climates.