In 2013 Neil Grant, Ferndale Garden Centre’s managing director, started a one site event called National Children’s Gardening Week, a week where a child could pretty much anywhere in the UK could be given a tomato plant and they could grow it successfully in a pot in a sunny spot.
That week fits neatly into the spring half term, what we used to call Whit Week.
In the first year, through contacts and a bit of trade publicity, 20 or so garden centres joined in. This year over 300 garden centres and also more associated businesses are offering activities for children.
National Children’s Gardening Week is now promoted by the Horticultural Trades Association, sponsored by National Garden Gift Vouchers and is raising funds for Greenfinger Charity which build amazing gardens for children’s hospices all over the country.
National Children’s Gardening Week 2018 is between Saturday 26th May and Sunday 3rd June.
Children’s Gardening Week At Ferndale in 2018
Help Support Greenfingers Charity with our SPECIAL Greenfingers Cup Cakes
Free daily colouring, treasure hunt and seed sowing.
Seed sowing:
Pick Fresh Peas all Summer
- Fill the pot with compost & level it off.
- Make two holes with a finger up to 2 knuckles.
- Drop a pea seed into each one.
- Cover them up with compost.
- Choose a character to stick on to your pot.
When you get home:
- Water the compost.
- Put it into a clear polythene bag.
- Stand it on a sunny window sill.
- Check it daily for the new shoots.
- Take out of the bag once the shoots are through.
- Once the plants are 10cm tall cut the top leaf off.
- Plant in the garden in a sunny spot with some sticks for them to grow up.
When to pick:
- Your plants will start producing in 3 or so weeks.
- You can pick the peas as ‘mange tout’ or as pods full of peas.
- Keep pick so that more flowers form all Summer.
Grow your own Pop Corn
- Fill the pot with compost & level it off.
- Make two holes with a finger up to 2 knuckles.
- Drop a Pop Corn seed into each one.
- Cover them up with compost.
- Choose a character to stick on to
Your pot.
When you get home:
- Water the compost.
- Put it into a clear polythene bag.
- Stand it on a sunny window sill.
- Check it daily for the new shoots.
- Take out of the bag once the shoots are through.
- Once the plants are 15cm tall plant in the garden in a sunny spot.
Making your Pop Corn:
- Leave the Pop Corn plants to grow as long as possible. Picking them may be
as late as early October. - The cob should be placed on a sunny windowsill until the kernels are completely
dry. - Remove the husk and microwave until the kernels pop.