By Carole Levy
One of the bonuses of home time during COVID-19, writes Carole Levy, was being able to spend more time with the kids; conversely, one of the downsides was having to spend more time with the kids. Right?
It wasn’t their constant presence so much; it was more how to entertain them without resorting to full-on screen time. One thing many parents turned to was gardening, taking the time to teach kids about how to grow things, and to show how getting into soil is not only uplifting, but productive and joyful.
Autumn is a fab time for gardening, with kinder weather but still plenty of sun to see things grow. At this time of year, thoughts turn to planting winter crops for abundant picking come spring and summer, but with the exception of lettuces, or radishes (able to be harvested within three weeks), – kid-friendly quick results are slim pickings.
However, there are plenty of ideas for kids to be into quick-turnaround gardening indoors. Here are a few:
MUSHIES IN A JAR
Place used coffee grounds (from one bag) into the bottom of a jar, break up a mushroom and sprinkle on top of grounds. Seal jar with baking paper beneath a screw-top lid. Mushies will grow within 30 days.
CARROTS ON A TRAY
Cut tops (with crown intact) off carrots, lay in a tray of shallow water (2mm deep), cut side down. Leave for four-five days and they’ll sprout fronds to about 10cm. Ready to be planted in the garden.
SWEET CORN IN A PLASTIC CONTAINER
Save water from rice cooking, add to a container. Place an old corn cob into the water (late June/early July), leave for 30-50 days in a sunny spot and it will sprout about 10cm. Ready then to plant out in August/September for a summer crop.
BEAN SPROUTS IN A JAR
Place a handful of mung beans into a jar of water. Cover with cheesecloth, fix with a rubber band. Mung bean sprouts will be ready to harvest in two-three days.
