Grow & eat

Upcycle juice and milk cartons into funky planters that are the ideal size to sit on a kitchen windowsill. Fill with herbs such as oregano and basil to add to home-made pasta.

You will need:

Empty juice or milk carton Scissors Compost or soil Potted herb plants Water

Step 1

Cut a large rectangular hole in the side of the carton. (Younger children may need help.)

Step 2

Half-fill with compost. Remove one or two herbs from their pots and plant into the carton.

It’s easy to sprout seeds at home to add to salads or stir-frys, and it’s fun for kids to watch them grow in just a few days. Rinse a couple of spoonfuls of dried mung beans, place in a clean jar and cover with a few centimetres of water. Put a piece of clean cloth or mesh over the

Step 3

Fill in any gaps with compost and gently firm down to remove air pockets. Water lightly (taking care not to overwater as there are no drainage holes). Place on a windowsill, then simply snip off sprigs whenever needed. opening, secured with a rubber band, then leave the beans to soak for 12 hours. After that, rinse them several times a day, keeping them moist but not sitting in water. Invert or prop the jar at an angle in a bowl, so the water drains out. You’ll have tasty beansprouts in no time!

Kids love pizza! So growing fresh, tasty toppings for their own pizza is a great way to get them into gardening. Everything from tomatoes to courgettes and oregano can be grown in pots, or if you have room, why not create a circular bed with every pizzawedge of soil growing a different topping?

Buy small plants or grow favourite toppings from seed. Encourage them to consider how the different colours, scents and tastes will look together, like bright red tomatoes next to bold purple basil.

Choose a mixture of:

Tomatoes Basil Courgettes

Sweet peppers Oregano Rocket

A ‘pup’ is the name given to a baby plant that many succulents produce around the base of older plants. Slice these carefully away from the mother plant once they have produced roots, then plant into small pots of compost with added grit. Water initially and then only when the compost feels dry and you’ll soon have a little family of mini plants.

Growing edibles is one of the best ways to get kids interested in gardening and food, from simple sprouted seeds to their own veg bed Kids can use the wheel above to plan their pizza garden by colouring in each section with their chosen plant or seed