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Q
I'd like to spend more time in the garden
with my children this year. Can you suggest some
fun, easy garden projects to do with young kids?
Andrea Bellamy answers: Even toddlers can
"help" dig planting holes or turn the compost
pile — a great way to explore the world of insects
and earthworms. Many children take great interest in growing vegetables and even trying the
foods they help grow. Look for colourful or
unusual varieties of edibles such as purple beans
or golf-ball-shaped carrots. You can also plant
seeds in the shape of your child's first initial or
other simple shape. (Try radish for near-instant
gratification. They germinate in three to 10 days
and can be harvested within a month.) Or, grow
your own beanstalk. Scarlet runner beans are as
tasty as they are pretty and their quick-growing
vines can create a living teepee or green a playhouse wall. ■
See SOURCES on page 60
June 2013 BC HOME & garden | 57
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