Katherine Halligan Grace Easton
For Grace and Rose, my busy little bees
K. H.
For the ladies of Balmoral,
Auntie
Mimi and Auntie Angie
G. E.
First published 2019 by Nosy Crow Ltd The Crow’s Nest, 14 Baden Place, Crosby Row, London, SE1 1YW www.nosycrow.com
ISBN 978 1 78800 404 6
‘The National Trust’ and the oak leaf logo are registered trademarks of The National Trust (Enterprises) Limited (a subsidiary of The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, Registered Charity Number 205846).
Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd.
Text © Katherine Halligan 2019 Illustrations © Grace Easton 2019
The right of Katherine Halligan to be identifed as the author and Grace Easton to be identifed as the illustrator of this work has been asserted.
All rights reserved.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of Nosy Crow Ltd.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Printed in China.
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1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Introduction
Sprouting Baby Beans
Magic Garden Fun
Garden Adventurer
Small Space, Big Fun!
Give Your Garden Wings
Bug Spotter's Guide
Healthy Plants, Healthy You!
Yummy Garden
Messy Mud Kitchen!
Clever Compost
Little Acorns and Mighty Oaks
Wonderful Wild Flowers
Page 6 Page 8
Page 10 Page 12
Page 14 Page 16
Page 17
Page 18 Page 20
Page 22 Page 23
Page 24 Page 26
Making Memories Page 27
Great Garden Gear!
Staying Safe!
Top Tips for Grown-Ups
Page 28 Page 30 Page 29
Introduction
Do you love the outdoors? Do you like to dig in the dirt and get messy? Then you’re a gardener!
If you want to learn more about what to plant, how to plant it and how to care for it, then this is the book for you!
All you need is a grown-up helper, a few tools, some seeds . . . and a lot of imagination!
Ready . . . steady . . .
radishes
Top Ten Plants for Little Gardeners Top Ten Useful Gardening Words
Other great, easy-to-grow plants for little gardeners are herbs, potatoes, cress, courgettes, dafodils, sweet peas and marigolds. Fast, fun garden friends!
soil the top layer of earth where plants grow
pollen
seedlings very young plants grown from seeds
compost
a mixture of rotted-down plants that helps to make garden soil better
mulch
stuf spread on the ground to protect plants and stop weeds growing
yellow dust made by a plant that is carried to other plants to make new seeds sow to plant seeds
harvest to gather plants for eating
sprout to grow
drainage
moist a bit wet
letting water flow away from something
lettuces
peas
tomatoes
berries
carrots
pumpkins sunflowers
nasturtiums hollyhocks
Sprouting Baby Beans
Every seed has a whole plant inside it, just waiting to sprout. Planting seeds is great fun . . . and it’s completely magical watching those first shoots uncurl!
To sprout your baby broad beans, you will need:
• 3-4 broad beans
• kitchen roll or cotton wool balls
• a clear plastic cup or a clean glass jar
• a clean spray bottle of water
1
Soak the broad beans overnight in water. Scrunch the kitchen roll or cotton wool balls down into your cup or jar.
2
Tuck your broad beans inside. Spray until very damp, then put the cup or jar on a sunny windowsill.
Check your baby beans every day. Keep the kitchen roll or cotton wool moist, but don’t let water sit in the bottom of the jar.
After 1-2 weeks, the beans will sprout. Roots will start to push down, and leaves will start to pop up. Bravo, baby beans!
The world’s biggest seed is the coco de mer. It can weigh up to 25 kilograms — about as much as a six-year-old child!
25kg
Most seeds need to be kept warm and moist so they can sprout. If you’re planting seeds in soil, stick your finger down into the soil to check it’s not too dry . . . but don’t water your seeds too much either, or they won’t grow!
Magic Garden Fun
Most gardens are big, but some gardens are tiny, and can even be grown indoors. You can make yours extra special . . . with a bit of magic!
First, decorate your pot. When dry, scoop in soil until the pot is three-quarters full.
Scatter grass seed over the top, spray with water . . . then sprinkle with magic!
To make a magic garden, you will need:
• grass seed
• a small plastic pot with holes in the bottom
• potting soil
• an old cup, spoon or scoop
• things to decorate your pot such as stickers, paper, fabric, paint, ribbons or sequins
• glue or tape and scissors
• cocktail sticks
• small plastic toys: fairies, dragons . . . whatever you fancy!
• a sprinkle of magic
Once your grass has started to grow, add some creatures to your magic garden. You can use your favourite tiny toys, or make your own out of paper and tape them to cocktail sticks.
Water your magic garden every day. If the grass gets too long and floppy, just give it a little haircut with some children’s scissors.
You could also make a magic garden in your grown-up’s garden. Acorn shells make tiny teacups for fairy friends, and pine cones are perfect pillows for dragon dens.
Magic gardens are a perfect project for Easter. You can hide mini chocolate eggs in them and give a garden gift to your friends or family!
