The garden is a great place for people of all ages.
I think that it is important for children to become interested in the garden from an early age so that they will know something about flowers, insects and soil, even if their school and working lives leave them too busy in later years to take advantage of a garden.
An academic child will get precious little time to spend outside when he or she is in school and few adults in their twenties, thirties and forties can find the time.
Childhood memories of a garden will be useful then.
The first time many people get to spend time in the garden is in older age, when the kids have left home or even in retirement.
Again, pleasant childhood memories will come flooding back.
memories of a garden and friends and family and birds and pets.
So, get your kids out into the garden and give them something to be able to look back on when you are long gone.
On a brighter note, here are five of my top tips to help you get the most out of your garden.
Plenty Of Bottle: If your family likes asparagus, but finds it expensive, grow your own.
Dig a two foot deep trench and fill the bottom with old bottles.
Cover the bottles with a foot of compost and plant your asparagus crowns.
The roots of asparagus seem to like wrapping themselves around smooth glass and it keeps the roots well drained, which they like too.
If you are worried about not recycling the bottles, think about the asparagus and you can always put the bottles in the bank when you are done, if you want to.
A Staggering Crop: if you like broccoli and cauliflower, but cannot handle a bumper crop in one go, push a nail through the stalks of some of the plants.
The plants with the holes will be ready to eat earlier than those without.
If you do it properly, after a bit of practice, you can eat for a long time without being flooded with broccoli and cauliflower.
Topping Out: if you grow plants in pots especially indoors, fill the pots upto one inch ot two inches fromthe rim.
Then when you water the pants, the water will stay in the pots and slowly trickle down to the roots without running away and ruining your carpets or table tops.
New Plants: new plants can face a difficult 'childhood', so my tip is to plant them in over-sized pots with plenty of compost and keep them near your back door or where you regularly go.
That way, you will not forget to water them, you can prick out any grass or weeds that are competing and you will notice if it is becoming diseased.
You will have much more success this way.
Tight Support: cut stockings and tights diagonally into two inch strips and use as plant ties.
They are strong, yet elastic enough to allow movement and growth, should you forget to replace them for some time.