Collaborative post.
If you are pondering when to mow the lawn for the first time this year, only to look outside and be greeted by a jungle like back garden, the idea of making it fit for purpose this summer could leave you suffering heart palpitations. Over winter every garden gets a tad overgrown. If yours is more triffid like, the chances are that you will need to commit to a couple of weekends of hard graft, or you could get a team in to clear it for you. However you choose to return to your green blank canvas, you need to get it in this state before attempting to make your garden ready for family life.
Gardening itself is a fantastic way of getting the family outdoors and spending quality time together. Having a rear garden space to enjoy is something of a luxury and you should be utilising your outside space at every opportunity. Take a look at these sure fire ways of making gardening a family affair.
The Barbecue
There’s nothing better than checking the weather forecast only to notice a block of three days of blazing sunshine. This is perfect barbecue weather and a great opportunity to invite family and friends over for a get together. Having the garden furniture out ready, laying the table, lighting the barbecue and getting out the food is an easy way to make the kids step away from their Facebook screens and Xboxes for a little while. You could even get the kids to help with the food preparation, set up some games for younger members of the family, and sort out the table. Quality family time, especially with our extended relations can be hard to come by, so use the good weather and your garden as the perfect excuse to have fun.
Vegetables
If you’ve never thought about growing your own fruit and vegetables before, but you have the space in your back garden, now might be the ideal time to start. Every child tends to spend some time at school tending to the fruit and veg patch and the chances are your little darling may come home asking why you don’t sow potatoes and harvest onions at home. They probably have a point.
Growing your own vegetables can be fun, it’s educational, and it’s a great way to spend some quiet, focused time with your little cherubs. You can even get them excited about cooking with the produce they have grown. Perhaps they fancy trying out a veggie soup, cooking a lasagne or making a salad. The possibilities are endless. While spending time with your kids, you are also becoming more self sufficient and saving a bit of money on your grocery bills.
Zone Your Garden
If your garden has previously been brick paving, a patch of gravel and some border plants, this isn’t conducive to family living. Instead, zone off an area of the garden just for your kids. This could be a patch of lawn where they can kick a ball around, it can be a sand pit area for younger ones, or it can be a little den for your teenagers. Every child likes having their own space so make the effort to create one in the garden.
Gardening can be a fun family affair if you get it right. Try out these three sure fire tactics to facilitate some quality family time in your outside space.
