Gardening A-Z

Broad beans are one of my favourite veges to grow and, of course, eat.

Leeks aren’t the most immediately likeable of vegetables. They’re a little bit high maintenance when it comes to growing and they’re not quite as easy as carrots or potatoes on maturing tastebuds.

Everyone I know struggles to get their kids to eat healthily, and battles constant demands for sugary roll-ups and potato chips.

There’s just under a month to go until Halloween. But if you’re a parent, the thought of entertaining kids during the upcoming school holidays probably has you more scared.

Beetroot has always seemed an odd vegetable to me. Google beetroot recipes and it turns up in combination with a huge variety of other foods and in every type of meal you could think of.

It was a white couple of weeks towards the end of winter – with record snowfall from the top to the bottom of the country. Kids everywhere took advantage of closed schools and made the most of getting out and about in the snow – often in unexpected locations.

Are you desperate to get the kids off the couch these summer weekends and outside to play?

Are you searching for physically active, easy to manage and inexpensive alternatives to the Play Station, the constant cellphone texting or the perennial cries of “I’m bored”?

Why not enlist your children’s help in the garden and introduce them to a leisure activity that has both mental and physical benefits, and which could give them a lifetime of creative pleasure.

February is the month when parents all over the country breathe a collective sigh of relief – the kids are back at school.

The endless summer holidays of trying to keep the kids entertained and away from the TV and computer are over.

We’re all guilty of over-indulging at Christmas, whether it’s alcohol, food or spoiling the kids with mountains of presents.

But by getting the kids involved in growing their own vegetables for Christmas dinner you might just get them looking forward to something other than presents – and eating something other than sweets.

There’s no doubt the country's still experiencing an economic downturn and, with Christmas on the way, many Kiwis could get in over their heads buying presents.

So the best solution is to invest time and creativity not cash into gift giving this year.

Are you tired of the endless attempts to persuade your children to eat fruit?

Are you looking for a healthy snack that is almost guaranteed to appeal to the kids – and the whole family?  And that will be very affordable?

Why not enlist your children’s help in the garden and plant strawberries for the summer.