Having our allotment has made a huge difference to what vegetables our children will eat, especially the youngest, Aaron who is six. Before we started growing our own he would only eat carrots, broccoli and peas and to be on the safe side we ended up giving him a children’s multi-vitamin. He would instantly spot any unknown item on his plate no matter how clever I tried to be. Bribery (you can have pudding if you eat it...)and blackmail (if you don’t eat it then...) also failed.
I’m not saying that he will eat everything now, but mealtimes are so much more relaxed and I’m sure it’s all down to the allotment. He likes to try the different herbs, will pick beetroot leaves straight off the plant and eat them, and this year has grown his own radishes (and eaten them – which is more than the rest of the family has done!). Even spinach, chard and sprouts are now on the menu. Ok, so he still doesn’t like potatoes as he finds the texture makes him gag and raspberries are the only fruit that he really likes, but I think we are on a roll now. I have to confess that I’m not a huge fruit eater either and if raspberries are his chosen fruit then I don’t mind too much, especially as we have planted two huge lines of raspberries which will save me a fortune at the supermarket.
When we designed the layout of the raised beds we included two separate beds for the boys for them to grow whatever they wanted. At the moment, Aaron is growing the said radishes, mixed lettuce, beetroot, a marigold, cornflowers, calendula, some strawberry plants and a small patch of green manure. He also has the honour of having the last four leeks that we have left to flower in order to collect the seeds as an experiment. He really enjoys looking at what’s growing but more than that, for him being on the allotment has become a place to play and explore. At home he has a box of ‘treasures’ made up of pieces of broken pottery that he’s found in the soil. He likes to wander off with the shears (he hasn’t lost any fingers yet) and chop down nettles at the edges of the paths. And finding bugs is just the best.
You might have noticed that I haven’t said much about our oldest, Joseph who is eight. This is where the argument doesn’t stand up to scrutiny: he loves his fruit and veg but often the news that we are going over to the allotment is met with “Oh no!” I guess, you can’t win them all.
