Gardening with Monkey

Gardening with Monkey – veggies and flowers #HDYGG

We decided to have a home day on Bank Holiday Monday, we’d had a busy day on Sunday at Polesden Lacey (more on that soon) and Monkey had a swimming lesson in the afternoon.  The sun was out, it was a perfect excuse to do some gardening with Monkey. We press ganged Daddy P into sorting out our veg patch for us.  A bit of brut force was needed to get rid of some rather stubborn roots.

Gardening with Monkey

Then Monkey could begin.  This year we are only growing what Monkey has decided to grow.  He’s picked things that he loves to eat, and was so excited to get started.  I don’t remember being this excited as a child in the garden.  But then I don’t think my brother and I were given any free rein on the planting side of things.  I do remember digging up potatoes and picking raspberries and gooseberries and the like.  But no involvement in the beginning, the start of the process.  Gardening with Monkey is all about teaching him to be patient, to be gentle, teaching him where food comes from.

Gardening with Monkey

Gardening with Monkey

Teaching him to listen and follow instructions – hard lessons for him to learn!  We may not have thinly scattered seeds, they may not have totally ended up in the right rows.  But they are his rows, it’s his little bit of the garden.

Gardening with Monkey

Gardening with Monkey

Gardening with Monkey is really good fun.  He wants to learn and understand.  He even wants to water the seeds in.

Gardening with Monkey

But actually for me, the nicest thing about Monday, gardening with Monkey, was when I wasn’t involved.  I sat back and watched Monkey and Daddy P planting some new flowers. Monkey decided where he wanted each plant to go, and then the two of them set to work.

With each month that passes I see how desperate Monkey is to grab every possible minute with his Daddy.  Sundays are by far his favourite day of the week normally.  A Bank Holiday Monday means Daddy bonus day, a rare treat for a 4 year old boy.  Daddy P comes from a long line of greengrocers and florists.  I sat back and watched and wondered. Were there eyes looking down from above and smiling at the next generation?  Something in the genes perhaps?  Who knows, but gardening with Monkey on Monday was a magical moment.

26 thoughts on “Gardening with Monkey – veggies and flowers #HDYGG

  1. It’s great seeing little ones help in the garden, I love how much pride they have when their seeds start growing. I hope he gets some good vegetables from his efforts. Love your little insect house.

  2. Oh bless! I love the enthusiasm and excitement he has, Kitty is just starting to ask if we can go and garden after school now and it’s so nice to have something that we both enjoy doing and can do together.
    Thank you so much for sharing – it’s so good to read about children with a love for the garden x

  3. that is just the perfect thing to do, i love it i hope he enjoys watching them grow and eating his produce too

  4. Awww I want my son to know how therapeutic (for us adults) & fun (for kids) it is to do gardening but alas we dont have any space & we are renting. Your garden is so nice! Enough space for him to discover how plants & flowers grow =) #HDYGG

  5. This post really made me smile. I admire you helping him to learn where food comes from and I think it’s great he’s enjoying it!

  6. Such a lovely thing to encourage in children… I remember growing nasturtiums at a similar age, I thought they were just amazing! 😀

  7. I love spending time with my boy in the garden. The best days are the ones where he runs home to pick and eat the strawberry’s before I can get to them!

  8. I’m excited for him and his first garden! I’m sure there will be little plants popping up soon unless the cat likes to dig… I see someone peeking out from under the bushes:-)

  9. It’s so lovely to see him so excited about planting his garden, what a lovely experience and wonderful skills to learn x Gorgeous photos of your garden and of Monkey working hard x #HDYGG

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