I am becoming more and more aware of Lucas living in such an on demand world. When we were younger we watched what was on TV, there wasn’t the choice of what we wanted, it was what was on at the time. Lucas knows that whatever programme he wants to watch, he can do, he can get it on catch up or from a previously recorded episode. He can even watch one on TV whilst having something else on the iPad.
When we run out of something in the fridge or cupboard, there’s no having to wait because he can just go to the shop. Shops are now open 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week. Even Christmas Day, our local garage will be open. I don’t think Lucas will have any concept how any of the fruit and veg in the shop originally began, as far as he knows, they are always nicely packed up on a shelf for him to pick. I want him to be aware of were his food comes from and understand it to hopefully pick healthier choices in the future.
A fab way of starting this I thought would be to start growing our own food. I don’t have a huge garden but we could grow herbs on the kitchen window sill and there’s no reason why I couldn’t have a fruit tree in the garden. He could then understand how long it takes for the fruit to grow and pick it himself and have truly fresh fruit, not fruit that was picked and packed and transported for miles. We could also have small fruit and vegetable patches, my Auntie successfully grows tomatoes, courgettes, cucumber and strawberries. Alice from Living with a Jude has been growing onions and brussel sprouts with her little ones.
Trees that can grow well even in the UK climate are apple trees, plum trees, pear trees, mulberry trees and even apricot trees which I originally imagined to grow in hot countries. When deciding on what tree, think about space as to which variety you get. If space is an issue, look at the dwarf apple trees that can be planted in pots if necessary.
My Grandparents live on a farm and in their field they have apple and pear trees so I think I would go with a plum tree then Lucas can learn about the three trees separately and see the differences in growth time, maintenance and taste when they are ready.
The Victoria plum is also a good option for us as it a self-fertile plum that produces bumper crops of juicy fruits. I remember going to a house across the road from us when we were smaller and buying plums from them as they had plum trees in their garden. I still refer to it as the plum tree house. Although we want these fruits, as they do produce such a crop, the branches can sometimes snap under the weight so it would be wise to prop the branches up to avoid damaging them. Helena from The Queen of Collage has also written about picking plums with her daughter.
When first planting the tree into the ground, it’s important to not damage the root system. To ensure it doesn’t get damaged the hole should be as deep as the roots and at least three times wider than the root system. Once it is in, give it a good water and monitor the development. Consider fertilising it a season after planting and adjusting any tree ties or stakes. As much as I love wildlife in the garden, you might need to get some tree guards to protect your tree x
I wish I was more green fingered! Living in the city we have quite a small garden with a few flower beds but I’d love to plant things like a tree! x
This post has made me really excited for our house move. We are moving house in January and for the first time since moving to Jersey, we will have a garden. It has fruit trees too and I can’t wait to grow some herbs. Some fantastic tips here that I will be applying 🙂
I can’t wait to have a garden so I can plant tree’s and my own veggies x
This is very true, luckily my Dad used to love his garden and my Daughter was always out helping him plant vegetables and pick fruit from the trees.
One thing I love about living in Germany is that all the shops are closed on Sundays so it feels like life properly slows down at least at some point during the week. The only thing places open are farmshops, which often have gardening centres so it’s great for getting outside and down with nature. Much more healthy than shopping as well.
I am utterly useless when it comes to gardening but I did buy an apple tree for Gaz on our wedding anniversary, fruit and flowers. I’d love to plant more though!
Ohh! I love this so much! You really can’t beat home-grown produce, and what a great way to teach your little one about where food comes from! 🙂 I have several apple trees in my garden, as well as a pear tree and a cherry tree – but sadly our plum tree died! xx
How nice would it be to have room for a tree in your garden, I have to admit I don’t have the greenest of fingers but I do like being in my garden.
I am not a gardener at all but trees in the garden do make it so much more lovelier x
My husband went through a phase of tree planting in our garden. We should have a nice little forest going on in, say, twenty years, lol!
We have an apple tree in our garden and the kids love watching them grow from blossom to picking them as large apples
We had an apple and pear tree in our garden as a kid but never actually ate the fruit of it. I would love to be able to grow more of our own food!
This is such a beautiful idea, I would love to plant a tree in my garden one day! It’s such a nice thing to do and I find gardening very theraputic. I would love to grow an apple tree.
I would love to have a garden and grow my own fruits and vegetables. One of my wishes is to get a lemon tree, but without a balcony, it won’t survive. I have tried growing herbs but they all died. I don’t think I am good at gardening. 🙂
Oh I never thought to plant a tree! I have a garden but it only last so long if I can keep my dog away from it. I need to get a tree this year!
Oh I love this. I really want to get planting more with the kids. It’s so sad that they live in a world that’s so fast that we’re losing this important link.
So lovely to plant trees in your garden, particularly fruit trees. When I was younger we grew all kinds of wonderful things, so I grew up knowing how to grow stuff, how to pick it, prep it and even store it. Quite frightening when you think about how convenient things have become.
We used to have a massive tree in our garden but we had to get rid of it – would love ot plant some one day!
This is so helpful, because planting a tree in our garden has been a wee dream off mine. There’s something about being able to pick your own apples that excites me!
it’s my dream to have a garden and plant my own trees one day :))
I really love gardening. This is such an amazing post.