Starting a home veggie garden in Queensland

So this is not travel related but it is a kid friendly activity you can do at home. There is nothing more rewarding as a family then eating home grown vegetables. They taste better, they look more interesting and you feel a sense of pride for having nursed little seedlings into the big delicious purpose filled food. Furthermore not only is it a sustainable way of living, it is great fun for kids! They will love pulling out the carrots, picking off the strawberries and its a really good way to encourage healthy eating in picky toddlers.

Every day we go out and we pick our crops, water them, plant seeds, pinch out tomatoes, add to the compost heap and snack on strawberries as they become ripe. It is part of our daily routine that the kids have grown to relish in. No matter how little space you have, there is always the ability to try and grow something. That may be potatoes in containers, herbs in a window sill or even a food forest if your yard allows for it. We have a decent sized block so we do a mixture of garden beds, containers and herb boxes. We live in Brisbane so our climate is described as the sub-tropics. An absolute ideal climate for growing a lot of different crops. So why grow food?

It gives the kids a daily activity It tastes delicious It is organic non pesticide so healthier It saves money It is helpful if you forget something at the supermarket It teaches kids to appreciate where food actually comes from It exposes kids to different flavors It encourages fussy eaters to try new things So what do we grow on our property? Tomatoes- My daughter picks these daily and snacks on them in the garden like they are berries. Beans- Same as above despite me trying to gather them for a meal Sweet potatoes- We eat a lot of sweet potatoes and they grow all year round in Brisbane! In summer the leaves go crazy and you can use them in salads in place of expensive spinach. Oh and the kids absolutely LOVE rummaging through the dirt to find them!

Potatoes- Fast growing once they sprout Eggplant- I'm still learning to like eggplant but this is by far our most productive crop Strawberries- This is our first season but they are growing like crazy and the kids go out every day to collect them/eat them all on the spot. Cucumbers- We have grown both continental and lebanese, had an amazing crop and then the cold weather set in. Onions - Easy! And i eat so many of them it was a vital part of our garden Garlic- This one requires patience but as something else i use a lot of it was neccessary. Also doesn't take up much space. Ginger- My favourite to grow, it is so easy and takes almost no space. Passionfruit- We still have a baby vine so hoping to see the rewards next year. Carrots- Ill admit this one seems pointless, a lot of work for something you can buy in a bag for $1...but they do taste better, come out in cool funny shapes and the kids love pulling them so they earn their keep. Zucchini (well we attempt to but for some reason it has been an epic fail every time) Pumpkin- These vines go crazy so we let it go nuts out in a 'forest' section of our yard. It tasted great though! Capsicum (another failed attempt) We are trying again this spring and have a few baby plants on their way.