5 Gardening Projects for the Winter
By now, you already know how gardening can be used to teach life lessons. You may have even read about it in my ’How to Reconnect with the Land (And Ensure Your Kids’ Survival)’ post last year. Gardening is a worthwhile activity, and it is something all Dads can do with their kids. With that in mind, here is a list of gardening projects for the winter so you can maximise the time you get to bond with your children.
Garden Planning
Image Credit: Pexels
You can spend the cold days and nights of winter planning your garden. Eat Well Spend Smart offers some easy-to-follow tips for this type of project. The only point to add here is to make your kids actively involved in this task. In this regard, you may help them identify plants that are easy to grow and take care of, such as the ones listed in ‘The Best Crops to Grow in Your Garden for Kids’.
Make aTower of Flowers
Image Credit – The Telegraph
This lovely tower of flowers idea from The Telegraph uses recycled materials, and can be an excellent display inside or outside the house. Simply gather your old tubs and casseroles dishes, some soil and compost, and lots of pretty plants, like pansies, silver lace fern, primroses, and narcissi. Put soil in each tub or casserole bowl and stack them up, from biggest to smallest. Then simply transfer the plants to the periphery of every layer. Your kids can help by transferring the soil and making the compost. They can even make it using the “weird” things previously outlined in my September 2017 article.
Create Your Own Bug Hotel
This Bug Hotel will give a home for loads of different insects – Image from Pintrest
Believe it or not, there are insects that can be beneficial to your garden, and they keep bad bugs under control. It would serve your garden well if you built a hideaway for these good insects. When spring comes, they will wake up, lay eggs, and get rid of aphids and mites that harm your plants. Interested yet? Good! Here’s how you can do it: Create a hollow, open box out of rot-resistant wood first. Then place bamboo pieces and stems (to attract bees), twigs (for ladybirds), and seed heads, pine cones, wood shavings, and lichen (for beetles, lacewings, and spiders) inside. Make sure they are packed tightly, but leave crevices big enough for bugs to stay inside.
Do Your Lawn Maintenance
Either a giant lawn mower or a tiny photographer – Image from Pexels
Grass Clippings are right when they say that lawn’s don’t hibernate in the winter, and that simply means they don’t stop growing. The rate of growth, though, decreases significantly, which is why you ought to keep in mind these recommendations: (1) mow less frequently and (2) raise the cutting height. Therefore, it is advised, too, that you get the appropriate equipment so you can accomplish this task correctly and not mow your lawn to an untimely death. Screwfix features a variety of lawnmowers ideal for different sized gardens. An important feature is the provision for adjustable cutting heights. This will allow you to mow your lawn at just the right height depending on the season. Now, it is not recommended that you ask your children to do this, but they can help by raking the leaves, and perhaps cheering you on.
Cover Your Plants
A simple polytunnel like this will shelter your plants from the worst of the winter weather – Image from Pintrest
House Beautiful compared plants to children, and that is true on so many levels. Both need to be taken care of and nurtured, with plants needing more protection during winter. And so, you and your kids can cover the plants in your garden using a variety of materials like fleece and straw. The way this works is that you make the wire netting base and let your children do the rest.
As the aforementioned activities prove, the chilling cold of winter doesn’t mean you and your kids can’t go outdoors and bond. You can, and you should. Because that’s what good Dads do.
