Now is a great time to get ideas together for the coming year in the garden. A fun way to do this is to include the whole family, as they can all benefit from the time spent in the garden. A family garden doesn't have to be just a lawn or a play area.

An enjoyable way to get the ball rolling is to get some seeds and sow them into pots or trays. This is starting in a small scale and can be easily added to. Seeds that produce flowers create colourful interest in the garden, but seeds for fruit and veg add more interest as they can be eaten. Nurturing a seed from the ground to the dinner plate is satisfying, as the process can be watched all of the way. It can also help to encourage kids to eat more fruit and veg. There are many benefits from growing your own, apart from the eating of tasty produce. Growing plants outside helps to give kids an understanding of their environment. They can see how plants are affected by the sun, rain, temperature and the soil. Another interesting thing that comes to a garden by adding more plants is wildlife. Lots of different types of bugs, insects and birds find there way to a garden when more plants are around. Many of these can be easily seen by kids, helping them to understand there role in a garden environment and not just as creepy crawly pests.

Overall, there is nothing to lose by growing a small patch of new plants. Kids could be given a section of a garden, helping them to be responsible for something. It also gets them into the outdoors, away from TV. Gardening with kids means that the whole family can get together and share an activity.