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Soil Association: A gardener can also be a teacher
03/06/09
A spokesperson for environmental charity the Soil Association has suggested gardening is a good way to help children grow because it teaches them about nature.The organisation's Clio Turton said a garden or allotment is a great way for kids to learn about being environmentally-conscious and growing their own produce.
She said: "If kids are growing their own, they are more likely to try vegetables and fruits and be excited by it rather than seeing eating greens as a chore.
"It's a real educational thing."
Her comments come as new research from insurance firm LV= revealed a total of 83,000 people are currently on the waiting list for allotments - showing the increasing attraction of having an outdoor space.
The study found the typical waiting period is around three years, but budding gardeners in Camden could be waiting much longer.
Camden, Northumberland's Blythe Valley and Islington have been highlighted as areas where there is a particular problem in terms of accessing an allotment, with home owners there having to clock watch for 40, 30 and 25 years respectively before they can get their hands dirty.
By which time, their children may have grown up and got their own house with a garden.
