Its time to plant our runner beans. TF and I have been quietly clearing a different area of the garden for them, this year. My boy loves digging, so a few hours spent with me and a huge array of garden tools – well it is his kind of day. I set up the frame work a few days ago.
Last year we made a round wigwam style bean house. The children loved it, but they found it too small. This year they requested one that could fit them all in at the same time. I set the frame up as a tent, not a tunnel. There is only one entrance.
We do plant a bean house each year, but the children still find it exciting when I describe how the runner beans will grow and create the walls of the bean house. A nature den. Just for them.
BL was jumping with joy at the idea that she will be able to sit in the bean house and pick the beans. She loves the idea of being like Jody in Jody’s beans. I’m glad it is bringing a book to life for my newly enthusiastic reader. (I’m jumping for joy now!)
So, they each planted their runner beans. I showed them how to work out the depth of planting for their beans. BL named her beans in honour of characters from her favourite Milly-Molly-Mandy books (M-M-M, Little friend Susan, Billy Blunt and Toby the dog).
They also created a little flower bed in front of their bean house and surrounded it with stones to protect it from feet. They took turns to sow aquilegia, cornflowers, bunny tail grass and love-in-the-mist. I hope it will look like a fireplace when they all come up. In the meantime, they collected sticks and created another fire pit on the other side of the entrance.
And just to prove that they can all fit in this year’s bean house, they kindly modelled it for me. I think they were more interested in a spider.
I have spare beans in pots hiding in the greenhouse, just in case any of these beans fail or end up as a snail meal.
Your garden is looking spectacular and it’s lovely your children are involved. It’s good for kids to know how their food is grown. I think ultimately they will be much more appreciative of what they have and have the satisfaction of knowing they helped grow something they are eating. They are gorgeous children.
Anne xx
I agree. It is much more meaningful to them to see their food grow. I’ve noticed that they will try anything that I give them from the garden. They are still a little bit more suspicious if it is processed or bought, but that is improving with age. They each have a row in my kitchen garden where they have planted salad bits that they like. Win-win!
This is what childhood is supposed to look like! Such beauty and imagination…
Blessings, Debbie
Its lovely to just stand back and listen to them. They may drive me mad at times, but activities like this make it all worth while.
I totally agree!
😀 After a challenging moment, today, I had to sneak round the corner and stamp my feet. Eldest caught me,which just made me laugh, as I must have looked funny!
How fun! Love your pictures! What a great idea to build a bean house – we’ll have to try that. We’re growing a sunflower house this year, with sunflowers planted in a square (middle of the square is empty) and morning glories beside them that will hopefully grow up the sunflowers then can be strung across the top to make a roof. We did it several years ago, and it worked well, but this year it’s been so dry the sunflowers are having a hard time making it. Hoping for rain this weekend.
I love the idea of a sunflower house. I’m now thinking where I could put one and am I too late! I hope you post some photos up.
I LOVE your bean house. Infact your post from last year inspired us to plant runner beans to make our own bean teepee this year. Sadly the slugs went mad, and have eaten all our new bean plants 🙁 But maybe we are not too late to start again.
I want a bean tent too!
Oh those slugs! 😯 What a shame. I’m sure that you still have time. Fingers crossed for your next bean tent!