I'm a gardening expert and here's five ways to get your kids outdoors and interested

Spring is the perfect time to introduce children to gardening. As the weather warms and nature bursts into life, it's a great opportunity to get outside together as a family, whether that's with your children or grandchildren.

So here are some fun ways to inspire young gardeners this Easter.

Having their own space in the garden gives children a sense of ownership and sparks creativity. Whether it's a small patch, a container, or even a window box, they'll love planting and watching things grow. Even growing cress in egg cups is a fantastic way for them to see almost instant results.

Let them personalise their area with painted signposts or a colourful fence. Browsing a gardening catalogue or picking seeds at a garden centre helps build excitement. Child-sized tools make the experience even more enjoyable.

Taking before and after photos or creating a gardening scrapbook helps them see their progress and keeps them engaged throughout the seasons.

Plants that appeal to different senses make gardening even more fun. Lemon verbena smells like sherbet, while Cosmos flowers have a chocolate scent. Bergenia leaves feel leathery, and Stachys byzantina is as soft as a lamb's ear. Chocolate mint is another favourite, with leaves that smell just like chocolate creams.

Encouraging children to explore plants by touch and smell helps them interactively connect with nature.

Growing fruit and vegetables is always a hit with kids. Watching fruit ripen and picking their own produce makes the experience even more rewarding.

Thornless raspberry and blackberry varieties are safe for little ones, and if space is tight, a "potager" style blends crops with flowers and herbs for a colourful, productive garden. 'Primocane' varieties like 'Polka' raspberries and 'Reuben' blackberries will fruit in their first year.

Unusual colours make growing food extra fun - try 'Deep Purple' carrots, 'Sungold' tomatoes, or 'Pink Sapphire' blueberries. Many garden centres now stock a wide range of quirky varieties to explore.

Find out more about growing berries and currants at my YouTube channel .

For crafty kids, gardening provides plenty of opportunities to get creative. Painting stones as plant labels or decorating terracotta pots with funny faces adds a personal touch. The plants growing inside will look like wild hairdos.

Build a bug hotel using bamboo canes, pine cones, and cardboard to attract pollinators and pest-eating insects. Making bird fat balls together is another great way to bring wildlife into the garden.

Younger children will also love a "mud kitchen" - a simple set-up with old pots and utensils. Pressing flowers for cards or using a magnifying glass to spot minibeasts adds even more fun.

So this Easter, take the opportunity to get outside, grow something, and create lasting family memories in the garden.

1. Sow French marigolds in April for vibrant summer colour and natural pest control.

Start seeds indoors or sow directly into well-drained soil after frost risk passes. Keep in a sunny spot and water regularly.

Their strong scent deters whiteflies, making them ideal for companion planting in greenhouses and vegetable beds.

2. Check currants and gooseberries in spring for sawfly grubs, which strip leaves quickly. Inspect the undersides of leaves and hand-pick grubs early. Encourage predators like birds and use nematodes if needed to deter them.

Regular monitoring prevents severe infestations and ensures a healthy fruit harvest.

3. Plant pond marginals in April for strong establishment. Choose plants like marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) and pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata).

Position in shallow water or damp margins using aquatic baskets with loamy soil.

These plants provide habitat, improve water quality, and add seasonal colour to your pond.

To find out more about each of these plants, check out my plant profiles on YouTube

4. Harden off young plants in April to prepare them for outdoor conditions.

Gradually introduce tender plants like tomatoes, courgettes, and dahlias to cooler temperatures over seven to 10 days.

Start with a sheltered, shady spot, increasing sun and wind exposure daily. This strengthens growth, preventing transplant shock and ensuring healthier plants.

5. Sow beetroot seeds in April as the soil warms.

Direct sow in well-drained, fertile soil, spacing seeds 10cm apart in rows. Thin seedlings once they appear for proper root development. Keep soil moist for even growth.

Varieties like 'Boltardy' resist bolting, ensuring a steady summer harvest of sweet, tender roots.

This medium to large evergreen shrub starts producing stunning blooms from this month onward in UK gardens. Big flowerers, their displays can last from April through to May, adding consistent interest through spring and summer.

Plus, as evergreens, their glossy leaves offer interest through the autumn and winter months too. f you don't have a rhododendron but want to add one to your garden, April is the last month to plant them until September. The most essential element to consider when growing rhododendrons is their preference for acidic soil. They require a pH of between five and six, and you can use a soil-testing kit to check if your soil is suitable.

Don't worry if not - you can either treat your soil to make it more acidic or grow your rhododendrons in containers with peat-free ericaceous compost. Also, ensure you water them with rainwater rather than tap water, which is slightly alkaline. However, if rainwater is not available, tap water will be suitable during dry periods.

The genus name of daffodils, 'Narcissus', has an interesting origin in Greek mythology. The myth of Narcissus follows a man who falls in love with his reflection in a pool of water. The nodding head of daffodils is thought to represent this.

Have you ever wondered why some orchids are sold in clear pots? It's because their roots photosynthesise. Keeping the roots exposed to sunlight is very good for the plant, allowing them to provide energy to these lovely blooms.

Ears of corn are surprisingly quite systematic. Each has an average of 800 kernels in 16 rows each. What's even more interesting is corn ears almost always have an even number of rows. This is because of the way cell division occurs in corn, meaning the kernels grow in pairs.

Drusus Julius Caesar, the son of Emperor Tiberius, had an interesting fondness for broccoli. So much so, that it is reported that he ate nothing but this for a whole month.

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