An eight-year-old avid gardener’s secret to growing herbs, vegies and fruits is simple but effective.
“If you have a shower [nozzle] on the hose, use that because anything else will damage the plants,” Shannon Whitbread says.
The Melton youngster is growing lettuce, strawberries and parsley with “a little bit of help” from grandma Marie Roessen.
“Grandma does a lot of digging and she plants a lot,” Shannon said. “I water a lot and sometimes plant and dig.”
Although birds and bugs have ravaged the broccoli Shannon was growing, he’s ensuring the other plants are kept safe.
His love affair with gardening began when he was two. Six years on, he’s entering gardening competitions through the Yates Junior Landcare challenge.
Shannon entered the 2014 challenge and is hoping to enter the winter vegie challenge again this year.
The competition challenges children of 17 and under to get into the backyard and document their gardening journey.
Ms Roessen says it’s important for children to be out and about, “even if it’s just for the sunshine”.
“You have too many kids staying inside,” she said. “[Shannon’s] got a certain amount of time inside – he loves his Lego – but sometimes he can get carried away inventing things. And then he comes outside.”
Yates Junior Landcare challenge
Registrations for the competition close on Sunday, April 5. For more information, visit www.juniorlandcarechallenge.com.au.
