A Unique Child: Nutrition - Grow your own

If your New Year's resolution is to grow your own vegetables, then you'll be spoilt for choice for information on gardening and how to get young children involved.

Dig In, the BBC's campaign encouraging people to grow and cook their own vegetables, will be expanded this year to include resources aimed at early years practitioners and young families.

The resources, made available this month, include simple planting and colouring activities, advice on how to record the growth of the produce, things to make and information on how the activities link to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. Dig In also plans to link with Sure Start Children's Centres to encourage families to grow their own produce.

As in 2009, the campaign will be giving away free seeds of five vegetables. Last year's packs included butternut squash, beetroot, tomato and carrot seeds. Details of the 2010 scheme will released in the new series of Alys Fowler's 'The Edible Garden', due to start this month.

The Dig In website, at www.bbc.co.uk/digin, already provides extensive information, including a guide to growing vegetables and a booklet of vegetable recipes by TV chef Nigel Slater (both free and downloadable).

Also incorporated in the site are a blog, a garden gallery and links to other useful websites:

- www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/learning/lab/projects/food This site features photo diary and videos of Merrylee Primary School in Glasgow and an urban allotment, as they learn how to grow their own vegetables

- ww.rhs.org.uk This site of the Royal Horticultural Society has a huge section on growing vegetables. As well as a veg calendar and A to Z, it offers advice on positioning, soil preparation, feeding, sowing techniques, pests and diseases.

- www.farmgarden.org.uk Site of the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, which supports, represents and promotes community-managed farms and gardens.

Other useful websites
- www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques
- www.ideashelper.com/easy-to-grow-vegetable-ideas-12.htm
- www.growingyourownveg.com
- www.growfruitandveg.co.uk
- www.allotment.org.uk
- www.allotmentlife.net
- www.gardenorganic.org.uk

Further reading

- Grow Your Own Veg by Carol Klein with the Royal Horticultural Society (Mitchell Beazley) is a great reference and practical guide for even novice gardeners.

- Grow Your Own Vegetables by Joy Larkcom - a revised, updated and expanded edition of a classic

- Vegetable Growing Month-by-month: The Down-to-earth Guide That Takes You Through the Vegetable Year by John Harrison (Right Way)

- 'All about ... Growing your own vegetables' (Nursery World, 8 January 2009)