It's a kind of magic

Bob reveals a few plant ‘tricks' to impress children

- Bob Flowerdew

Fast-maturing crops such as radishes are great for kids, but there are other ways to get them interested in gardening

WHEN asked how to get children interested in gardening, people often suggest 'safe' sowings of annual flowers and fast crops such as radishes, or maybe potatoes for the 'fun' of digging up their treasure - although that fun doesn't last very long. Beans in pots is another resort. Actually, strawberries are a better bet.

You can stencil a name on the skin of an apple by writing in black ink on clear tape, or cut out letters of dark tape and secure on the sunny side of the fruit so the name will appear on the apple