The hunt is on for the next generation of budding young gardeners

THE search is on for the country’s best young gardener.

Put kids in charge of growing their own food and watch them eat the harvest. Yates is searching for Australia's next top gardener targeting children 16 years and under. It is particularly interested in getting kids involved in growing their own food.

WE all know growing your own food has a range of benefits but top of the list is how positively children often respond to the experience.

Horticulturalist at Yates, Angie Thomas, says she has watched as children have delighted in pulling carrots from the earth “like they were buried treasure” and eating radishes and peas straight from the garden.

And that’s aside from the general health benefits of gardening which has been linked to improved mental health and exercise.

YOUNG GREEN THUMB

In an effort to get more kids involved in gardening, Yates has launched a competition to search for Australia’s best young gardener. Children 16 years and under are invited to enter with aim of becoming the face of Yates’ new kids gardening website.

The winner will receive a family trip to Melbourne for the Melbourne International Flower Show in March next year. Angie says they’re looking for someone with an “infectious” love of gardening, although they don’t need to have a garden of their own.

Yates is searching for Australia's next top gardener targeting children 16 years and under. It is particularly interested in getting kids involved in growing their own food.

“They might go to their grandmother’s house to garden or maybe they’re really involved in their school garden,” she says. “The important thing is that they’re enthusiastic and willing to get their hands dirty.”

Research shows that most Australian kids love to garden, which backs up Angie’s experience running garden classes at her sons’ school.

“When they eat something they’ve grown themselves, they often don’t realise it’s healthy.”

More:nexttopgardener.com.au

PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR SUCCESS

● Perfect pots You don’t need a lot of space to grow food with your children. Yates have a range of dwarf plant varieties including baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and even sunflowers that are easy to grow from seed in pots.

● Keep it simple Consider what your kids like to eat and plant accordingly. Peas, lettuce and radishes are not only popular with kids but are super easy for first-time gardeners to grow.

● Food for thought Don’t get too focused on growing vegies or edible plants. Creating a garden friendly to bees, butterflies and other native wildlife can be incredibly satisfying for young children interested in the natural world.