It was really nice to have Robert and Robyn Guyton over recently, they were quite taken with how my kids graze from our family’s edible garden. Robert said he might like to write something about the diversity of plants we enjoy in our little section, but I soon forgot his comments until folk started telling me he had written an article in New Zealand Gardener. Check out the July issue, Robert is a great writer and a great explorer of the wilder side of food gardening.

Sometimes at the dinner table I am playing the role of trying to get my kids to eat some salad when I remember, that actually, during the day, between tree climbing, making bug houses and trampolining, they have been tearing off brussel sprouts and chunks of cabbage from the garden beds and munching them happily raw.

I never thought that our edible garden would be such a big part of our kids outdoor play time, or that they would be self grazing from it! So I suggest to anyone going to have kids to integrate edibles into their backyard play space. Your kids will end up teaching you a few things about the joys of an edible garden. “Dad have some of this kale it so sweet!”