Gardening is a healthy alternative to computers for children

EVERYONE knows how beneficial it is to spend time in the garden, but it’s often unfairly viewed as a sedate pastime for the elderly or those with time on their hands.

But the benefits have no upper or lower age limit: clearing a patch of garden or a window box is an ideal hobby for children, who will enjoy the results and be enticed outside, away from games consoles.

Emma Neville, from Carrigaline, Co Cork, is a solicitor who also runs a garden design company (www.gorgeousgardens.ie). She is a mother-of-four (Julie, 13, Billy, 11, Charlie, 10 and John, seven), and has seen how much enjoyment they get from helping her and her husband, Philip, to grow and harvest their own crops.