Whether or not you're a gardener you'll have noticed in the last couple of weeks that nature is waking up and springing into action after a long, dark winter. In the nurseries the grass that has been trampled into oblivion by hundreds of mini wellies over the wet winter is beginning to recover and is already looking more green than brown.

Flower borders littered with clumps of brown, rotted leaves and dry-looking twigs are suddenly reminding us of their potential as they push up fresh green growth. Spring has sprung!

In our vegetable growing areas we are starting to plan which edible plants to grow. We're looking for plants that will inspire the children with incredible colours, smells and textures. We want to instil in them a love of fresh food in all its glory. There's nothing more guaranteed to encourage children to try new tastes and textures of fruit and vegetables than helping to grow them. 

At Snapdragons Keynsham, Tim "don't-fence-me-in" Graham, our Leader of Outdoor Learning (#LOL), has been hard at work plotting out the vegetable patch and we're excited to reap the rewards. We have focussed on growing a variety of edible plants that are packed with sensory benefits - plants that smell amazing, look great, feel interesting and taste wonderful. On top of that, we've looked for plants that attract bees and other native wildlife to encourage a diverse and sustainable environment. We invited the Keynsham grandparents to help us plant up the kitchen garden and they didn't disappoint, sharing their love of growing with their grandchildren and helping to inspire the next generation of horticulturalists.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be watching the progress of our nursery gardens and looking to use the produce in our new Nursery Kitchen video feature. So if you've been inspired to get planting, we hope to give you some ideas of how to use your home-grown food. Let's get cooking!