This heart connection has been liberally mixed with the action of my hands (and sometimes whole body) – sowing, digging, pruning, building, harvesting… And in between there has been a lot of head work – basically, learning about the science of gardening.

And when I think about it, boy is there a lot of science. Discovering the intricate details of soil and plant biology; learning chemistry in the pH of the soil and the workings of the compost; understanding the physics of water droplets clinging to leaves, or being moved through a plant; qualitative and quantitative processes such as planning seed planting or enriching the soil; the ecology of all the little creatures that visit; the meteorology that foreshadows a good rain storm. And then of course the engineering of bean frame construction that won’t collapse under the weight of your extraordinary crop or fall over in that good rain storm.

There are also endless opportunities to inspire curiosity (why does a hen want to sit on a green tomato?), feel the life rhythms and experience the ah-ha moments (we love these in Discovery), such as realising that all those ladybirds means that there are far fewer aphids on the roses.

Children, in fact all of us, can learn science in an engaging way in a garden, while also feeling the joy of creating something and the satisfaction of working hard in doing so. The added benefits of fresh air and new skills make considering teaching science through gardening an appealing idea.