It's brilliant to hear that so many of you are growing sunflowers, but it doesn't have to stop there. We may not be in the school garden, but we can still meet up in cyberspace. 

There are plenty of things you can grow even if you don't have a packet of seeds, or a garden... or any soil. Below is a list of ideas for a spot of Lockdown Gardening - all you need for some of them is a bit of old veg and a glass of water. Plants and seeds want to grow - all they need is a little encouragement.

You can send photos of your Lockdown Gardens to elock4.307@lgflmail.org, and I'll post them on the website. We might even get the chickens to judge your skills - and you know how much Victoria loves to judge.

(If you want to know what the dreadful old sausage has been up to, you'll find the ghastly "Diary Of A Wise And Beautiful Chicken" here).

Lockdown Gardening ideas:

If you have soil: 

Don't throw away sprouty old potatoes or sweet potatoes - pop them in the earth and grow a whole new plant. The same goes for garlic and ginger.

Seeds last a long time - if you have a jar of dried peas or beans, plant a few and see if you can bring them back to life. Or try it with a few tomato, cucumber or sweet pepper seeds left over from a salad.

If you don't have any soil:

The scientific word for growing plants without soil is "hydroponics."

Mustard and cress seeds will grow on a damp sheet of kitchen paper.

You can sprout dried peas and beans in an old plastic bottle - lie it on its side, make some air holes and a slot to post in your seeds, and grow them on damp kitchen paper. It's like a mini greenhouse.

If you're lucky enough to have an avocado stone, balance it on top of a jar or glass with its bottom hanging in the water... and watch it grow roots.

If your old lettuce has roots, stick its bottom in a glass or water and it should grow fresh leaves from the centre.

Don't throw away the bottom of a spring onion, garlic clove, leek or celery stalk - pop them in a glass of water and they should sprout new leaves.

Cut herbs like basil, coriander and rosemary should sprout new roots if you put them in a glass of water. You'll need a pot of compost if you want to keep growing them though.

Cut off carrot tops or pineapple tops, put them in a saucer of water and watch them grow - don't eat them, these ones are just for show.

You may have ingenious ideas of your own - we'd love to see them.

Happy Lockdown Gardening!