Get out in the garden with your family.

1. Gardening for older people

Older people with reduced physical capacity can still garden. Tools can be modified to make them easier to use and garden beds can be altered to improve accessibility. Encourage these people to get physically involved in the garden and they will benefit both physically and emotionally.

2. Let the kids help

Children who assist in the planting of fruit and vegetables are more likely to want to eat the 'fruits' of their labour. Get the kids involved - turn maintaining a vegie patch into fun. Kids tend to be impatient, so choose relatively fast growing varieties like lettuce, parsley and chives.

3. Good for everyone

People with physical and mental disabilities can derive great benefits from gardening activities. Mobility and flexibility can be improved; mental faculties are stimulated; strength, endurance and motor skills all benefit. Best of all, getting active in the outdoors makes anyone feel happy.

4. Let's get physical

The whole family benefits from exercise, and you don't need that much space to create an area for physically active games. Put a basketball ring on a wall above a paved area; create an open lawn space for footy, soccer and cricket; put in some swings or play equipment if you've got the room.

5. Plants for plucking

Evidence suggests that eating fruit and vegetables within 24 hours of them being picked is even healthier than eating so-called fresh stuff from the market. Feed them fresh to your family and help keep them healthy.

6. A pond for the kids

There's nothing like water to excite children, so why not consider putting in a pond? You can scale the pond to fit into any size garden, from the smallest city courtyard to the largest rural property. Talk to an expert about safe ways for a pond to co-exist with children.

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