I have always loved the idea of gardening.
I’m big on hunting and gathering.
It just tastes better if you have to work for it.
I don’t hunt though. If it wasn’t such an expensive hobby, maybe I would.
I like to fish, even though I get sea sick very easily.
And I really love crabbing, because eating crab is my favorite. We also happen to have Dungeness Crab here, which, in my humble opinion, is the best tasting crab.
Anyhow, I digress.
I love the idea of having a garden. I’ve dabbled in it here and there, but I have never had much success.
Now that I have kids, I am more motivated to follow through. Plus I was really jealous of people I knew that had a garden last year. Would it have hurt them to share their bounty?!
There are so many fun learning opportunities involved.
Not to mention the delicious food the kids are more likely to eat because they had a hand in growing it.
My plan is to have a small raised bed and teach my girl all about the how-to’s of gardening, (as I learn them myself.)
It’s the beginning of February and definitely not time to plant anything outside in my neck of the woods. So why not experiment with seeds inside?
I let Z pick out a few seeds to plant and I picked out a few.
We used egg cartons for our little starter project.
Using a glue gun, I glued empty K-cups to the lid side of the carton.
It was a great project for her because she got to do pretty much all of it. She filled the cartons with dirt, which was the really messy fun part!
Then she put the seeds in and watered them once she was all done.
She got a kick out of the different shapes and sizes of each of the seeds.
One carton was a few different types of herbs: basil, cilantro, rosemary. The other carton had zucchini, and sugar snap peas.
If you and your little one decide to do this, be sure to label everything you planted!
I tied each of the two full sized cartons in plastic bags to create a little greenhouse.
It’s something I saw on Pinterest. Supposedly by doing this, we don’t have to water them everyday.
I have one half carton without a bag, so I can see if there’s a difference.
Since the day we planted them, Z has asked to check on “what we’re growing,” every day.
I chose to plant sugar snap peas because I was pretty sure they would sprout in a few days.
They pulled through for me-they showed in less than a week!
My girl was even more excited than me!
Like I said, this is all experimental. I am fully intending on buying plants at the store once it’s time. If any of our little starters make it, they’ll be a bonus!
Do you have a green thumb? Feel free to share any tips in the comment section below-I can use all the advice I can get!
This is so important! Kids need to know where food comes from and what REAL food is. They see so much processed stuff these days!
So true! It makes me crazy!!
What a great and educational gardening activity.
Yes, we’ve been having a lot of fun!
I like that this project can be done indoors!! We are always looking for new things to do during the winter months…
Yes! It’s so exciting for my girl to check on them everyday!
I have never seen that bag idea.. very cool!
I hadn’t either. So far, so good!
Great idea! I’ve been gardening my entire life, literally, and had never heard of the bag trick. it’s like a teeny tiny greenhouse! My children love gardening with me! They really like how we grow the kind of topsy turvy cherry tomatoes dangling off our front porch. They take up too much space in the garden, but they thrive in those hanging things. We made our own, but the kind you can buy work great, although I found them not to be the best for most other plants. My little ones love being able to walk on the porch for a fresh picked snack. 🙂 Raised beds are my favorite for pretty much everything else.
Exactly-it’s working great so far! Man, I wish I had your lifetime of gardening wisdom! I suppose I have to start somewhere. I can’t wait until the kids and I can go outside to get a snack-that’s the plan anyway! ☺️
My mom had little gardens for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are doing things like collecting marigold seeds, helping her pick peas, and eating tomatoes right off the vine. You’re making priceless memories with those little ones right now, whether you get a bumper crop or not your first year. 🙂
That sounds so amazing!! And thanks for the encouragement! 😄
Great tips and ideas! I nee to try this with seeds to plant in the spring for a veggie garden.
Thanks! It’s been really fun!
Oh my goodness! This is SOOO cool!!!! The K cups idea is so smart! I cannot wait to try this. Thanks for making me want crab for dinner 😛
Thanks! I like being able to re-use some of my K-cups. Haha-I always want crab for dinner!
I think the hardest part is getting the dirt ready. Our dirt has solid clay under the first inch, so trying to make something without doing a raised bed is tedious. We also get rabbits in the back yard. Make sure you put some kind of fencing around your garden if you get wild critters!
Thanks for the tip! I’m pretty sure we’ll get raccoons, so that will be fun!
The Kcups are a GREAT idea!! This will be my 5th year planting a backyard garden with my kiddos. I think it’s SO important to teach kids where food comes from & how to grow it themselves. We have SO much fun & like to experiment with growing different things like purple carrots. 😊
Thanks! 5th year?! Wow! I agree, it is important! Purple carrots sound like fun-I love those!