Every year we have the same ritual in our house, when the signs of spring arrive we start with seeds indoors. It never stops to amaze me how much my little girl enjoys watching and look at it every day and comments on how much our seeds have grown. Starting indoors with seeds helps you get a head start with the growing season and it is nice to see it growing in your windowsill. It is not just a fun experience but important education to give to your kids, a lesson on how vegetables and herbs grow. Where tomatoes come from (not just something they buying in the store). Kids who grow their own food are also more likely to eat vegetables.
“I like planting seeds and water it, and look at plants growing, and then eat it! Says my four-year-old daughter. “
Planning your garden
Before you go to the your store to purchase seeds, think about what you (ask your kids) like to eat, how much sun you have.If you are going to use containers, or if you are planting directly in your garden. On the seed packets in the store it will say how much sun the plants need and soil.
Don’t get intimated, start with few plants in the beginning and then continue the next year and grow bigger, then you know what worked or not.
Easy herbs and vegetables
Easy Herbs and vegetable to start with, they are also good for container gardening. Sugar snap peas and cucumbers, are very popular for kids,because they grow so fast and are looks funny, and are so yummy to eat!
In our family we love to grow different kinds of herbs, tomato, cucumber, sugar snap peas,kale,squash,peppers.We also have had success with sunflowers and nasturtium flowers.
You need:
Seeds (depends on what you want to grow and the growing season and where you live)
We have started peas, cucumber, sunflowers, nasturtiums, tomatoes and pumpkins.
Containers, you can reuse egg containers, empty toilet and towel rolls for seeding as well as peat pots or plastic tray you can buy from the nursery.
Use sterile soilless seeding mix you can get from the nursery or garden center
Trays and cover for germination or plastic wrap
Sticks for labeling of seedlings
Put your different containers on trays fill them with seeding mix. We used empty rolls of toilet/towel paper, peat pots and pellets.
Moisten the soil with water
Use a pencil and put the seed in the soil, cover it lightly with soil
Label pots with type of seed.
A good way to help seeds along the germination path is to cover the container in clear plastic and place it on top of the refrigerator for a couple of days to keep them moist and warm. When you notice the plants breaking the surface, you can move them to the window, but leave the plastic on for a couple more days, and make sure the plastic does not come into contact with the sprouts. Once the seedlings seem sturdy enough, remove the plastic.
