Create a container garden
from household items!
This activity can be enjoyed
by individuals of all ages.
Materials:
·
Sharp knife
·
Scissors
·
Permanent marker
·
Used household containers; i.e.:
o
Milk cartons
o
Juice bottles
o
Soda bottles
o
Yogurt containers
·
Produce scraps; i.e.:
o
Base of celery, onion, lettuce, green onion,
etc.
o
Sprouted onion, potato, sweet potato, head of
garlic, etc.
o
Seeds of peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.
·
Soil
Steps:
1.
Begin collecting food scraps.
T his can take a few days to weeks. I started
collecting scraps about 2 weeks before I planted all of them. Here are some of
the items I chose:
1.
For greater chance at success, some scraps may
need to be placed in water for a few days or weeks. See more on this in the “how to plant” guide below.
2.
Prepare each of your containers.
·
Thoroughly wash and dry each container
· Decide what shape you
would like for each container. I chose to keep my round containers upright, but
cut open the long sides of square containers. Outline your desired shape and
cut. While you will most likely need to cut most containers, some may not
require modification
Cut drainage holes in the base of each container. This will help prevent rot in your container garden, and is an important step to ensure the health of your plants
1.
When you are ready to plant, fill each container
about 2/3 full with soil. It is likely that you will need to plant various
items with different methods. For more on this, reference the “how to plant” guide below.
Some pieces will need to be completely buried,
while others only need to be half-buried
1. It
might be a good idea to label your produce. To do this, I used toothpicks with
packaging tape and noted the plant type on the tape.
2. When
you are finished planting, water your containers until water runs out the
bottom. Then, place the containers in a spot where they will get plenty of sun
and patiently wait for produce!
Conversation Starters:
·
Ask your child if there is anything that they
would like to try to grow. Give it a shot. If it works, talk about why it
worked. If it doesn’t, discuss why it may not have worked.
·
What does the dirt feel like?
·
What do you think are important components to
growing plants?
·
What do you think this plant will look like?
·
When do you think we will get more produce?
·
How can we help these plants grow faster?
·
What plant are you most excited about?
Growing Guide:
**There
are TONS of fruits and vegetables that can be regrown from food scraps. If
there is something that isn’t listed here but you want to grow, there are
plenty of resources on the internet that can help.**
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