Tag: childrens gardening books

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GOING GREEN – Windowsill Edible Gardens

 

Materials

beans or seeds
lettuce/greens are ideal, or select DWARF varieties to plant
small amount of damp potting soil (not dripping wet)
paper towel, cup of water
jar lid or shallow dish with lip
recycled containers for planting

Instructions

fill each container with damp potting or seed starting soil
gently pat the surface but don’t press the soil too hard

sow seeds according to packet instructions
roughly as deep as the seed is large
i.e. 2cm bean, planted 2cm deep

small seeds can be scattered across the surface
of the soil, then covered with a thin layer of soil

for larger seeds, make a small hole in the soil wit
ha pencil or skewer and gently push the seed into the hole

make sure all seeds are deep enough, and covered by soil
use a spray bottle to water thoroughly after planting

REMEMBER to label everything!

Finishing

place the containers on a bright windowsill out of direct
full-day sun, or plants may get too hot and “bolt”

water thoroughly and evenly every day
don’t let the plants dry out but don’t drown them either!

as the plants grow, thin out smaller or weaker ones

Download this Activity as PDF

MORE RESOURCES:

April 6 - GOING GREEN - Windowsill Gardens - Garddwest EcoEducation

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SPROUTS – Windowsill Edible Gardens

 

Materials

beans or seeds
lettuce/greens are ideal, or select DWARF varieties to plant
small amount of damp potting soil (not dripping wet)
paper towel, cup of water
jar lid or shallow dish with lip
recycled containers for planting

Instructions

fill each container with damp potting or seed starting soil
gently pat the surface but don’t press the soil too hard

sow seeds according to packet instructions
roughly as deep as the seed is large
i.e. 2cm bean, planted 2cm deep

small seeds can be scattered across the surface
of the soil, then covered with a thin layer of soil

for larger seeds, make a small hole in the soil wit
ha pencil or skewer and gently push the seed into the hole

make sure all seeds are deep enough, and covered by soil
use a spray bottle to water thoroughly after planting

REMEMBER to label everything!

Finishing

place the containers on a bright windowsill out of direct
full-day sun, or plants may get too hot and “bolt”

water thoroughly and evenly every day
don’t let the plants dry out but don’t drown them either!

as the plants grow, thin out smaller or weaker ones

Download this Activity as PDF

MORE RESOURCES:

April 6 - SPROUTS - Windowsill Gardens - Garddwest EcoEducation

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SPROUTS – Simple Seed Starting 101

SAVING SEEDS FROM KITCHEN SCRAPS

Materials

edible seeds: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
produce: apples, lemons, peppers, squash, tomatoes
spices: cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds
other: popcorn kernels, garlic cloves, whole lentils

Instructions

some spices are actually seeds, if they are not too old
many can be planted just like seeds from a packet

loose popcorn for air or stove popping can be planted too

a garlic clove isn’t technically a seed, but each clove
can be planted and will grow into a new garlic plant

as you slice your produce (for example apples, lemons,
peppers or tomatoes) carefully work around the seeds

after you are done preparing your produce for cooking,
pick out the seeds from the remaining scraps

leave any seeds that are wet or have a coating, (for example
 tomatoes) to dry out at room temperature before planting

REMEMBER to label everything!

Finishing

after the seeds have dried out, label and store in envelopes
you can save them for later or plant them right away

you can also swap your seeds with friends or community

next time, we will learn how to plant these seeds to grow
seedlings for a windowsill garden or your home garden

SIMPLE SEED STARTING 101

Materials

SEEDS: Beans, Sunflowers, and Nasturtiums are easy to
handle and germinate quickly, or use any seeds you have

small paper cups, toilet paper tubes, or recycled plant pots

lightweight seed starting or potting soil

Instructions

add a small amount of water to the soil until it is just barely
damp and then fill the recycled seedling containers gently

don’t pack the soil down, leave it fluffy with air for the roots!

use a pencil to poke small holes for the seeds to drop into

different seeds need to be planted at different depths:

many seeds can be planted as deep as they are large
for example: a 2cm bean would be planted 2cm deep

this is not always true, so when possible you should
consult the seed packet for more specific details

Finishing

place the pots in a sunny windowsill and check the soil
regularly – make sure the soil does not dry out but don’t
flood the seeds either!

in a few days or weeks you will see tiny green seedlings

pull out the weakest seedlings,
so the remaining plants have space to thrive

next time, we will learn how to turn these seedlings into a
small windowsill garden or plant them in your home garden

April 3 - GOING GREEN - Seed Saving - Garddwest EcoEducationApril 3 - GOING GREEN - Seed Starting - Garddwest EcoEducation