Growing Vegetables and Herbs With Your Children

This post brought to you by Miracle-Gro Gro-ables. The content and opinions expressed below are that of A Quiet Simple Life with Sallie Borrink.

Since Caroline was tiny we have tried to provide her with a wide variety of hands-on learning activities and opportunities so she would understand how the world works. One area where we’ve done this is by planting gardens. At one point we had two large square foot gardens. More recently we’ve had to simplify life and we’ve scaled back to pots on the deck. The important thing is making sure she understands the life cycle of plants, how food is grown, etc.

I also do think children are more apt to try out foods that they’ve grown. There is something about being involved in the process that children find enticing. So even starting small if you don’t have time for a big garden can be a simple way to introduce your child to the joy of growing food they can eat right from their deck or porch!

When I was offered the opportunity to try out Miracle-Gro Gro-ables as part of the Gro-ables Project, I jumped at the chance. For one, I knew Caroline would find them fascinating since she loves neat little packaging. I also thought they were a great product to try out and share here with other families who are interested in finding ways to do something fun with their kids now that spring is finally here and we can all get outside.

Gro-ables are seed pods that include mulch, seeds and plant food. They come in these fun little containers that go directly into the ground.

One aspect that is great about these Gro-ables is how well they will work with little hands. Some of these seeds are tiny, but with the Gro-ables, small children can easily work with the seed pods. If it is the first time you family has tried growing vegetables or herbs, this is a simple way to get started. These would work exceptionally well with toddlers and preschoolers. No tiny little seeds to keep track of!

You peel off the top…

Make a small hole in your potting mix for the pod…

 

Put the Gro-able in so the top is level with the potting mix

And water!

It truly could not be any easier!

(Caroline had the idea to tape the Gro-able covers to wooden sticks so we would remember what we planted where!)

Today we planted only the Spinach and Romaine lettuce since it’s too cool here in Michigan in mid-April to plant anything else. We’ll plant more of the Gro-able pods in the coming weeks as the growing season picks up in our area.

We received a packet of 18 Seed Pods. It includes the following vegetables:

• Romaine Lettuce (2)
• Spinach (2)
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Cucumber (2)
• Sweet Pepper (2)
• Zucchini
• Eggplant
• Cherry Tomato
• Globe Tomato
• Roma Tomato

It also included some great herbs:

• Basil
• Lemon Basil
• Flat Leaf Parsley
• Cilantro

Caroline is especially excited about the cucumbers (her favorite vegetable) and David loves red peppers. All of them will be put to good use in our home over the spring and summer!

At Miracle-Gro®, they believe that there’s a lot to learn from even the smallest plants. So they’ve started The Gro-ables® Project: a movement to share the joy of growing herbs and veggies while giving kids truly hands-on learning experiences. Join them by planting your own Gro-ables, taking part in the activities and sharing your story!

What kinds of tips do you have for growing things with kids?