Seed Starting and Swapping

Two weeks ago my friends Alp and Ingrid hosted a Seed Swap Party. It was so cleverly organized. Everyone brought their seeds and there were little baggies to put them into for trading. I now have the most eclectic mix of seeds and a compendium of knowledge about gardening from my green-thumbed friends. A seed swap is a great way to get heirloom varieties and learn what does well in your area.

Now my little seedling are starting to sprout; it is a very exciting time. I made all their little starter pots out of recycled newspaper using this nifty little wooden gadget called a Pot Maker. I used Fox Farm brand potting soil which contains earthworm castings and bat guano.

Class #2 Garden Design and Early Planting

On Thursday February 19th we had our second Adventures with Mimi class. We started off by having the children design their own gardens. I explained that when it comes to gardening and growing things, now is a great time to start planning and buying seeds. Parents first drew maps of their back yards or patios and then the children filled in the maps with their own imaginative garden plans. They got some great ideas from the Seeds of Change catalog, which is full of heirloom  varieties such as, purple potatoes, red carrots, and yellow watermelons. I was inspired to write a song about gardening to teach the children; it goes like this:

My Favorite Garden

My favorite things to eat are veggies in the garden

My favorite things to smell are flowers in the yard

Everything is blooming all the colors in the rainbow

growing from the soil below

My favorite things to hold are seeds and to plant them

My favorite things to watch are  seeds when they grow

Everything is growing all the colors in the rainbow

growing from the soil below

My favorite things to catch are bugs in the garden

My favorite place to hide is in the garden too

Everything is growing all the colors in the rainbow

growing from the soil below

My favorite one to help is mommy in the garden

My favorite job to do is water all the plants

Everything is growing all the colors in the rainbow

growing from the soil below

After the drawing exercise, we went outside to plant seeds that tolerate frost and are meant to be planted early: radishes, snow peas, and spinach. Kate Bennis has a very nice raised bed, ready and waiting to be a fabulous vegetable garden. In the raised bed, kids got to dig in the dirt, find earthworms, and plant seeds. We sanitized our hands afterwards because of the horse manor. We got chilly, went inside where Kate made everyone some hot chocolate to warm up. While enjoying a warm drink I read to the children a stunningly beautiful book called A Seed is Sleepy by Aston and Long. I see these authors also have an egg book, which I must find!