It's spring, the growing season!
A while back, Miss 2.11 did a seed-plant unit study to learn about plant anatomy and the plant vascular system.
Embarking on this gardening project helped to reinforce the prior knowledge. This also provided a hands-on and visual experience of what plants need to grow from seeds.
Since I am very green in the field of gardening, I picked Spade to Fork's organic herb garden starter kit to get started. Herb seeds, potting soil and peat pots are included in the kit. I only had to supply my own bowl for breaking up soil discs as well as a shovel to transfer the soil into the peat pots.
I love that the contents of the kit are certified USDA Organic, which means even the soil and pots are free from harmful chemicals and pesticides. Everything came in a natural, eco-friendly and sustainable packaging.
Miss 2.11 was enthused about adding water to the soil discs.
She was significantly less so when it came to breaking the soil discs up. She told me she didn't want to "get (her) hands dirty". I respected her discomfort and didn't pressure her to. I chose to model the work and gently encouraged her to try at intervals (though she still declined each time).
I believe more future practice to familiarise her with soil's texture would help!
Then it was time to transfer the damp soil into the peat pots.
Shoveling was fun. It was also a good lesson on spatial relationships between objects, and math (volume and size).
Once the soil was in, Miss 2.11 opened up the seed tubes and we counted the seeds together.
She then sprinkled the seeds as well as placed the corresponding herb label into the soil. Finally, she covered the seeds up by shoveling a top layer of soil onto them.
Done! We placed the herb pots on the top layer of a portable trolley in the kitchen, where it would get lots of indirect sunlight. I opted to keep them indoor to better regulate their environment - water intake and temperature.
Miss 2.11 was really pleased with her herb pots. We'll water them everyday, watching for signs of growth.
This experience was great for Miss 2.11 to learn the responsibility of taking care of other living things. It also allowed her to better understand the job of a gardener.
It's still too early to tell if our herb garden would grow. I told Miss 2.11 that even if our herbs do not sprout, it's a valuable life lesson - things don't always happen the way we wish them to, even if we put in a lot of hard work or effort. It's okay to feel disappointed and then give ourselves time to be ready to try again.
Resource(s)
Spade to Fork's organic herb garden starter kit - Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Potting Soil and Peat Pots
I hope you enjoyed reading about our first gardening experience, and you have exciting projects planned for this growing season!
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