Container Gardening: Basil
Henry and I have decided that it's time to start gardening (well, I'd like to think that Henry is as excited as I am--humor me, okay?). On a recent trip to Whole Foods, we picked up a basil plant, grown at a local nursery.
My Little Herb Gardens book says that we should do the following:
- For five to six plants, choose a container about 18 inches in diameter and at least 12 inches deep.
- Make sure the container has a drainage hole.
- Cover the hole with a little gravel, a few small rocks, or bits of broken pottery.
- Fill a sink, bowl, or bucket with water and submerge the seedlings, still in their pots or trays.
- Leave them until no more air bubbles appear so that the potting mix is saturated.
- While the seedlings are soaking, fill the planting container with potting mix to within 1/2 inch of the rim. Soak the mix with water until it is thoroughly moist.
- Scoop out holes 4 inches apart for the seedlings.
- Put the seedlings and their root balls into the holes, packing potting mix around them.
- Pat down the surface.
- Water to fill in any air pockets.
- Keep the soil moist but not soggy.
- Fertilize every three weeks with liquid fertilizer.
- Cut back flowering stalks in order to continue leaf growth.
Sounds pretty easy!
I'm so excited to start gardening. I think gardening with children is important for so many reasons:
- Children need more time in nature
- Children need to see where food comes from
- Gardening helps children develop their gross- and fine-motor skills
- Gardening helps children develop respect for the Earth
- Gardening helps children develop their independence and therefore their self-esteem
- Children learn more about cause and effect from gardening
- Children are more invested in eating healthy food if they grow and cook it themselves
I know five months is a little early to start gardening with Henry, but my goal is to make it a habit now.
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2 comments:
I think this is WONDERFUL! Our son loves picking and eating blackberries, raspberries and blueberries on our property. We also have an attempt at a garden, and he helps dad pick tomatoes of many sizes, lettuce and basil--can't get him to actually EAT those things yet, but at least he is familiar with these additional healthy foods!
How exciting! I garden in Austin and have been given the advice to add liquid seaweed fertilizer to the soaking step to help ease transplant stress in the heat. Happy Planting!!
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