Being at home with my children more I am constantly looking for toddler friendly activities to keep her busy (and him right behind her!). When the activity can also teach lessons, well then that is definitely an added bonus! This project requires some adult setup, but then is very family friendly. I loved this project because it is ongoing, teaches health, patience, responsibility, and most importantly is fun!
Recently I had my husband retrieve a wooden pallet. I originally had the idea of making it into the pallet herb garden I saw on Pinterest. Because we has a pretty small patio area I thought a vegetable garden was out of the question. As I began to look over the pallet I got an idea to use it similar to how I saw the herb garden built. I came up with a fun creative way that I could use the reclaimed treasure! And I could plant my beloved herbs with a few veggies as well. I thought this would be so fun for us to do as a family because my daughter is in her independent stage and loving to help out. An added benefit of our little urban garden is that she can be in charge of watering every day which in turn teaches a great lesson of responsibility. It would also be a good way for her to eat more vegetables because children get excited to eat food they grow themselves! Below is the tutorial on our urban garden project!
First we headed over to our local nursery and bought some organic herbs and veggies, a bag of compost and some black landscaping paper. When deciding on what plants to buy I wanted to get some things that I use the most when cooking. I also researched companion planting online beforehand to see what the best options were with our faves to try to make the most of this experience. What we decided on was Cabbage, Red Romain Lettuce, Arugula, Lemon Basil, Thyme, Cilantro, Sage, Rosemary, Celery, Garlic and Beets. We plan to add to it, but I figured this was enough to start out! The Garlic and Celery were from my refrigerator, thanks again to some cool ideas I saw on Pinterest!
Once you lay the garden down it is hard to move so I had monitored our patio area for a couple of days to determine which area got the best amount of sun. Once you have the items needed and figured out the best place for your garden you are ready get started.
You will need:
Tough Sandpaper
Tough Sandpaper
Staple Gun
Landscaping Paper
Wood Pallet
Bag of soil/compost
The pallet we had the two sides were different (It's hard to tell from the picture) I chose my top side as the side that had two larger open sections on each side and thinner slits in the center. I thought the larger areas would be good for vegetables and the smaller middle sections would be great for growing herbs. First you will want to sand the pallet to minimize any splintering of the wood. Next you cover the bottom area with the landscaping paper and staple around and up the sides of the pallet to ensure that it can hold dirt without any problem.
Once the bottom of the pallet is covered you can lay the pallet in the are you determined to be the best area for your garden. You can now add the dirt/compost/soil to the pallet filling and make sure that it is spread evenly. Since most kids love to get dirty this is a good part for your child to start helping out!
Once we got the dirt added it was time to add our herbs and veggies. The garlic and celery were something fun that I had wanted to try. You just plant leftover cloves of garlic directly in the soil. With the celery, you cut off the end of a stalk and soak it in water overnight. Then you plant root down in the dirt and soon you will get leaves!
When we were done there was nothing left to do but water, and then admire our beautiful new garden. We love it! My daughter looks forward to her daily chore of watering the plants, and watching them grow. We will be adding to our pallet and even to some containers to expand our urban garden. I will keep you posted on any new developments and invite my readers to share their urban garden tips and ideas!
Disclaimer: Please note: I am not a medical professional. Please use your careful discernment and double check with your naturopath or doctor before taking any vitamins or supplements
PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.
Once we got the dirt added it was time to add our herbs and veggies. The garlic and celery were something fun that I had wanted to try. You just plant leftover cloves of garlic directly in the soil. With the celery, you cut off the end of a stalk and soak it in water overnight. Then you plant root down in the dirt and soon you will get leaves!
When we were done there was nothing left to do but water, and then admire our beautiful new garden. We love it! My daughter looks forward to her daily chore of watering the plants, and watching them grow. We will be adding to our pallet and even to some containers to expand our urban garden. I will keep you posted on any new developments and invite my readers to share their urban garden tips and ideas!
Disclaimer: Please note: I am not a medical professional. Please use your careful discernment and double check with your naturopath or doctor before taking any vitamins or supplements
PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.
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