Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! :) Jimmy and I went to the hardware store the other day to purchase a few things to make a small container garden and herb garden. Hopefully these will grow well so we can enjoy our own fresh veggies :)
For quite inexpensively, you can make a container garden full of veggies (and flowers - Jimmy picked out the seeds :)). The seed packets were $.25/piece, and we purchased some peat cups for less than $2.00 as well. The peat cups are supposed to really help the seeds start to grow, and since I have a history of not being able to grow anything green except a weed, I invested in some of these :) I already had potting soil on hand, so we were set to go.
Want to make your own?!
Supplies:
- Seed packets - whatever variety you prefer (available at your local hardware or garden store)
- Potting soil
- Container to put each set of seeds in (this set of peat cups was less than $2.00), or you can recycle some old cups you have in the cabinet. I plan on switching to larger cups/containers we have on hand once the seedlings are bigger.
- If you are making an herb garden, you will also need a larger container to be able to put a bunch of herb seeds in.
- Container of water (about 2 cups)
- Small garden shovel or a kitchen fork
- Pencil to dig a hole to put the seeds in (or you can use your fingers)
Jimmy loves playing in the water :) Notice how we finally have grass growing right beside our sidewalk? Remember what it used to look like? :)
Put an even amount of potting soil (about 3/4 full) in each container.
After filling the pots with water, I put them in a plastic tray to be able to carry them around. Water each pot with a couple of tablespoons of water.Using a fork or garden tool, mix up the soil so it is moist throughout.Plant seeds in each pot according to package directions. Be sure to label each pot once the seeds are planted so you know which is which.
To plant an herb garden, pick out which herbs you would like to grow. We picked basil, parsley and chives. We used an aluminum bucket (about 4"x12") to put ours in. Fill bucket 3/4 full with potting soil and pour about a 1/2 cup water (depending on size of bucket) to moisten soil throughout. "Divide" bucket into three sections and plant each herb in its own "section" (so, basil in one section, parsley in one section and chives in one section). Be sure to label each section so you know which is which :)Now that your seeds are all planted, make some sort of tag to label what each plant is. You could hand write the labels on a small piece of paper and tape it to each pot or maybe even write directly on the pot? You could also cut out part of the seed package and tape that to the pot as well. I decided to make some fun tags on the computer. I made them 1.5" x 2" and printed them on cardstock. (If you would like a .pdf or .jpg file of the tags, feel free to email me and I would be more than happy to send them to you!) I used kabob skewers and cut them into 4" sections. I then cut out the tags and taped them to the skewer sections. Not the best if it rains, but I plan on just bringing the plants inside (or at least removing the tags and remembering which is which!) before it rains. We have a bucket outside to collect rainwater which I will use to water them if I do bring them inside. You could also cover the tags in contact paper and that would make them more waterproof.Voilà! An herb garden and a soon-to-be container garden!

What about you? Do you have a garden? Or a container or patio garden? Any tips or ideas for growing plants?

Happy Earth Day! :)