Green(house)

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The earth is a magical place, thanks to Mother Nature. Plant a seed, douse with water, and watch it morph into a beautiful flower, delicious veggie or oxygen-giving leaf without so much as a bibbity, bobbity, boo.

Get your kids in on real-life enchantment (and celebrate Earth Day’s 40th) by planting an indoor garden of your own that you can safely transplant out-of-doors (saving you money, too) when Calgary finally has frost-free nights.

We asked gardening expert Robin Yeast, from Robin’s Gardens, to give us the what, where and when of in-home seed propagation (technically speaking). 

To get started, you’ll need some small plastic pots (skip the trays as they dry out too quickly) with drainage holes, something to catch the water underneath, some good potting soil such as Pro-Mix and seeds (Alberta’s Bow Seed, Renee’s Organics or Seeds of Change are all good). Here’s the 1–2–3 step process:

1. Choose easy-to-grow flowers such as giant sunflowers, sweet peas, California poppies or edible marigolds and nasturtiums, or go for foothill-friendly vegetables, such as pumpkin.
2. Plant pots outside to contain the mess. Help your kids get their hands dirty and let them poke the seeds in on their own. Pint-sized gardening gloves and a mini-watering can will help them feel like the project is all their own. Keep the seed packets for future instruction.
3. Place your mini-garden by a sunny window. Once your plants rear their seedling heads, start putting them outside for short periods of time in a sheltered environment. When the time comes, dig a hole slightly larger than your pot, water the ground and the seedling, and loosen the roots a little with your fingers. Place seedlings in the hole and press dirt firmly around plant. Water again immediately and every day until plant is established (at least a week).

Don’t say we don’t give you the dirt.

Tested by Heather J., Calgary