Every winter I hear customers complaining about long gray winter days and bored kids.\u00a0 There are some fun indoor gardening activities you can use to occupy your kids, as well as teaching them a little something about gardening\u2014and maybe even getting them to \u201cknow\u201d their vegetables a little more.\u00a0 And, even better, they\u2019re fun for you, too.<\/p>\n
Cut off the top of a ripe pineapple.\u00a0 Peel the bottom leaves off enough to leave a one-inch stump.\u00a0 Place the top in a small class of water in a bright window and it will grow roots in about a month or six weeks.\u00a0 Once it has rooted, put it into a small pot with regular potting soil.\u00a0 As it grows, transplant it up about an inch at a time in pot size.\u00a0 When it\u2019s full grown (about three years), you can get it to bloom and grow another pineapple.<\/p>\n
Cut the tops off whole carrots and set them in a saucer of water in a windowsill.\u00a0 They\u2019ll grow more fluffy green tops.<\/p>\n
Who knew what a pretty vine a sweet potato can grow?\u00a0 Buy a whole sweet potato and place it, root side down, in a glass of water.\u00a0 It will grow shoots which will turn into vines that will climb happily around a sunny window.<\/p>\n
Hint\u2014if you do this in late winter, you can then \u201csnap\u201d off the shoots and pot them into little pots of soil, then transplant them out into your garden in mid-end May to grow your own sweet potatoes.\u00a0 They are crazy viners so give them a little room.<\/p>\n
The next time you use a head of romaine lettuce, cut the bottoms off.\u00a0 Place them, root side down, in a pie pan with an inch or two of water and place in a bright window.\u00a0 They\u2019ll start to grow new leaves from the middle.\u00a0 Let your kids pick them for their own salad.<\/p>\n
Bake a whole potato.\u00a0 Set out a bowl of cut-up raw veggies (carrots, celery, sweet pepper rings, even black olives) and a small cup of toothpicks.\u00a0 Let kids decorate their potatoes with edible faces\u2014then eat them!<\/p>\n
Maybe, if kids get to \u201cplay\u201d with their veggies, they\u2019ll be more inclined to eat them later\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"