gardening – The Next Kid Thing

Gardening with Miracle-Gro

June 12, 2014June 12, 2014 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Just a few weeks ago, we were all uncertain if spring and summer would ever get here. Now that the warm weather is here to stay, it’s finally time to fix up the yard and prep the garden. Here in North Jersey, expert gardeners and lawn connoisseurs suggest that it’s best to get things going outdoors in between Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. With that start window having just passed, we’ve been busy prepping our garden.

Or should I say, we’ve been busy “trying” to get our garden started! My green thumb is as brown as it gets…which is why I can use all the help I can get.

Miracle Gro recently came out with Groables seed pods, which are perfect for starting a garden for beginners. Since we have all kinds of animals that like to eat my garden, I thought I’d give container gardening a whirl this year.

For easier gardening, each seed pod contains:

non-GMO seed at just the right depth
growing materials to protect the seed and keep it moist
plant food to help it grow and build strong roots.

Pods dissected 12659100516b647440a1c371512cf522

Because of the late start to spring we’ve been having, I naturally, started my garden much later than I had hoped. That said, thank goodness for Groables since they are guaranteed to grow.

After filling several planters with soil, I planted my Groables, as well as a few seeds. I made sure to give each pod room to grow in the planters, as well as water. I placed the planters in full sunlight and in just a few weeks, I started to see my growables, well, grow!

As mentioned, if you’re a beginner gardner or just need to take a shortcut or two, Groables are a perfect solution. Groables come in 17 varieties, ranging from cherry tomatoes to watermelons. You can find them at Home Depot and Amazon at $3-4 a pod or about $12 for a kit. Since I can actually grow spinach (!) I am so buying this one next: Gro-ables Salad and Herb Garden Kit with 18 Seed Pods I’m looking forward to creating an even bigger container garden by supplementing the pods with other seeds and starter plants.

Gardening Goodies for Kids

May 6, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Spring is finally in full bloom, and I couldn’t be more excited to see the trees, plants and flowers come back to life. And hello, meet my new garden that the kid helped me grow, of course!

Along with the changes in scenery, I love that Spring also brings lots of new and interesting toys. Last week, we were treated with a glimpse of some of the season’s latest and greatest at Time To Play’s Spring and Summer Showcase, and I love that good ol’ fashion outdoor play remains a trend.

A few companies are honing in on kids’ ongoing affection for gardening and getting their hands dirty. Afterall, gardening with kids isn’t just a great lesson in a plant’s lifecycle and nourishment, but it’s also a rewarding and engaging experience for parents and kids. Gardening is a great way to get kids and parents to disconnect, and in the end, it gives them a sense of achievement.

In general, you don’t need much to garden, other than some seeds, dirt and gardening tools, but check out these great goodies geared to make gardening even more fun for kids.

Miracle-Gro Kids

Miracle-Gro Kits from Peachtree Toys is a new line of gardening kits for kids. With starter kits like the 3-n-1 Gardening Set, Terrarium and the Mini Greenhouse, among others, where kids can grow their own flowers or veggies with the Miracle-Gro Gro Mix. We’re typically organic and old school when it comes to gardening, so I’m a bit apprehensive about the fertilizers involved in Miracle-Gro. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the nifty kits in this line of gardening sets from Miracle-Gro Kids.

Growums

Growums are one of my favorite gardening kits for kids, yet. This new line of gardening kits includes six different sets: an Herb Garden, Pizza Garden, Salad Garden, Stir Fry Garden, Taco Garden and Ratatouille Garden that include coco or peat pellets that make these sets a bit more kid-friendly. Kids add water to the pellets and put them in a shallow dish. Once the peats are expanded, they add seeds and put the dish in the sun and wait for the seedlings to grow. And from there, the kids can plant their herbs and veggies in their garden. But what makes Growums so unique is the online element that engages kids by giving them tips and info from quirky characters like Elvis Parsley. (haha!) I love these sets, and can’t wait to see more from the Growums.

Buddy B Children’s Gardening Tools

Kid’s gardening tools are all over the home improvement stores, but if your kids are going to be doing some serious digging, much like mine does, I can’t speak highly enough about Buddy B Children’s Gardening Tools. These tools are scaled down replicas of the “real thing,” and they work so much better than the plastic kiddie versions you see everywhere. We have the hand trowel and kid’s shovel and I have to say, I probably use both of these tools as often as the kid himself. These tools come in handy and they’re great quality.

Burpee

Burpee gardening products are staples for many beginning and/or experienced gardener. The biodegradable seedling cups are great for kids, but I’m also a fan of their great selection of organic seeds and other gardening supplies. It’s my first season gardening on my own, and I’ve had great luck with the flowers so far and we’re crossing fingers on the the vegetables!

Sesame Street Introduces New Gardening Line

April 20, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Last year, Michelle Obama visited Sesame Street to tout the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Later in the year, the First Lady cultivated her own organic garden at the White House to further emphasize the value of healthy eating and gardening.

Since then, announcing her Let’s Move campaign, which focuses on combatting childhood obesity, Mrs. Obama has made it her mission to educate families and kids about making healthy choices, including cultivating your own seeds—figuratively and literally.

So, when Sesame Street, together with Ferry Morse, introduced their new line of gardening products geared to kids, the marketplace area at the Annual Easter Egg Roll was an impeccably-timed venue to help even more kids learn about gardening first hand. The kid and I had a fun time learning how to plant watermelon seeds, or um, excuse me—wataaaahmelons.

The Muppets of Sesame Street can be seen on packets of watermelon, pepper, sunflower, pumpkin, garden beans and tomato seeds, for parents and children to plant together. The new product line also features Sesame Street-themed gardening totes complete with an activity booklet, seeds, tools, labeling stakes and stickers, a mini garden kit and a mini greenhouse with recipe card.

Sesame Street’s new gardening line is a perfect way to encourage kids to be green while going green. As part of Sesame Street’s My World is Green and Growing initiative designed to support children’s innate curiosity about nature, each product includes educational materials that teach children how fruits and vegetables begin with seeds and grow to become food for the table. Additionally, it compliments Sesame Street’s ongoing Healthy Habits for Life initiative, helping children develop healthy lifestyles they can practice forever through fun and simple every day activities. Materials include a booklet with activities for children, planting tips for parents and healthy recipes parents and children can make and enjoy together. The following items are available now:

Seed Packets – $1.99
My First Mini Greenhouse – $4.99
My First Mini Garden – $5.99
My First Gardening Kit (tote) – $10.99

“Research shows that introducing young children to the natural world is the first step towards helping them develop a caring attitude towards the environment,” said Maura Regan, Sesame Workshop’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global Licensing states.

Be sure to head to Lowe’s to grab a few gardening items for the kids. I found them at the back of the store, close to the garden center. Though I wasn’t too impressed with the plastic Sesame Street gardening tools (though, they’d be perfect for the littlest gardeners), the kits do look cool. Even if you don’t pick up the tote or kits, the seed packets are reasonably priced at $1.99. We’ve got some peppers, sunflowers and green beans to plant! Let’s hope they fare better than our watermelon seeds which didn’t make it back from DC in tact!