TodayKids can garden, too
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Article RatingIf you love to garden, why not teach kids to enjoy gardening by starting seeds with them.
You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment. I have seen it done using an egg shell that has a small hole drilled in it for drainage. These are put in an egg carton and filled with a potting soil mix.
You can use any other kind of containers you want as long as it has a drainage hole.
Use a seed potting soil mix in your container and fill the container almost to the top and wet the mix so it will settle. You should use the seed of something they will want to grow.
Annual flowers like marigolds and zinnias can easily be started this way. You can also start vegetables like tomatoes in any container with kids and then transplant them when they get bigger.
Planting the seed
The seed can be placed on the top of the potting mix and pressed lightly into the soil. Sprinkle a light covering of potting soil over the seed and water it again.
Place it in a well-lit window sill or if you have a shop light or a desk lamp, the seeded containers can be placed under the light. The closer they can be to the light, the better quality of light the newly emerging plant will receive.
As the plant grows, keep the light about one to two inches from the light.
Explain to your children that light helps the plant produce food from the chlorophyll that makes a plant green. Without good light, the plant will grow too tall and have a weak stem.
When the seedlings have the first set of leaves, they can be transplanted into another container, such as peat pots. Continue to help them with their plants and show them how to tell if the seedlings need water.
Once the danger of frost has passed, around mid-May, help them plant their new plant outside in a flower bed or in their garden.
Encourage them to take care of the plant and fertilize, and water them as they need it. Gardening has been a traditional activity that has been passed down from one generation to the next. Be sure to pass your love of gardening by teaching some young people.
Poisonous houseplants
You would not likely go around your house and eat your houseplants, but young children and pets might.
Do you know if you have a poisonous houseplant in your home? It is important to know the names of the plants you purchase and bring into your home.
But it is also important to know that even if a plant is considered poisonous, most plants may only cause a mild stomach ache or skin rash or swelling of the mouth, throat and for many, you need to eat a large quantity of the plant.
To review a few that you may bring into your home, let’s start with philodendron. Most people have this in their home. Others you might find include: daffodil, dumb cane, elephants ear, English ivy, hyacinth or mountain laurel and yew, which are often found in Christmas greens. This list is not a complete list of all poisonous houseplants.
One that people will often think is poisonous is poinsettia, which is not poisonous, but its sap can cause irritation. This is also true of weeping and fiddle leaf fig, piggyback plant and wandering jew.
Sensitivities
It is important to mention that some people can be sensitive to a plant, even if it is not considered poisonous.
If someone has a reaction to a plant, you should contact your local doctor. If you can’t reach your doctor you can call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.
If you don’t know the name of your plant which you are concerned about, it being a problem plant, go to a local shop that deals with houseplants and see if you can find one there with a label on it to identify it.
Coming events
* Natural and Organic Beef Production Meeting, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 23, Lancaster Farm & Home Center, Call Lancaster Extension Office at 394-6851.
* Hands-on Pruning Workshop, 9:30-11:30 a.m. March 1, sponsored by Franklin County Master Gardeners.
* Franklin County area turf and ornamental meeting, begins at 8:30 a.m. March 10, sponsored by Franklin County Cooperative Extension and held at Penn State Mont Alto campus. For more information call 263-9226.
* Franklin County 4-H Pig Club reorganization meeting, 7:30 p.m. March 17 at the Franklin County Cooperative Extension office, 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg.
-- By Robert Kessler, Franklin County Cooperative Extension agent
