Sow, The Seeds Have Sprouted?

April 12, 2020

by Aaron Pflug • Kidzeum Staff

Hopefully, over the past week, Kidzeum has sown a seed or two of interest into your mind about gardening! It has been mentioned before but worth saying again: gardening is an awesome activity to take up with early learners…for a variety of reasons! And, if you happened to get some seeds started right at the beginning of the week, you may even be seeing things start to happen.

So, what now?

Well, once those seeds have sprouted and a little seedling has emerged (look for the true leaves!), it’s time to think about transplanting! If you’ve used a small starter container for your seeds, you may need to transplant your seedlings to a larger container before they are ready to head outdoors. Taking this important step ensures the root system of your seedling(s) have enough room to grow and be healthy!

The last step before your plants can be moved to a final home prepares your hitherto indoor plants for their new life outdoors. This process of hardening off your plants will gradually acclimatize your plants to the new environment and help minimize the risk of transplant shock. Do not skip this step!

Now that your healthy seedlings are being prepared for life outdoors, it’s the last best chance to think about containing them. If you have space for a garden, then you just need a plan for planting! But if you don’t, or just want to use containers for your flowers, herbs, or vegetables, keep an open mind about what you could use. You could make yourself a self-watering container or simply upcycle a coffee can! Essentially, if the root system of your plant has room to thrive and some mechanism (a hole in the bottom) for drainage exists, you’ve got a viable container. You’re ready to grow!

Use your imagination and be creative, and have fun arranging your garden, whatever shape or style it takes!

Then, at the end of the season, enjoy all the beautiful flowers, tasty vegetables, and aromatic herbs you grew. Take a moment to think back on all you and your growing green thumbs have learned and accomplished! You may find yourself already planning for the next year!