Sometimes the weather isn’t right for outside gardening. Sometimes you don’t have access to a garden. Sometimes you want to try something new to get your kids interested in growing things. Here are three things you can grow without leaving your house.
You could get your kids to help you make lemon curd too. They’ll certainly help you eat it.
Have you planted your garlic yet? Is there room in your life for a Rhode Island Red rooster?
sprout your own
Grow your own sprouts from seed. In about a week you’ll have something interesting to add to your salad. I’ve tried lentil, radish, mustard and now brocolli. Fenugreek is growing as I write. Rinse and drain them twice a day. Kings Seeds sells both the mesh jar-lids and seeds or Commonsense Organics in Wellington has a range of sprouters and seeds. A jam jar with a piece of muslin tied over the top will do just fine.
windowsill herbs
Dig up some herbs and plant them in pots on your windowsill or buy some from the supermarket and pot them up in bigger pots to give them a longer life. I’ve got chives, parsley and marjoram.
homegrown mushrooms
Grow your own mushrooms. If you’re in the Wairarapa, Parkvale sells a bucket for $15 or in Hawke’s Bay you can find them from Mytopia at the Hastings Farmers’ market. Mushroom Gourmet has a variety of mushroom kits for sale by mail order. I noticed Palmers Garden centre in Plimmerton stocks their oyster mushroom kit.
