Friday, January 8, 2010

gardening indoors....

I saw this post this morning and it inspired some creativity on my part. We have become weary of indoor play and craft projects. Another day at home with single digit temps at the start. It's brutal and it's not as if there is any snow to actually play in. Our spinach and arugula has frozen under the frame. The kids were bummed. I was bummed. This many weeks of such cold temps are just not the norm around here.


So this little project was a perfect way for the kids and I to reconnect with our little gardening souls. A sweet potato and an avocado.... that's what we had in the house. I looked here and scrolled down to discover how to plant an avocado. I dug out my bulb forcing vases. We also planted the amaryllis bulb given to us. We had leftover dirt from the kit, so we found another vase and started brainstorming what else we could plant. We got out the leftover seed packets, and were fingering through them. I looked up. A rosemary stalk blossoming tiny perfect lavender blue buds. Ah ha! We had rescued it from the snow where it had been smashed and broken to the ground. We cut it's end and placed it in pot of dirt. (I'll ask my husband for some rooting hormone when he comes home. It should give it a stronger start.)

It felt so lovely to have dirt on our hands. My six year old told my three year old about how plants need water, light, and dirt to grow. Then we marvelled that the avocado and the sweet potato would root and grow without dirt. They named our new friends, Mrs. Avocado Egg and Mr. Potato Head. Perfect, don't you think?

Now we get to watch them grow when nothing outside is sprouting right now. The anticipation and the excitement got me all jazzed up too. I can't wait for warmer temperatures. Last year in February we were turning beds and planting potatoes. I can feel Mrs. A.E and Mr. P.H. growing as I write. Can you?

4 comments:

Melissa said...

My mom has a compulsion to plant every seed that comes from something we eat-- and haul the results on every move we make! We have an avacado tree that is probably 10 feet tall-- she has to keep lopping off the top so it can stay in the house-- growing in her dining room. I know what you mean about dirt-- the smell of just-turned-over earth is soul-food to me.

Jen said...

My fingernails are clean and jealous! I have a half used bag of potting soil in my laundry room and every night when I go in there, I gaze longingly at it! I miss being outside so badly! Mine lack of, however, isn't due to frigid temps but job.

Enjoy your rooting experiments! I do hope they turn out great!

Happy weekend,
Jen

jennifer said...

Just use your gorgeous honey instead of rooting hormone!! It will make a nice seal on the end and feed it good stuff while it's starting to grow! Make sure you use a dibber(pencil, stick etc)to make your planting hole first so the dirt doesn't get jammed on the end of the cutting. I know you probably do that already.
Can't wait to hear how it goes. Yesterday when I came back from the beach i had to use my damp sarong to protect the chard which was wilting in the strong sun. We really are at opposite ends of the earth!
love you,
jennifer

Cheryl Arkison said...

Turning beds in February? You are officially not allowed to complain about winter anymore.