A window sill can become very cluttered especially the kitchen window sill. However, window sill organic garden growing does not have to be done on the kitchen window sill. As long as the sill has a southerly aspect it will be suitable. They also vary greatly in width, but window sills can provide a fun platform for children to grow and watch plants develop.
There are a number of indoor growing kits on the market which are ideal for kids to start learning about food production. A kit will usually comprise a container, growing medium, and of course seeds. Mixing some organic compost with the growing medium will not only guarantee a good supply of nutrients but also help to prevent the growing medium drying out too quickly. The growing medium will 9 times out of 10 be an organic compound so you are assured of fresh nutritious organic crops. A popular idea is packets of a mixture of seeds of salad greens. The varieties available today make for interesting flavoured salads.
I recently bought a mixed packet containing Pak Choy Golden yellow, Mustard Red Frills, Greek Cress, Choy Sum and Mizuna. Literally a couple of weeks later they were ready for cropping and the variety of tastes in the leaves was a new experience to the taste buds. Another bonus is that with growing indoors it is possible to have fresh additions to your salads all the year round.
You can make the growing a joint project with the kids, even making it into a game to see who can spot the first seedling, keep a record of the number of seedlings popping up each day so it also becomes a mathematical learning process!
Other easy salad crops that lend themselves to window sill organic growing are curly cress and mustard cress. Sow the curly cress a couple of days ahead of the mustard cress so they are ready at the same time. All that is required is a shallow container. Line the bottom of it with kitchen roll and then wet it. Sprinkle a generous layer if seeds on it and literally watch the seeds sprout within days. The kids will actually see the young shoots break out of the seeds. A great learning experience.
A useful tip is that when watering your salad crops use tepid water rather than water straight from the cold water tap. You have to consider that when window sill organic garden growing the growing medium is going to get heated by the sun shining in (hopefully!!!) so watering with cold water can be a bit of a shock to the young seedling. They seem to do well on it!
The four key points to remember for the successful organic garden growing of easy salad crops are:
· Do not let the growing medium dry out
· Do not use a north facing window sill
· Use tepid water for watering
· Water around the seedlings rather than directly on to them
But above all have fun with your window sill organic garden growing and get the children involved as it will be a great learning experience and it will probably encourage them to eat salads.
Peter Womersley has over 30 years of organic gardening as a keen hobbiest gardener. He has published a book aimed at those who want to get started with an organic vegetable garden and writes regularly on his blog at http://theorganicgardenexposed.com. He has a wealth of experience covering conventional vegetable bed growing to raised beds and container growing of vegetables, the latter now being his main area of expertise. He has prepared an introductory video and a series of fact sheets which he is offering free to those interested in starting an organic garden at http://theorganicgardenexposed.com/becomeanexpert/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_C_Womersley
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