HOW TO ENTERTAIN & EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN (AND YOURSELF!) DURING SELF-ISOLATION: Start your own at-home vegetable and herb Planter Box!
Looking for something fun, interactive, educational and GREEN that you and the family can enjoy together during these uncertain times? Why not try your hand (and your green thumb!) at your very own DIY Planter Box?
With families home for an undetermined number of weeks, we wanted to help provide you with tips and tricks on how to plant and nurture your very own at-home garden while educating yourself and your family all about the benefits of growing your own food and plants - for a greener, more sustainable future!
To start, first you will need to acquire your Planter Box or pots! This can be done in one of two ways:
- You can purchase a custom designed and built PGLC Planter Box Kit directly from us! Please email us at matt@precisiongrounds.ca or give us a call at 705-430-2121 and we can arrange to drop one off to you directly (zero contact!) See bottom of blog post for full details!
- Or, for a smaller scale option with the kids and using easily available materials, you can use large flower pots or other containers you have at home or that are available at your local hardware store (order online and do a quick pick-up or delivery). We like this guide to container vegetable gardening HERE.
Once you have your Planter Box frame or containers, all you need is a small outdoor space to place it and we’ll show you the rest! Please read the instructions below to get started:
STEP 1: Place it
Place your empty planter box or container where it will get rain and ideally a minimum of 3-4 hours of direct or indirect sun or light every day. Keep in mind that any trees on or beside your property will start growing leaves soon, so be prepared for them to cast a shadow once they are in full foliage! Be sure that you don’t need to move your planter once you have filled it with soil (it will be heavy!) so try out a few locations while it’s still empty first to find the sweet spot!
STEP 2: Fill it
Fill your planter box/container with triple-mix topsoil - this is the fun part! Let your kids use their little shovels, beach buckets or whatever you have available to scoop the soil in. Spread it out to create a fairly level surface - and you’re ready to start planting!
STEP 3: Plan it
This is an indoor activity. Sit down with your children to draw a large Planter Box frame on a sheet of paper. Standard outdoor planter boxes are typically 5 feet x 3 feet (unless you opt for a smaller size, like flower pots mentioned above), so have them measure and draw a shape to meet the correct measurements of your Planter Box to get started!
To determine which of your seeds you can plant around which date, check online at The Old Farmer’s Almanac for a comprehensive planting calendar, as well as other planting advice HERE. Select your location or region for the right planting calendar. This tells you when there is no longer a risk of frost, so that your seeds and plants have the best chance of growing.
Some vegetables also don’t like being transplanted, so you need to direct-seed them outdoors and as they are cold-hardy, you can seed them pretty early. For example:
- In April you can plant most root crops, such as carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, and parsnips, as well as onions and spinach. Crops like corn, beans, and peas are also best for direct-seeding.
- By the end of April into May, it is also safe to plant seeds for beets, carrots, corn, kale, lettuce, okra, potatoes, and after that many more vegetables.
Read and follow the instructions on your seed packets—each type of seeds need to be planted with different spacing and depths. Plan how many rows or sections of each herb or vegetable you would like, and draw it on your plan.
If you have some crafts materials at hand, like drinking straws or wooden sticks (e.g. toothpicks, lollipop sticks or wooden kebab skewers) you can craft little signs with labels to write on, so you know which seeds you planted where!
STEP 4: Plant it
Planting herb or vegetable seeds is a great and easy activity for the whole family and watching something grow is exciting and educational. First, make very shallow grooves or tiny ‘ditches’ in the soil. Then, follow the planting instructions on your seed packets; they will tell you how deep to plant (we are talking millimeters here) and how far apart to put the seeds.
You can simply use their finger to draw these grooves in your soil. Then, carefully sprinkle your seeds into the grooves, making sure not to sow seeds too closely together. Then stick your vegetable or herb labels in the soil where you planted each. After that, gently brush a little soil back over the seeds to cover them up. And finally, water your seeds just a little. Gently! You don’t want them to wash away.
Now close the planter screen firmly - or if you’re using your own pots or containers place one or several large clear plastic lids with holes over the top - so the wild kritters don't get into the box and disturb your seeds. Then, you have to be patient!!
STEP 5: Nurture it
This will be the hardest part: waiting to see the first seeds germinate and sprout a tiny green stem and leaves. It depends on the type of vegetable or herb seeds you planted and the amount of sun they get and can take anywhere from 5 to 10 days.
Now’s the exciting part… sit back and watch your handy-work come to LIFE right in your very own backyard (or front yard!) and feel GOOD about your contribution to a greener, healthier, more sustainable way of living!
Want help getting started!?
For anyone interested in purchasing a custom designed and built PGLC PLANTER BOX KIT, we would be happy to assemble a package for delivery directly to your doorstep (zero contact!) with all the necessities. Each PGLC custom built PLANTER BOX KIT will include:
- A custom built wood PGLC planter box, size 5’ x 3’
- Landscape fabric to line the inside of the planter
- Enough triple-mix planting soil to fill your planter
- A selection of seeds of your choice (up to 5 packs)!
- Instructions on how to plant seeds, help your greens grow and maintain them
To place an order with us directly please email us at matt@precisiongrounds.ca or give us a call at 705-430-2121 and we’d be happy to get you started on your DIY planter box journey!
Happy gardening!
Sincerely,
The Precision Grounds Team