Indoor Herb Garden

Prepare your containers
If you and your child decide to have more than one kind of herb to grow, be sure to have multiple containers to separate each plant to avoid competition for water and nutrients. Once you have your containers, poke small holes in the bottom of your containers to allow for drainage.

Decorate!
Give your child markers or stickers to decorate the containers to make them extra special!

Filling the containers
Lay out newspaper or a large towel on a table. With a spoon or gardening trowel, help your child fill each container with potting soil or compost from your worm bed or local garden center. Fill a small watering can or cup with just the right amount of water and help your child water the soil in each container. Let sit for 20-30 minutes.

Label
If you have more than one kind of herb, you can label each plant with popsicle sticks! Then give your child the marker and they can decorate each stick! Or use the package that the seeds came in. A fun ideas is to print out a picture of what the plant will look like and paste the picture on the stick. This helps children know what to expect.

Plant your seeds
Follow the directions on the package of your seeds and help your child place the seeds in the soil and cover them up back up with soil.

Water your garden!
Help your child add a little water to the soil after you have planted the seeds, using a spray bottle or filling a watering can with just the right amount of water. Explain to your children that the soil should be moist, but not soggy, give the plants a little shower. Show your child how to see if the plant is "thirsty" by pressing your finger in the soil - if the soil sticks to your finger, it doesn't need water; if the soil comes off easy, it does need water. Add a little water to each plant every other day while the garden is growing.

Sunshine
Place your pots in a sunny windowsill.

Watch and Wait
Observe your plants daily with your child. Maybe have a piece of paper to help keep track of each plant and how long it takes before you see a sprout! Observe with your child - this tiny seed is kind of like you - growing!