DIY Herb Garden
Bottle up some windowsill fun with this "green" family project
On April 22 of this year, millions from far and wide will celebrate the earth and look to sustainable ways to live each and every day with Earth Day. To pay homage to this day, we decided to cultivate green thumbs far and wide with a self-watering garden that is green in every sense of the word. All you need are a few plastic bottles to start. Enlist your children to help and you can help them develop their gardening skills and experience some tasty homegrown flavors along the way.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
Marker
Sturdy 1-liter plastic bottles with caps
Utility knife
Scissors
Potting soil
Herb seedlings (often found in supermarkets" produce sections)
HOW TO MAKE YOUR HERB GARDEN
1. For each planter, mark a line roughly 5 inches up from the base of the bottle. Using a utility knife and scissors, cut all the way around the bottle at the mark. Remove any labels on the bottle.
2. With the cap in place, invert the bottle"s top portion and insert it into the base. Fill it partway with soil. Transplant a seedling, adding soil and pressing it gently until the seedling is secured in the planter.
3. Lift out the soil-filled top portion and remove the cap. Add about an inch of water to the planter"s base, enough to cover the lip of the inverted bottle top when you replace it. Give the seedling some more water to help it get established, and then place it in a sunny spot. Following the care instructions that came with the herb, add water as needed to the planter's base.
