Our girls love the outdoors and are really keen on gardening. For years my thoughts were that I was not green-fingered. Indoor plants, flowers and very low maintenance outdoor plants are my safe territory. However, our girls just would not let us stay in that ‘safe’ territory because of their keen interest in gardening or more like planting.
Our first attempt
Our first attempt at gardening was interesting. Armed with a long shopping list and full of excitement we made several visits to our local garden centres. We had even created a vegetable patch in the garden easy for the wide variety of seeds to be sown.
Needless to say that the only seed that grew and we managed to harvest from the patch was spinach! It was an epic fail or better put, we learnt one way not to approach gardening!
Keeping on top of the weeding and giving the seeds some TLC just did not happen with our super manic work and weekend schedule at the time. That was 2 years ago!
Giving it another go
Early this year, we planted some daffodils and tulips and to the girls excitement and our amazement, they all grew and bloomed. That gave us the motivation to try again.
The girls wanted us to plant some vegetables so that they could see how these made their way into dishes that ultimately ended up on the dinner table. This was further solidified by an Instagram post by @abookandme in which the book “The Boy Who Grew A Forest” was featured. Our girls loved the book and the timing was just too much of a coincidence. So, try again we did!
This time around, we decided that we would start off gradually. The girls had decorated some plant pots we got them the previous year and which they thoroughly enjoyed painting. We agreed that we would plant some flowers in those.
An informed shopping list
With the last failure still fresh in my mind, we carefully selected just a few vegetables (seeds) and also researched online for some handy tips. I must add that our shopping list was a lot shorter this time round.
– Seeds – cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, spinach and a tomato and trio of naga chilli, habanero (scotch bonnet) and cayenne starter grow set which came complete with seeds, pots and soil
– Plant pots – mini size, medium and large
– Compost – the right soil is needed for growth
Other items we already owned:
– Garden tools and gloves
– A mini greenhouse
Let’s get planting
We prepped our mini plant pots with compost and added a couple of seeds to it. We labelled each pot so we could distinguish each plant. All the pots were watered lightly and carefully placed in Ziploc bags. The bags were then placed in the airing cupboard where the temperature was consistently warm. The girls were so keen we checked them daily sometimes twice in a day.
Just like magic, the seedlings began to pop to the surface. You should have seen how our girls faces shone with excitement. As each seedling appeared, we popped the pots on the windowsill to be exposed to light.
We literally treated each plant like a baby ensuring that it was watered adequately and getting plenty of sunlight. As the seedlings grew they were repotted into bigger sized pots.
We are looking forward to cooking a lovely pot of Efo riro (a rich Nigerian soup made with spinach and an assortment of meat).
Life lessons
The experience was a lesson for the girls and myself and a reminder to:
- Always have a positive mindset and never give up on something you want to achieve. Go for it even if you failed the first time.
- Never say “I can’t” rather, ask the question “How can I get the results/outcome I want?”
- Even when you think something is not working keep at it. Do not give up, just keep trying – the seeds when sown did not grow overnight, it took a few days and some up to 2 weeks. Remember “Rome was not built in a day!”. Be patient.
- When you do get the results, keep practising. Look for ways to be better – now the seedlings have appeared we cannot stop nurturing the plant. We have to carry on until the fruits appear. This one was for Noré our 7 year old encouraging her to keep practicing her musical instruments
- 1 seed grows into a plant which will in turn bear fruits with several seeds. It does not stop here. The seeds from those fruits can then be replanted to bear more seeds. This one is for us as parents and I mentioned it in the last blog post because I think it is such a powerful imagery. Our children are like these seeds and it is important that we fan the flames of their purpose and potential.
This is how a fun-filled planting activity became a conduit for teaching our family huge life lessons. Is there a family activity that did not go so well the first time around? Give it another try, you will most likely succeed and find joy in it too!
xoxo
