Choose A Location 

When choosing a location for your garden (whether it's indoors or outdoors) there are a few things you will want to take into consideratio n. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding on where to plant:

  • Will you plant indoors or outdoors? Because you're working with children, you'll probably want to choose a location that will produce the most rewards in the shortest amount of time. For the majority of us, this means growing indoors during the winter months, on a windowsill, on top of the fridge or any place where there's plenty of direct sunlight and a relatively high amount of heat, because most plants require room temperature and at least 6-8 hours of direct light every day to flourish.
  • If you live in a sunny warm climate (lucky you!) growing outdoors might be a better choice.
  • If you grow outdoors, decide whether you'll plant directly in soil, or if you will use containers or raised boxes instead. Consider going "outside of the box" (literally) and using recycled containers or unconventional receptacles as planters. Get creative! Stephen's favorite planters are recycled bathtubs and toilets!
  • If you do decide to grow outdoors, make sure that your soil has good drainage. How can you tell if your soil has good drainage? After a good rainfall, check to see if any puddles remain. If there aren't any puddles, you've got good drainage. If there are puddles, consider choosing a different spot for your garden.
  • Remember: you can start your plants indoors, and then transplant them outdoors once it becomes warm enough, which could give new life to your garden project.
  • You might want to consider alternative options, like an aeroponic system, if you would prefer to grow indoors but still want to produce vegetables.
  • If you're not quite ready to plant anything just yet, consider designating a corner or section of your child's play area as a "Garden Corner". That way, even without planting a single seed, you can start talking about garden-related themes and slowly work towards growing your first plants once you're ready.