How Does My Garden Grow?

I have a friend, Rebecca, that comes across the neatest things on the internet - she is the one that sent me this:


http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/toyday/toyday-root-viewer

Teach your children where their food comes from with this ingenious product from Toyday. The clever design allows the developing plants to be seen right from sprouting to full harvest, making it an educational kit for all ages. The set includes three growing tubes, wooden stand, compost, seeds and full instructions to grow an onion, carrot and radish from the included seeds.Includes journal, to document the growing process.

I thought it was a great idea, but can't justify spending 7.99 (pounds, not US dollars :-) for it. However, I do try and get my daughter (and my little guy since he is now a toddler) involved in the garden. Last year she really enjoyed the cherry tomatoes we planted in pots on the deck:

This last picture captures my daughter's motto: "eat first, think later!" perfectly. I think she was a little surprised that the cherry tomatoes squirt when you bite into them.

And snap peas - she loved just eating them out of hand, right from the garden.

She was so enthusiastic and wanted to share with her Dad, but I think he would have preferred a salty snack, something that comes out of a foil bag versus some nice, crisp, organically grown veggies! I'm so proud that she actually considers fresh fruit and veggies an acceptable snack. I don't know how long it will last, but I'm grateful she is a good eater that way.

Oh, and how about this: a study from Colorado State University says that if you account for the material costs of producing vegetables for mass consumption, home gardening yields a twentyfold increase in value. Who knew?