Grow with the Flow
Nine fun ways to fuel your favorite hobby even in winter.
Exercise your thumb green with nine fun indoor garden activities.
The yard might be snow-covered and the air a bit chilly, but you can still use your green thumb. For nature lovers, January, February and early March often spark impatience, but fret not— we’ve got you covered with gardening activities to pass the time until the ground thaws.
1 Be Scrappy
Wait, don’t throw out that carrot top! Many veggies and herbs—carrots, celery, ginger, potatoes, peppers, basil, radishes and more—are comeback champs, as long as you keep the right part of the plant (usually either the top or the seeds inside) to stick back in the soil. If you feel the need to do a little research on the subject before plunking that radish top into the dirt, you’ll find plenty of books and online materials on the subject. And best of all, it’s a zero-risk activity: There’s nothing to lose if no sprouts form, but you’ll have much to gain if they do.
2 Find Treasures
Even if it’s covered in snow, your yard provides a great pastime: wreath-making. Head outside and grab red dogwood and a few birch branches—and some berries from the garden or a craft store—to construct a nifty, one-of-a-kind decoration that makes a great conversation piece or holiday present. To make the final product even more eye-catching, add a few dried flowers from last summer’s garden.
Try a Mushroom Kit
A mushroom kit, like this one from Back to the Roots (backtotheroots.com), offers an enjoyable, uncomplicated way to grow food in winter. These kits typically include a box or a log already seeded with spores. Keep the kit moist and at a constant temperature to see results with fun, edible varieties like shiitake and black oyster. Mushroom kits are low-maintenance and don’t require the same weeding or watering a garden does, but with so many types available, you might find your family’s new favorite ingredient.
4 Become a Bookworm
With plenty of wonderful titles available, there’s no time quite like winter to curl up with a blanket and a good book—and no matter your level of gardening experience, there’s always something new to discover. Buffalo-style Gardens by Sally Cunningham and Jim Charlier, Edible Paradise by Vera Greutink and Plant Parenting by Leslie F. Halleck (above) are a few fabulous titles to sit down with.
5 Dream Big
It’s never too early to start planning for that wonderful spring thaw, so take the opportunity to write down your plans for the warmer seasons. Draw a diagram of where certain plants could go, research new ideas and circle your must-haves in catalogs. As long as the ground isn’t covered, go outside and take measurements of your garden, too, to make sure you’re using every inch available.
6 Get Crafty
If your pots are in need of some upkeep, it’s the perfect time to tidy them up, or even make them dazzling. Remodel your plants’ spring and summer homes with paint or mosaic tiles, convert their base to a chalkboard with special types of paint, artfully cover them in newspaper or coordinate their decoration to match the plants you’re planning
to place in them. Newly bedazzled pots make great gifts! This applies to tools, too; you can decorate their handles with paint or glitter.
7 Do a Check-up
Winter is a perfect time to evaluate your houseplants and give them the care they might have lacked during the summer months. Determine whether they’re getting enough water and sunlight, make sure they’re bug-free and healthy, and divide or repot them in late winter. Fertilize houseplants that are still growing in spring. If you’re yearning for another indoor plant pal, the chilly winter months could be a good time to rescue one from store shelves.
8 Get a Head Start
Some plants need to be started in winter to grow in summer. If you’re yearning to plant something that’ll stay with you through the next few seasons, get going on next year’s crop. Veggies like spinach, kale or cabbage can be started indoors during winter. For maximum ease, use biodegradable pots that can be planted directly into the spring soil with your chosen vegetables.
9 Make Your Own Terrarium
• Place small pebbles at the bottom of a clear glass container for drainage. Add a layer of activated charcoal, which will absorb odors and keep the terrarium fresh. • Add potting soil. If you want to grow succulents or cacti, mix soil with sand using a funnel. Create layers of potting soil, sand, colored pebbles, etc. • Choose a selection of small, slow-growing plants and plant them. Let your imagination help create a miniature world. Cacti and succulents are ideal for uncovered terrariums. Or use ferns, baby’s tears, variegated spider fern, nerve plant or black mondo grass in a covered terrarium. • Make the planting your own by adding sea shells, colored beach glass or figurines. • Place terrarium in indirect sunlight. Too much light can burn plants.
• Uncovered terrariums need very little water. Check the soil and water just enough to moisten the potting mix.•
Winter is Emily Hannemann’s favorite season, but as an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast, she’s right there with gardeners, wishing for spring.