Indoor Gardening

Bring the Fun Inside

By Donna Stone

Is winter wearing you down? The kids can't wait for spring? Then why not bring a little spring indoors? Children of all ages love to nurture growing things. You can grow your own indoor garden with common food items, many of which you may have in your refrigerator and pantry. Children are always fascinated by watching vegetables sprout, even if they don't always want to eat them!

Regular white potatoes will grow vines with dark green leaves, and they're sturdy, attractive and easy to grow. Caution: The potato is a member of the nightshade family. The leaves of the potato plant are poisonous if eaten.

You'll need:
An oblong potato
A large jar with a mouth large enough to put your potato through
Toothpicks

Sometimes potatoes bought at the supermarket have been sprayed with a substance to keep them from sprouting. Wash and scrub your potato well to make sure it will sprout. Fill the jar with water. Cut off one end of the potato. Stick three or four toothpicks around the middle of your potato piece to hold the top of it up out of the water. Place the potato in the jar, with the cut side in the water. There need to be some "eyes" beneath the water. Put the jar where it can receive light, but not in direct sunshine.

In about a week white, stringy roots will start to grow from the bottom half of the potato. Soon after roots grow, the leaves will begin to appear on the top half of the potato. Keep the jar filled with water, changing the water if it becomes cloudy. You can move your plant to a larger jar if it grows too big for the one it is in. A sweet potato or yam makes a purple vine, and can be grown using the same procedure.

Want to see more?

• Plant the top of the carrot, but use the bottom to make a healthy Carrot Drink.
• How Does Your Garden Grow? Teaching Your Child the Art of Gardening
• Talk about it!