SHARED by: Robynne Heymans, Garden Designer at Sprout Home

Spring is the time to sow seeds in edible gardens. Since many people in New York don’t have access to outdoor space, we created a kid-friendly windowsill garden with a small footprint packed with nutritious, homegrown food.

We started with a windowsill greenhouse and seed starting mix to get the seeds off on the right foot. Fill the cardboard tray with seed starting mix and saturate with water to prepare the soil for the seeds, dumping out any excess water.

Sprinkle the seeds according to their directions; lettuce is either scattered on the surface or pushed into the soil about ¼ inch then covered lightly. The packet will let you know how deep to plant, and how many days until the seeds will emerge, usually around 5-10 for lettuce.

Place the clear lid over the tray and leave it in a warm place out of direct sunlight. Check the seedlings every few days until they begin to sprout, then put the container in a sunny spot and prop the lid open slightly until the sprouts are big enough to move into a permanent home.

We used a long teak box customized with a broad white stripe on top; you can use any well-draining container, and paint it with the kids! Fill it with food-grade organic potting mix, staying away from brands with a lot of additives like ‘soil wetting agents’ etc. The cardboard cups break apart easily and can be planted directly into the box. Make sure to space about an inch or two between spinach and arugula plants. Baby lettuce and micro greens can be sown straight into the box.

Make sure to keep in a sunny spot and maintain moist soil similar to a well wrung-out sponge. Harvest by cutting or pinching the leaves off for instant salads and re-seed directly into the box as necessary for year-round goodness.

Sprout Home NYC is located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Chicago. They believes that a modern aesthetic can live  in both the home and garden. Their brick and mortar stores were created to bring about a fresh concept to the home garden center – by bridging design and flora. For great tips and information, visit their blog. You can also find them on Instagram (@sprouthomebrooklyn) and Twitter (@sproutbrooklyn).

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