Getting an Early Start with Seeds

Last year when we were on vacation in the Smoky Mountains, we stayed at this darling little cabin with the most wonderful owner, Diane.  She had an amazing garden and my daughter loved getting a tour through the flowers and the vegetables all growing together.  Diane had her trying things I had never even heard of before!  So we were inspired, and my daughter decided right then that she wanted to try a vegetable garden.


Now this is no easy task because our back yard is mostly shady.  There is very little sun, and where there is sun, I already have flower gardens.  Husband and I talked and decided we would give her this little plot of land that runs alongside our driveway by the neighbors fence. (minus the ladder, of course..roof issues)

She was thrilled and  has been talking about it all winter! We are working on getting a tiller so we can get it plowed up and hopefully a little fertilizer down before it is time to plant.

But in the meantime, we bought some seeds of various vegetables that we know we want.  I also purchased a little seed starter kit.  This is an excellent way to get your kids involved with the garden.  Give them ownership of this project!

We were completely amazed when sprouts started showing up within 3 days.  I think this helps keep the kids engaged because they can see so much progress in a short amount of time.  Below are the cucumbers in less than one week!

We set our garden in a sunny kitchen window, watering every day and watching!  We have starts for peppers, onions, lettuce, cucumbers, and cilantro.  I can almost taste the fresh salsa now.