What You Need
- 3 empty 4.23 oz. or 6.75 oz. Juicy Juice® boxes
- Safety scissors
- Craft knife
- 1 can of fast-dry enamel paint
- Cellophane tape
- 1 – 2 (dry) quart bag of pea gravel
- 1 – 4 (dry) quart bag of seed starting mix
- Bucket or old bowl
- Water
- 3 kinds of herb seeds (available in packets at nursery)
- 3 dried bay leaves (available in spice section of grocery store)
- Waterproof marker
- Craft glue
- Plastic wrap
- Raffia
- 1 – 7 inch saucer for herb garden pot
How To Do It
- Using scissors or a craft knife, cut the bottoms off of the 3 Juicy Juice boxes.
- Turn the boxes upside down (the cut edge will now become the top of the herb pot). With scissors, cut a slit about 3/4 inch long at each corner. Fold each edge to the inside of the carton and secure with a piece of tape. Repeat with remaining boxes.
- Make sure the juice straw holes are open. These will be the “drains” for each pot.
- PARENTS ONLY: Take the three prepared boxes to a well-ventilated area and spray with fast-dry enamel. Let dry for several hours before planting.
- Place about a 1/4 inch layer of pea gravel in each “pot.”
- In a bucket or bowl, mix about 4 cups of seed starting mix with enough water to make it very moist.
- Fill each pot to within 1/2 inch of top edge with the wet mixture.
- Sprinkle a few seeds on top, then cover with about 1/8 inch more of the mixture.
- Using a marker, write the name of each herb you have planted on a dried bay leaf.
- Attach the bay leaves to the front of the pots with glue.
- Place a small piece of plastic wrap over the top of each pot and tie with raffia.
- Place a layer of pea gravel in the pot saucer and set the pots on top.
- Set the planter in a sunny place where it gets light from a window.
- Remove the plastic wrap after the seedlings appear.
- Thin the seedlings to one or two plants.
Follow-Up Fun
- In the spring or summer, once the herbs begin to outgrow their “pot,” transplant them to a sunny location in an outdoor garden.
- Have the children help find a recipe that uses the herbs you have grown.
- Play the Smelling Guessing Game. Have your children close their eyes and after smelling each herb, have them guess its name.
