Children, when given the chance, love to garden; however, circumstances may curtail their green thumbs in the great outdoors. If access to an actual garden setting isn't feasible, encourage your child to plant seeds from the foods you eat. Along with being another form of recycling, this makes a great science project. The initial work and ongoing maintenance isn't time consuming and the results can be very rewarding for anyone, not just children.

Citrus fruit seeds such as lemon or grapefruit that are planted in a pot of moist soil/compost mixture should sprout and grow into esthetically pleasing shrubs. They may even grace their foliage with flowers; however it is uncommon for either of them to bear fruit.

Pomegranates are fun to grow! You might call them a shrub, but with some nurturing, you will have a tree with tiny reddish leaves. If you live in a climate that is quite hot or you are able to keep you plant in a hot environment, you may even get flowers. Here again, the fruit is elusive. At various times, your pomegranate tree may lose all of its leaves. This is a normal event for this plant and it will survive to produce more foliage.

All of these fruity shrubs can be embraced quite nicely in any decor. While the weather is warm, you may even want to include them as part of your outside deck or patio greenery. They do need to be moved to a heated greenhouse or back into the house when the days start to turn cool. Bringing the shrub indoors should also be considered if Mother Nature decides to offer a prolonged period of cold, rainy weather.

Other fruit seeds to be considered are kiwi and grape as both will provide you with climbing vines. Once established, place their pots at the bottom of a trellis or arbor and train them to climb. Grapes should produce flowers and possibly a fruit of sorts. The grape leaves are also be used in preparing some Greek recipes; and, in the fall, you will not be disappointed with their explosion of colour.

The next time you are eating peanuts from the shell, carefully remove a few and plant them in your window box. Should they germinate, the leaves will look like clover and the flowers will remind you of sweet peas. If the plant has adequate root room, it may even produce a small crop of underground nuts.

NOTE: To clean food seeds prior to planting, wash them in a dish of warm water using your fingers as agitators. Drain the water off through a piece of cheesecloth. This will ensure you catch the small seeds. Place cleaned seeds between pieces of paper towel and pat dry.

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Other Related Articles and Pages.

Amaryllis | Kitchen Tips | Outside Tips | Watering While Away | Preserving Flowers | Composting | Side Gardens | Bug Companions | Flower Dictionary | Trellises | Watering Tips & Saving | Bulb Planting | Pond Making Basics | Container Gardening | Avocado Shrubs | Side Gardens | Climbers & Vines | Transplanting Tips | Herbs in Strawberry Pots

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