Instant Garden

It’s springtime, and to little ones planting a garden, it may seem those seeds take forever to come up! My kids occasionally poked their finger impatiently into the soil to fish out a pea seed just to make sure it was actually sprouting! We always plant radishes so they get a quick reward for their labor, but it still takes a couple of weeks.

Here’s an instant garden that kids enjoy growing! They can actually see the seeds sprouting, and it only takes a few days until you can eat them on sandwiches instead of lettuce.

Here’s what you need:

*quart jar

*clean nylon stocking

*alfalfa seeds or wheat kernels

Here’s how to grow an “Instant Garden”:

Wash out the jar. You can use a plastic mayonnaise jar or a glass canning quart bottle. Put 1/4 cup of alfalfa seeds or 1 cup wheat kernels into the jar and fill the jar halfway full of tap water. Measure about 4″ down from the toe of a nylon stocking and cut it off. Pull the nylon stocking snugly over the jar opening, securing with a rubber and or a canning lid ring. Let this set on the counter over night.

In the morning, turn the jar upside down and let the water drain out. Fill the jar again with tap water (through the nylon stocking), swirl around to rinse, and then turn the jar upside down to drain. You can rest the jar tilting in your dish drain or in a pan on your counter to make sure all the water drains out.

Morning and evening, rinse and drain your sprout garden again. Or you can do it at every mealtime, if it is easier to remember. Don’t let the jar lay on its side, or water will pool in the jar and mold your seeds. You want to give them a drink and then let them drain completely between rinsing.

Alfalfa sprouts are the most miraculous, as they are so very tiny and they sprout long and turn green and edible in a short time. Kids like the taste and they are fun to put on sandwiches. Store them in the fridge after they have reached 2″ in length to stop growth.

Wheat kernels sprout quickly (2 days) and are sweet and chewy. Eat them before they turn green. As soon as a little white spout is 1/4″-1/2″ long, they are ready. They are a great tuna fish extender.