My youngest grandson loves carrots and asked last year if we could grow some of course I said yes and went online to see if growing them would get him the merit badge for Gardening. He has to grow 6 Vegies and 6 flowers, three of each from seed and three of each from seedlings. We went to the garden center last Saturday, bought seeds, plants, pots and soil...came home and got busy potting and planting. Grandson's Merit Badge garden ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) The veggie seeds are Carrots, Green Beans and Jalapeno peppers. He loves Carrots, his brother loves Green Beans and his Mom loves hot peppers. The green beans are not planted in the photo, he will be using a large pot and trellis his Mom already has on the patio. Veggie seedlings....Cherry tomato, regular Peppers and Strawberries. It was difficult finding another veggie that could be container grown and they would eat so I hope Strawberries will be approved. They live in an apartment so containers are a must. The flower seeds are Sunflower, Alyssum and Zinnia Flower seedlings are Marigold, Red Salvia and Dianthus. There are a few other requirements for the Badge that he and I will be working on throughout the summer and in the fall. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that he gets some veggies and flower for his hard work.
Gardening is in his genes! With you as a grandma, how can the boy fail? Of course he'll get his badge, and probably a commendation from the Boy Scout Council.
I'll second that Toni. He'll do well with everything he grows, without a doubt, and gain his badge with honours.
Thanks, he is really excited about being able to eat what he grows. But he really got excited about growing something that his older brother and Mom would want to eat. We are getting some heavy rain right now, I will have to call tomorrow to see how his plants are doing and remind him that we have plenty of time to reseed or buy more plants if the storms damage anything. Not sure about gardening in his future though, he has a problem getting his hands dirty (OCD runs wild through my family) I need to find him a pair of gloves and some gardening shoes.
I have faith that he will excel with his plants! Such a great learning experience... and extra special that he gets to share & learn with you!
Toni, You are the greatest Grams! I just read today (I was starting mine, first time to grow them) that salvia needs light to germinate. So don't cover the seeds. Sprinkle them on and a dampen them. After a few days press them into the soil, gently and keep them damp, cover them with a plastic cover if you need to. Good luck on all of them. you helped him make great choices!
