Transcript
Plant People: I suddenly wanted to start singing the girls are back in town. um
Jessica : All
Plant People: But yeah, welcome to a girls only episode of Hort Culture. We are doing, if you've not heard yet, we're doing some kind of some special episodes over the holidays and just kind of piecing them out.
Plant People: So ah make sure that Jessica and I's episodes get more five stars than Brett and Ray's episodes because we're your
Jessica : right, we want to make them jealous.
Plant People: Yeah, we're your favorites. Even though we know Brett has this like very soothing voice, um whatever. We're more fun, right? So that's what counts.
Jessica : We are. We're the fun ones.
Plant People: ah
Jessica : They'll never admit that, but they know deep down.
Plant People: We have the most hair of the group. So I feel like, yeah, yeah.
Jessica : That is true. and reach true.
Plant People: Therefore, we are the best. But what you know if they're listening right now, they're a little offended. Ha ha. I don't care.
Jessica : yeah
Plant People: Have you been eating too many sweets, Jessica? Because
Jessica : Well, ah just yes, yes. The answer is yes. um
Plant People: the answer is yes.
Jessica : I was trying to make some sort of joke, but it did not come out right. And I was going to say something along the lines of that. I have been eating gingerbread men for a breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Somebody offered me one yesterday and I was like, they're like do you want a gingerbread men?
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : Even though we already had some other sort of dessert. And I was like, well, yes, I have had gingerbread men for breakfast, lunch, and dinner since last Friday. <unk> And today is Thursday. So that's almost a full week of gingerbread men.
Plant People: There's never never too much gingerbread men.
Jessica : Right.
Plant People: i yeah
Jessica : Oh, no, bring it on. It's tis the cookie baked good season.
Plant People: Cookie season, yeah. And like it doesn't exist. to like Sugar intake doesn't exist on holiday. But yes, my my best friend, shout out Victoria. she her Her thing is she makes a mixed cookie box for all of her friends and puts them in the mail. And yeah.
Plant People: So I pretty much eat some sort of cookie, blondie, brownie, whatever, um just about every morning with my coffee.
Plant People: And then I'm like, m just like a little sweet treat.
Jessica : Nice.
Plant People: I'm in that every, it used to be like after dinner, you have a sweet treat. And now I'm in the phase of every time I basically eat something savory, I have to have a little sweet treat afterwards, which turns into multiple times a day, sweet treats.
Jessica : Right.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Right. We were sent, ah my husband has a lot of out of state relatives and they very nice and send us like some gifts. And one of them sent some Kringles this year.
Jessica : Have you ever had a Kringle, a Danish Kringle?
Plant People: oh Oh, I don't, I don't think so.
Jessica : It's kind of like a Danish that's like in re... in Yeah.
Plant People: To start, think Danish. Uh-huh.
Jessica : think Danish. ah In like a wreath form.
Plant People: huh Okay.
Jessica : so ah So we...
Plant People: Okay. Okay.
Jessica : they One of his aunts sent us a two pack of that. And in the years past, I felt like they've lasted a lot longer.
Plant People: okay
Jessica : But I got home home i got home yesterday and I was like, well, there is literally like one tiny piece of the first Kringle left.
Plant People: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Jessica : And this it was a ginger It was also a gingerbread-flavored one. um Apparently that's our theme this year. And ah the other one was like a cinnamon one.
Jessica : And we are very pro cinnamon in our house. Like if you know my children, those of you who do, my one son loves to douse oatmeal and cinnamon, like full layer of cinnamon on top of it.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Plant People: this is
Jessica : So we use a lot of cinnamon in our house, but it was cinnamon flavor.
Plant People: but
Jessica : Like think of big red gum. Right? Is that the right brand?
Plant People: Oh, okay.
Jessica : Like that kind.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : So we've all tried it and we were all like, hmm, let's eat the gingerbread man one first.
Plant People: Yeah. Interesting.
Jessica : Because we all thought, yes, but yeah, we all thought the other one, you know, they'd be all about, but it, that big, rua yeah, yeah.
Plant People: Which also has lots of cinnamon in it.
Plant People: It's a smidge too cinnamony, huh?
Jessica : so
Plant People: Cinnamon has been my go-to. Usually I'm like a ah mint gum person. I love the flavor of spearmints and what peppermints and stuff. But man, I've been hitting the cinnamon lately.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: Altoids. Listen, did you bring back Altoids?
Jessica : What?
Plant People: I mean, I know they're i know they're not at like gone.
Jessica : Oh.
Plant People: I know they still exist because I just bought them the other day. But I was like looking for a pack of gum and i was like – Altoids. What? Why don't I do that anymore? So here we are. I'm just like, just a cinnamon girly lately.
Plant People: Me and your kids.
Jessica : Oh, yeah. We have it like this cinnamon syrup that's used for like baking, but also to put it like in coffee or drizzle.
Plant People: you
Jessica : It's like for like coffee or drizzle on top of pancakes.
Plant People: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Plant People: Okay.
Jessica : Pretty good.
Plant People: Okay.
Jessica : So lots of cinnamon.
Plant People: Once again, I say I would love to be a Besson family household because she makes all kinds of good stuff. Cinnamon rolls. Apparently they have cinnamon syrup. I mean, the kids get to chug honey directly out of the bears.
Plant People: i like to To be a Besson child sounds pretty top-notch in my opinion.
Jessica : Oh, yes. i
Jessica : Right. They don't know how good they have it.
Plant People: Yeah.
Plant People: These, you know, these millennial parents, they're doing it right. I'm i'm proud of you. um But and speaking of your fabulous kids, I heard that they had some wisdom and tips for how to garden and do gardening things with your children.
Jessica : um Thank you. Thank you.
Plant People: I heard your oldest has some tips.
Jessica : Yeah. Yeah. So that kind of leads into today. We're going to talk about like some garden things you can do with kids. And especially if you are a parent, and if this comes out when we think it's planning to come out, you might be stuck with your kids over winter break and need something to do with them. So hopefully this will be a helpful episode.
Jessica : But my oldest, i was my oldest is five, and I have already brainwashed my child into being
Plant People: as As is your right.
Jessica : a plant a plant baby, right? Like he is he is all about it already. And I asked him today, like, what should we talk about? Like, what should I share that might be fun? And two things he told me. One was a suggestion of like taking your kids out and planting hundreds of flower bulbs with them.
Jessica : And I was like, don't think that's fun for everybody, sweetheart. that's That's just us.
Plant People: But it could be, it could be.
Jessica : It could be. It could be. um But the other thing was he wanted to share with this morning was he said, you need to tell the people that, and I'll put my finger up for those watching on video because he he shook his finger.
Plant People: I love it. Yes, those of you watching YouTube, this is good.
Jessica : He said, you need to tell them you plant the plants and then you don't pull the plants up. Because that's what Benny does, his three-year-old brother. And he's like, but I don't.
Jessica : I don't pull the plants up, but Benny does.
Plant People: Of course not.
Jessica : So tell the people to plant the plants and then not pull them up and let them grow.
Plant People: Of course not.
Jessica : So very passionate about that.
Plant People: Reasonable ask, I believe.
Jessica : Right?
Plant People: Very reasonable.
Jessica : Good advice.
Plant People: Very good advice.
Jessica : Very sound advice from a five-year-old.
Plant People: Yes.
Jessica : Leave the plants alone.
Plant People: We tend to like the things that we plant to stay planted. ah
Jessica : Right. Don't pull him out. He had an unfortunate experience with planting onions in a container that he was very excited about because my kids are also odd, as in they love to eat raw onion.
Plant People: Love it.
Jessica : um And his younger brother went along and pop up bu pulled them all out of the ground, out of the container. so
Plant People: That ah my in-laws have an onion story. So there was three brothers, three boys and growing up and they used to go to their grandfather's farm and help them with the farm chores and stuff.
Plant People: And they lived in like the city in Louisville. So they you know when they went to the farm, they went work. And so um there's a story about how they were supposed to plant all the onions. And instead, because they wanted to go do something else, they dug a big hole and they planted all of the onions, the whole like sack of onions in just one giant hole.
Jessica : All in one spot.
Plant People: And then come spring, all the onions came up in, you know, this ah hole and a grandfather knew what they had done and was very not happy. And I believe ah the term the term they used was tanned their hides.
Jessica : Oh my gosh.
Plant People: so
Jessica : Yeah, I bet. That's funny.
Plant People: Because it's funny. Yeah, right. Because like you can't with something like onions, you don't know until it's too late.
Jessica : hu Exactly.
Plant People: Can't do anything at that point, which tends to be in plants in general. ah Sometimes it's just too late. Once you once you recognize it, it's too late.
Jessica : Right. It's too late. Just let it be.
Plant People: It's just gonna it's just gonna be.
Jessica : ah And that's, you know, something with kids and gardening. You just have some patience with it. You know, every time you take them out there, they're learning something and you don't realize how much they're taking in.
Jessica : Like people don't get, I say this all the time. People get do not give little kids enough credit for how much they take in and how much they know or like,
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Like my kids will shame their dad about plant things now, like get on him, like shame him about getting too close to the flower beds with the mower or like running over, you know, things and, but just be patient. Right. Cause like we were seeding some seeds this spring and I had a spot that I wanted to put them and,
Jessica : The boys went ahead and helped me and they ripped open the seed packets and threw them everywhere. Luckily, they were like a a mix. And so, you know, it just kind of turned into a moment of like, well, this will be our experiment bed.
Jessica : We'll see what comes up. Right. We'll see, you know, what we can do with that.
Plant People: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Jessica : Um, but you know, not just doing like seeds with kids, right? Like starting seeds is always a fun project, right?
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : You can do the whole egg carton thing and start season there, decorate the egg cartons.
Plant People: Oh, yeah.
Jessica : Um,
Plant People: See tape?
Jessica : Something like seed tape. Yeah, that's what I going to say. Like, that's a great winter activity for kids.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : And not only is it like, oh, that gives them something to do, but they also are getting to learn about like measuring. Right. Because we're like reading our seed packets.
Plant People: True.
Jessica : We're seeing like the spacing that's needed for those seeds. And then, ah you know, you getting to use a ruler and mark on that paper how far apart they need to be, you know, need to be.
Jessica : You know, that'll work for some of your older kids, maybe your younger kids. um They're just excited to help stick the seeds, you know, on the on the piece paper.
Plant People: They just want to touch the dirt. They just want to get dirty.
Jessica : I just want to touch it.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Right. Right. um Other things like with in the winter, something we're doing at our house right now, we have an avocado seed. We eat a lot of avocados, so we have it in a jar. Um, obviously five-year-old, he's really into it, really dedicated to this.
Jessica : He's also the oldest. The middle one has drowned the seed several times by breaking the toothpicks off of it that's on there. But we put new toothpicks in it. And, you know, if it fails, we have more avocados and we're going to just try again.
Plant People: Right, right.
Jessica : But it's something that they're like excited about to look and to see, um,
Plant People: Oh.
Jessica : The change in it.
Plant People: The change.
Jessica : Change. And like very simple things to show that too. Just, you know, you can start some seeds on a damp page paper towel or put them in little Ziploc baggies.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : And that's like a cool activity for kids to check.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : Like you can tape it on your window in a Ziploc baggie with like some bean seeds. Put a little moisture in there, like moist towel.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Watch it germinate. And something so simple can provide a lot of entertainment or just something like really cool for them to see.
Plant People: They get to check it every morning.
Jessica : Right. Yeah.
Plant People: Like who needs Elf on a Shelf when I can have ah a bean on my window?
Jessica : Right. There you go.
Plant People: I love that. Yeah. I was trying to think there was something, there was something that you have said you've done with your kids that I just blanked.
Jessica : Oh.
Jessica : Oh, I just saw another one for like Christmas time that you probably will still be able to find after Christmas are amaryllises.
Plant People: I was all excited about beans.
Plant People: Oh yeah. Yes.
Jessica : Right. Cause they're fast.
Plant People: Yes.
Jessica : And that's, that's a cool one too. Like my kids have been really excited over those because they've been able to see them put out the leaves really quickly or they send up the big stock and you know, it's something like I said, that you see quickly versus like waiting for a long time.
Jessica : um And they've, they've enjoyed those.
Plant People: Yeah.
Plant People: the um I remember what it was that you were talking about the avocado. I did a class one time um on kitchen regrowing kitchen scraps, which is essentially like the avocado was one example.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: But another thing, if you all are like, people are like, I'm not an avocado person, which you know you should become one. But let's just say you have an allergy, you know right? And that's why you're not an avocado person. Anyways, I've done that really successfully and really fast with carrot tops.
Plant People: Have you ever done carrot tops?
Jessica : I haven't done carrot tops.
Plant People: And Yeah, so like, you know, if you're using carrots right now, ah we had ton of really wonderful, amazing carrots from our CSA um over the past few weeks, and I've been using them up.
Plant People: But you can cut off – when you cut off the top, you cut off a little little bit of carrot, like half an inch, you know, like nothing major. Really, you just are trying not to get into that growing point, which is where the leaves are coming out of.
Plant People: And so you can cut that off. You put it in a shallow dish of water just so it's kind of – think of like a petri dish and you're going put it in that like shallow little bit of water and you actually will cut most of the greens off.
Plant People: If you still have your greens, you can leave a little stub and then it'll shoot out new ones and come up, come out with roots, roots will form. And, and it's pretty quick and really cool. And then you could, you know, you could plant that in a pot or something and grow your regrow your carrot.
Jessica : You could. Right.
Plant People: But even just the idea of that, it's something that will, you know, grow roots pretty quick and, um, you know, so they see it, like you said, they see a change and they're like taking that in that there's like life that can form and, you know, reuse, recycle, reduce all those types of things.
Jessica : right
Plant People: um Another one that's like surprisingly fast is pineapple. so if you're a pineapple family, you've probably seen where you can kind of and basically just like twist the top off of your pineapple and then put your toothpicks on it and put it so that it's just barely into some water and it'll grow roots so fast.
Plant People: It's amazing to me how quickly it grows roots.
Jessica : Yeah, you can, and then you can repot, you can pot it and then, you know, keep them outside.
Plant People: Mm-hmm. I grew a pineapple from of oh a re-pineapple from my kitchen scraps class that I taught.
Jessica : Right.
Plant People: I grew i grew that, and and I harvested my first.
Jessica : Right.
Jessica : And they taste good because I have a coworker who does that too.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : And we've had, we've been able to have some of the pineapple that she grows.
Plant People: Yeah, it's not um it's not a thing that you're going to make money on in Kentucky, but it is a fun, exciting thing.
Jessica : no
Plant People: The plant is not overly cute. It's pretty beautiful.
Jessica : and It's kind of vicious at times. it can be.
Plant People: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. It's if you've ever seen agave or ah like Spanish, what is it called? Spanish bayonet plant or yucca, any of those.
Plant People: And they have those real pointy leaves. It's not quite as intense as those, but it is something where like if you do have small children who are um maybe a little bit clumsy or they like to touch a lot of things, then this is a plant that you'll want to put up high.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Right. and just like how to talk about kitchen scraps or just general like propagating thing. If you're like already a houseplant lover to let them have the opportunity to propagate things or something that we are now propagating our second year.
Plant People: um um
Jessica : And again, this shows how my child is brainwashed with plants. And he talks to people about his coleus that he has. And people are like, what is this five-year-old telling you about?
Jessica : But takey Letting kids go to the garden center and pick something out that's reasonable.
Plant People: and
Jessica : I say that because one point my son tried to pick out some yellow zinnias that were like $8 in a container. And I was like, honey, we can we we don't we're not buying $8 zinnias.
Plant People: No, honey, we can grow those from seed.
Jessica : But um he picked out a coleus, like a variegated zinnias. green, pink, purple, you know, one of those coleus.
Plant People: Pretty. Love it.
Jessica : Love the thing. Obsessed with this plant. So I broke off some pieces and stuck them in water. Just stuck them in water, put them by my kitchen window, managed to keep it alive all winter, repotted it, slowly acclimated it back out.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : And it's huge. It's like bigger than he is. Right. And so now he's obsessed with this coleus plant. And so now we've started again. We have them in like little bud vases and we have them above the kitchen sink and he likes to check, check on them.
Plant People: That needs to be our Instagram photo for this episode is, uh, it's Bo and his coleus.
Jessica : i have, I have a great one. Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Of him and his coleus.
Plant People: It's very impressive.
Jessica : Yes.
Plant People: Cause he waters it and like takes care of it himself.
Jessica : So. He does.
Plant People: Right.
Jessica : He waters it and takes care of it.
Plant People: Like.
Jessica : And, um and that now, you know, he, he makes sure that I am taking care of it now. Right.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Because it's, it's also up where he can't reach it.
Plant People: You don't have to get your, um, your child, a dog. You can get them a coleus.
Jessica : Get him a coleus plant.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: Apartment friendly.
Jessica : Yes.
Plant People: No pet fees.
Jessica : Right. Well, speaking of like pets, and this is something else I thought to mention that kind of falls in our horticultural world. ah
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : Talking about like if you can plant like a pollinator garden. Okay. Doing pollinator gardens for kids are awesome. Not only you going to get like those butterflies and the bees and different flies and things for them to find and see that way.
Jessica : a lot of sensory things that can also go into those gardens.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : um But we have been known in our house, which I'm sure my husband loves so much. ah We bring in a lot of caterpillars. and I, I intentionally planted a spice bush to get spice bush swallowtails.
Jessica : And if you've seen those before, they're really cool looking little caterpillars. They look like bird poop. When I say they're cool looking, then I instantly say they look like bird poop.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : But when they're, when they're really small, they look like bird poop to kind of camouflage or, you know, well not camouflage, but to deter other predators. Um, But as they grow, they change color and they are eventually one of those caterpillars that kind of looks like a snake in a way to keep other predators away.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : They have cool ways of protecting themselves. They make a little bit of silk and they wrap the leaves around themselves. So they're fun for my kids. Both my boys would run out to the spicebush plant.
Jessica : which now they know what a spice bush is. You know, they know what it looks like. They know like the leaves smell a certain way. They open the leaves and they would look for the caterpillars. And we left them out there as long as we could and until they got to a certain size.
Jessica : And then we cut a few branches and brought them in our house. And we bought a very inexpensive insect cage, a bigger one, not the little tiny ones that you you see sometimes.
Plant People: tall.
Jessica : A tall one.
Plant People: They're real tall. like They look like laundry baskets to me, like the ones that pop up.
Jessica : Yeah, a tall one. Yes, that's a good way. yeah and
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : just put them in there to watch them go through their metamorphosis, right? So depending on what, you know, caterpillars you're bringing in they take different times or do for different things. Now, the classic and easiest ones I have found are going to be those monarchs.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : butterflies. And that has become like a really special thing. um because my boys now know what milkweed looks like.
Plant People: Oh.
Jessica : And they like, they spot it like anywhere they go.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : If they see milkweed, they're like, there's milkweed and they want to go check and look for caterpillars. And this past year, we, i think we ended up rearing four of them that we let go.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : And it was our first time that we did, ah the tagging as well.
Plant People: Oh, yeah.
Jessica : So for,
Plant People: That's such a crazy concept to me. I'm like, this is ah a creature that weighs nothing, basically. And you're like putting a tag on. How do you? ah Okay, sorry. I'm going get us off track for like a split second.
Jessica : oh No, I feel like I'm going off track.
Plant People: um
Jessica : I'm like suddenly going into this whole entomology thing.
Plant People: No, this is great. This is great. i am How, what is that tag like made of and how do you attach it? Uh-huh.
Jessica : It is a tiny sticker and it is really sticky.
Plant People: Uh-huh.
Jessica : It is very hard once you get it off onto your finger, like... to be careful but there's a designated spot on the butterfly and they're more durable than you think because you also have to think about like the ones that are hatching yeah they're going like 3 000 miles to get to where they overwinter it is completely wild and they're bigger there's summer monarchs versus the migrating monarchs there's monarchs we see throughout the summer they do their whole life cycle and then they They die, you know, they do their whole life cycle.
Plant People: Uh-huh.
Plant People: Yeah.
Plant People: They fly. Here. Yeah.
Plant People: here
Jessica : yeah But the ones that hatch out to fly are like bigger and, um, than the ones that have been flying around all summer, but they have a,
Plant People: Are those different species, Jessica? Like the ones that are gonna fly south or?
Jessica : No, the same same species, but it's just, yeah, it's like the sun the sunlight, when they like, sort of that last generation, they're like, oh, hey, it's starting to get darker.
Plant People: they just are like, oh, it's cold. Let's go where it's warm.
Jessica : Okay, this next caterpillar's, you know, when they're eating their food and do their thing and go through the metamorphosis, they like know that, okay, we can't stay here. we gotta We got to fly based on like the sunlight and stuff.
Plant People: Nature, man.
Jessica : It's really cool. But getting to do that with kids, like if you have a spot, if you don't mind some caterpillar poop, right?
Plant People: It's just little pebbles.
Jessica : Because yeah, little pebbles.
Plant People: It's like very tiny goat poop. It's fine.
Jessica : If you can find enough milkweed because they will eat and eat, but they're one of the cool ones because like swallowtails, they would like eat at night. So they just kind of curled up in their leaves throughout the day and the kids would be like, where are they?
Jessica : Right. And they didn't like move around as much, but the monarch, monarch caterpillars, you can actually sit there and listen to them crunching. So we put them in the center of our table
Plant People: Some ASMR, ASMR caterpillar style. we just need to put a little mic in there. Mm-hmm.
Jessica : Right. And we'd watch them eat and then go in their cocoons, their chrysalis. And then everyone would get so excited to hatch out. And what's also cool about those are very easy to tell the difference between a male and a female, uh, uh, spots on the wings versus no spots. And, ah And yeah, and then this year we tagged them.
Jessica : So we got the number. They have a a special number on their tag. And then we submitted the numbers to the Monarch Watch website and they track them. So hopefully, fingers crossed, ours made it down there.
Jessica : and if somebody catches them, they said they like will notify you if or one of your tagged monarchs are.
Plant People: Yeah.
Plant People: Oh my gosh. I was wondering like, you know, what, what do they do with the tags?
Jessica : Mm hmm.
Plant People: Are they going out and yeah. Interesting.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: Interesting.
Jessica : Yeah. That's how they're making sure like populations are staying high or, you know, how the population is doing.
Plant People: Uh huh. Sure. Did they, did they name them Jessica?
Jessica : Uh, they haven't named any of them ah so far because we very, we really go like, you know, they have them there eating the whole time, but then as soon as they hatch out, it's kind of quick where like, cause, because it's the same thing.
Plant People: Oh my gosh.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : that The butterflies are like ready to go. Right. So like once they're dry, they start really flapping around and like wanting to get out. And that's always, yeah, that's always
Plant People: They're like, Mexico, here I come, or wherever it is. ah
Jessica : I worry that it's going to flap out and get out and then like fly throughout our house and we won't be able to catch it.
Plant People: True. Very true.
Jessica : So, but if you don't mind that kind of stuff, that is also really fun with kids.
Plant People: Oh, so cool.
Jessica : And imagine simple.
Plant People: And like simple, right? Like they do, as long as you get them their food, they do the thing that they're going to do all by themselves. Like you don't have to tag them. You can just, you know, i mean, tagging is a fun.
Jessica : Right.
Plant People: Cause like you said, if they, they'll let you know how far it made it, if they catch it or whatever. But yeah, you don't even have to do anything that hard.
Jessica : hmm.
Plant People: You just, oh, so cool. I mean, as an adult, I think that's cool.
Jessica : Right.
Plant People: So like, that's a win-win if you get to do it with your kids and and have fun that way.
Jessica : Right. Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Yeah. Another plant that is just like so easy and I feel like kids absolutely love are just sunflowers or like if you need something easy, sunflowers and zinnias, planting those so fast, rewarding.
Plant People: so fast.
Jessica : You can do the big sunflowers. um My kids ended up liking the smaller ones better. And then the whole thing of like, if you want to get the seeds out of there after roast, roast them and eat the seeds.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : That's also fun a fun thing to do. Um, same thing. Another easy thing that we all seem to grow. i say that like we all grow them are because pumpkins, right? That you have a, you bought a pumpkin at the store.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : It rotted. It's going to pop up into your yard, right? Very easy. It's the ones, it's the ones we want to grow and we spend money on that get diseased and die.
Plant People: Yes. Good. Correct. Yeah.
Jessica : ah things that we just throw out in the cow field,
Plant People: The accidents. Yep.
Jessica : We have like tons of pumpkins, but like doing simple things with those, like having kids, you know, water them or you roll them.
Plant People: Roll them down a hill.
Jessica : Yeah, we, yes, we, all of our extra pumpkins that we had this year, we rolled them down a hill to see if they would go into our pond. So that was entertainment for for a little while.
Jessica : But you can etch their name on the pumpkin.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : and as it grows, it calluses over and their name is already like on a pumpkin. ah But those are like you know super easy to terminate.
Plant People: Cute. Microgreens are another one Like speaking of being inside and, you know, maybe needing some activities, you your kids, microgreens fast within a week, you're doing it, you're getting them hopefully to eat their greens and stuff.
Jessica : That's a good one. Mm-hmm.
Plant People: And um but every day they're going to see a change.
Jessica : hu
Plant People: And then within a week, they can, um you know, make their first harvest. And it's very rewarding, I think. Yeah. to do something like that. So ah that's another really good one to do with the kids.
Jessica : Right. Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : And just...
Plant People: They have fun with that. I've done with that with us some elementary school kids and they got to do them in their classroom. And then every day they got to come in and check on their, on their micro greens.
Plant People: So.
Jessica : Yeah, that is a fun one too.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : Like, because it's just so quick, right?
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : um Doing like different theme gardens, if you have the space. so like And I'm not saying anything big, right? Like nothing, like you can, in a container, right?
Plant People: Yeah, like could be in a container even. Uh-huh.
Jessica : Like there's like the pizza gardens or the salsa gardens, or um I saw one that was like a chocolate garden where it's just, but you're like looking for,
Plant People: Uh-huh.
Jessica : like darker color flowers or like there's like the chocolate chocolate mints or you know different flavors um i've seen one where it was like a rainbow garden of where you do the different colors of the rainbow and try to like make it go in order or an alphabet garden where people have like tried to like spell out like
Plant People: Uh-huh.
Plant People: with me
Jessica : different plants.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : So this starts with the letter A and B, you know, and go, go throughout.
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : So lots of different ideas that way, if you have like space to do, do a garden.
Plant People: Mm-hmm. More stuff. Yeah.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: Give them their, I love the idea of like giving them, even when they're like little, I mean, Bo with this coleus, he was what, like three the first time, like something like that.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: And so, you know, they don't have to be that old and then it's like bears and they get to water it and take care of it and check on it. And um it's like i said, way cheaper and easier than a dog.
Jessica : the responsibility yeah yeah or just like little kid garden tools like just so they can be able to assist you a little bit mm-hmm
Plant People: Yeah. Yeah.
Plant People: A little elephant watering can. I'm salt. Like I personally kind of want one like adorable.
Jessica : yeah so like yeah little watering cans little trowels little like the little garden sets for kids like they absolutely love those things um and just being able to help like any way that they they can you know
Plant People: Yeah. You just can't be um like hyper crazy about it if you're going to have your kids help. Like that would be – I'd have to have like the kids garden and then my garden because you know I'm a little bit crazy about certain stuff.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Well, I think that's why Bo, unfortunately, is already like, don't pull the plants up. These are the flower beds. We don't mess with certain things. like He's laying down the law about what we're planting.
Plant People: Mm-hmm. Bo's going to have his own, like, garden beds out front of the house.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : yeah he He says he wants to be a farmer when he grows up, so he's going to you know, grow veggies and I don't know what else. The other one says he's going to have a farm with a lot of bulls and cats on it So, you know,
Plant People: Yeah, and you're like, I don't know if you want a lot of bulls on your farm, buddy. Usually that's a one or two type of situation.
Jessica : right. Right. Oh yeah.
Plant People: But it's right. He'll figure that out. He'll figure that He's only he's only three.
Jessica : I'll figure it out.
Plant People: like
Jessica : Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And there's, there's other things like just like of like craft crafty things you could do with, them um, um,
Plant People: Pine cones and little like bird feeders and.
Jessica : Yeah. It was just like the bird feeders making, and we did like some of the stuff with plant camp. Alexis and I used to do a plant camp together for kids, but just like um making the pollinator houses.
Plant People: Oh yeah.
Jessica : Yeah. Yeah.
Plant People: Just a bunch of sticks.
Jessica : And that, bunch of sticks for like those, for like mason bees and things like that.
Plant People: Was it? Yep.
Plant People: Okay.
Jessica : Making like little stepping stones or doing the hyper tufa kind of things with kids.
Plant People: Thanks, Ana.
Jessica : um They enjoy that. Of course, it's like getting messy.
Plant People: We did the the fruit and veggie prints, which is would be like a good indoor one.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: So, um you know, get get the get the paint and or ink of your choice. Probably something washable would be good. would be good And then you just cut fruits and veggies in half and use them like stamps.
Plant People: And so, you know, half of an apple and they can use it, dip it in the paint and then make, um you know, make prints with them and stuff like that. So, And then, you know, maybe you make a recipe with them.
Plant People: The other half of the apple gets to be a snack.
Jessica : Right.
Plant People: So, yeah.
Jessica : We snack and thank you to like older kids to something that like with 4-H that's really big. They have leaf collections and leaf prints.
Plant People: Oh, yeah. Enter that baby in the state
Jessica : That's right. So like my son in preschool got to do a leaf print. And that was they they said they asked people to bring in two two leaves.
Jessica : And i said, this will be the one thing that we will go above and beyond on.
Plant People: Because like this, this is where I excel. Thank you.
Jessica : This is where I excel.
Plant People: love it.
Jessica : And in that moment, I was like, what do you need? What are these leaves you need? And this is like our one time that I was like, Beau, you're going to take 20 different leaves in, even though they asked for two.
Jessica : Because I was like, I can get you different shapes, different sizes. We're not all just going to have a red maple leaf to, you know, to do a leaf rubbing of, but that's, you know, leaf rubbings, doing, ah the leaf collections, uh, leaf prints is another one.
Plant People: love it
Plant People: Yeah, is it this it's the same concept of like the fruit prints right like you're using a paint and then doing it or yeah.
Jessica : Yeah. Yeah. yeah Yeah.
Plant People: Just in but they can use a paintbrush with that and they paint it on the leaf and then um and then do it.
Jessica : Kind of like press it.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : Yeah.
Plant People: I've seen, um you know, a granted, ah we know it's cold when you're listening to this, but have future ideas. ah They can take some of those flowers and do like some really simple and like natural dye ah type scenarios.
Jessica : That's good.
Plant People: So they can do like bandanas or white t-shirts or whatever um and ah like pound the flowur flower pounding, but you're doing it on a shirt or a bag or something.
Plant People: And, you know, it creates the print of the flower. You can also do... with a bunch of petals and this is a little bit more in depth but just like you know spur giving you some things to you know get excited about for spring but um you steam them and so like you will take let's just say um a bandana and uh then you will put lay out your flowers whether they're petals or whole flowers or leaves or whatever it is and then just kind of roll up that bandana ah into you know just like a little snake shape right i roll it up And then put it in like a steamer basket, you know, on on your stove and that steam will release the color.
Plant People: And then you've got um like these kind of real perfect prints.
Jessica : That's very cool.
Plant People: And so it's a lot less loud. I did the flower pounding with the kids one time. And I mean, they made some cool stuff and it was fun. But ah my head was there was like 30 of them in my defense, but my head was pounding.
Jessica : Yeah. that Yeah. Yeah.
Plant People: Yeah. afterwards from all the pounding so uh but yeah those are those are options and uh if you've got house plants right now and you want to do it if your african violet blooms that's a perfect one that you can use so yeah little leaves from in there and some of those colorful leaves oh that would be cool too like thinking if you're one of those people who has like crotons or some of those leaves that are not green right they've got some reds or black or whatever color um
Jessica : yeah
Jessica : Oh, that's a good idea. Yeah.
Plant People: when you pound them, it's probably still gonna be green. And so then the kids will get to see sort of how that works with it. But anyways, yeah. Trying to think if there's anything else.
Plant People: I mean, Jessica, obviously you would know with two small ones at home, but um you got three, but like two plant plant ones.
Jessica : Well, I got, you know, three, right? But she but she's, yeah, two two plant ones. One, I'm just trying to prevent from eating, like, plants and stuff, eating the plants and things right now.
Plant People: Eating the plants, yeah.
Jessica : ah You know, just, like,
Plant People: this The immobile one.
Jessica : Yeah, the in-mobile ones. Starting to scoot around. So now I got to pay more attention to to things.
Plant People: oh my goodness. With the plant name. Little magnolia.
Jessica : magnaia Magnolia. um Yeah, just trying to think of other things like that are also fun out in the garden for kids. Like making a like a little toad house. Or making a little, you know, things like that to add around.
Plant People: Frog hotels.
Jessica : A frog hotel. Yeah, like...
Plant People: Mm-hmm.
Jessica : Um, and, and then this is like hopping topic again, going back like with the caterpillars, but like also like nature, just naturey things like tadpoles. I remember doing that as a kid, like getting to watch them go through their life cycle and, you know, having just a spot for them is pretty cool.
Plant People: Oh yeah.
Jessica : or doing um, you know, i mentioned like the kind of the different theme gardens, but like the sensory kind of gardens, like if you're putting that mint or that other stuff in, maybe put it in a container and plant it or, you know, so it doesn't take over everything.
Plant People: Lamb's ear and.
Plant People: Yeah.
Jessica : But
Plant People: Just your reminder, mint will take over.
Jessica : Yeah, mint will take over. But that can be a fun thing for kids as well. Getting to smell the different plants, getting to fill them, like you said, the lambs, the lamb's ear. um There's all different ones that you can do.
Jessica : The Arboretum has a great place that you can walk through. they they they used to, but I think they still do.
Plant People: Yeah, they still do.
Jessica : Like a a sensory garden kind of um and get ideas from that.
Plant People: Get some ideas from it. Yeah.
Jessica : Mm-hmm.
Plant People: Yeah, I love their sensory garden. I personally also love a sensory garden because I just, I'm that person who like walks through garden center and like touches all of the plants. I'm like, oh, hello, hello.
Jessica : Same.
Plant People: And so, I mean, I'm basically a child in that way and get to see what what's going on. And yeah, take them to a greenhouse this time of year too you know, let them just enjoy some, we all find some, um I mean, there's like studies about how like your heart rate drops and stuff like when you're around ah plants.
Plant People: And so, you know, take them to a nice warm greenhouse. If you guys are feeling really stuck inside, then just kind of can walk around and look at plants and talk about what you're going to grow in the spring and let them just kind of be around some be around some green things.
Jessica : Right.
Plant People: That'll also be good for your your your mental health as a parent.
Jessica : Right. Yeah. Yeah. And, and then this is me like channeling my Brett if he's like listening right now.
Plant People: Shout out!
Jessica : Like, a yeah, I've talked to like my kids already about like, we need to be like good stewards of the land. Right. And about trees and like tying in like books and everything that you read about trees.
Plant People: Mm.
Jessica : You know, it can be something as simple as reading the Lorax with somebody who speaks for the trees, right?
Plant People: Mm.
Jessica : to like, there's more in-depth like kid um kid nature books, you know, that they can read.
Plant People: Mm. since
Jessica : Like we have a great one that is a part of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library that i just happened to be like, it's all... uh, the viewpoint of a tree of like how there's this one tree, but like, there's also a squirrel that lives in the tree, but the, like, because it has acorns, there's a squirrel, but then there's a bird and it it like goes through this whole, like how many, you know, things in the ecosystem depend on one single tree, but it's like a nice, like little rhyming, you know, story, you know, in the end, it ties it all together.
Plant People: Right.
Jessica : Like, Oh, if they didn't have this one tree, then, you know, all these things wouldn't be here. so you know, being able to take that opportunity with your kids and the importance of, of those things and, ah read to your children.
Plant People: Read to your children.
Jessica : So
Plant People: Then they'll want to read and then they'll be super smart. We don't tell any of you all listening. We know if if you're here, you likely read to your children. so
Jessica : probably I would say,
Plant People: And if you don't, maybe you read to your dogs. And that's great too because they they like the sound of your voice and to snuggle with you and stuff. Or you just read and they get to lay in your lap, which is what I do.
Plant People: so Well, cool. Well, that ah I think is fun. Lots of ideas to do kind of over Christmas break or things to look forward to. Or if you're making your seed tape now, something that, you know, they can do and plant once spring arrives and it's something to get excited about. So.
Plant People: ah Those are all awesome ideas, Jessica. Thank you for sharing them with us, especially i have now learned things about monarchs and tagging, and I'm very excited.
Plant People: I'm probably not going to do it, but i always leave them the milkweed I find them on out in the fields, and I feel like that's enough. So like, all right, fine, this can be yours.
Jessica : Right, right.
Plant People: I was going to cut it, but okay, whatever. So okay. and I rescued a bunch one time in my high tunnel. i was like, you guys, like, this is not where you need to be right now.
Jessica : You have to get out. You have to go.
Plant People: You have to go south.
Jessica : You cannot stay here.
Plant People: Like, what are you doing? You cannot stay here. I know I'm worried I confused them um a little bit. i'm like, it's not as warm as you think it is. It's not, I swear. Go outside. go outside and play.
Plant People: Well, awesome.
Jessica : is
Plant People: we hope you guys pick something up, whether you have kids or work with kids or have nieces and nephews or whatever that is, just like some helpful tips and that you've enjoyed the episode full of hair and feminine wisdom and all of that good stuff.
Plant People: And of course, you know, give us five stars because we're your favorites. And if we're not, lie to us.
Jessica : And we're better.
Plant People: That's fine. I don't care. I'll take your five stars.
Jessica : just boost Just boost our ego.
Plant People: They start you go. And you can also do that. You can follow us on Instagram at Horde Culture Podcast. If you have any questions about raising caterpillars or, hey, what was that book Jessica talked about? I want to buy it or where where you get it and that kind of stuff. You can always send us an email as well. You'll find that in the show notes. And like we all get that email when it comes through. so we'll be able to get back to you on that. But we are so glad you were here with us today. And we hope you have a great one. And you are not suffering from seasonal depression because you're just so excited for plant season. Have a great one.
