Kids and Houseplants
Rutabagas, turnips or parsnips are good vegetables to use. Cut the top inch or so off of these vegetables then trim all the green off of them. Now line a low container with pebbles and fill with water. Set the flat end of the cut vegetable on the pebbles and watch these vegetable grow new greenery. All that needs to be done with this houseplant is to change the water when it turns cloudy. This vegetable houseplant is perfect for kids whose attention span is very short as they only last a month or so.
Another vegetable that is easily grown indoors is a carrot. Use a very large carrot and cut the top inch or so off along with the leaves. Hollow out the center of this cut off part, leaving the outer wall intact. Run a needle and thread through this wall, with the leaf side down, to create a hanging basket. Hang the carrot in a sunny window and fill the basket area with water. Keep filled with water or it will wither up and die. Foliage will soon emerge and will completely hide the carrot.
Fruits can also be used to create a houseplant. A pineapple is easily used for a project. Slice the leaf crown and at least an inch of flesh off the top of the pineapple. Set this pineapple top in moist sand and keep it watered. After the roots have formed, transplant the pineapple top to a pot with potting soil mixed with peat moss. This plant will last many years.
Other fruits can also be used, such as apples, oranges, lemons, grapefruits, kiwi fruits, loquats, pomegranates, papayas, litchis or mangoes. All these fruits have seeds that can be sown in small flats of potting soil. Keep these seeds moist, then when seedlings are a few inches tall transplant them into pots. These plants will usually become fruitless trees.
No matter which one of these houseplants you and your kids decide to grow, remember to have fun. Having fun with the kids is the most important thing.
