Spring is here!! Host a Seed Starting Party & play in the dirt!

Hosting a party for starting seeds is not only a fun get-together for those who love gardening, 

but also for those who just love to play in the dirt!  

Kids and adults alike!

Alright, I can admit, I just love  any excuse to have a party!  

Truthfully, I just love to play as much as the kids, and make 

things pretty, so if we can get a few families together 

and enjoy each others' company then I am all for it.

On the menu:  Keep it light and fresh- I tried to incorporate veggies to inspire the kids.  We want them to know that food comes from the ground (not the grocery store) and that they can grow what they eat.  

Cucumber, Cream Cheese & Sprout Sandwich Recipe: Spread one slice of bread with cream cheese, top with peeled cucumber slices and sprouts (I used radish sprouts)

  

Avocado-Green Pea & Radish Sandwich Recipe: Mash 2 avocados with about 1 cup thawed frozen peas.  Spread on bread and top with radish slices.  (This recipe is from the April 2012 issue of Better Homes and Gardens- they also suggest trying it as a dip!)

Sunflower-butter & Jelly Sandwich Recipe: A spin on the classic PB&J.  Sunflower-butter is just like peanut-butter, but it is made from sunflower seeds.  (I found ours in the 'Organic Condiments' section at my grocery store, and I imagine most health food stores would carry it too)

Fun Sunflower instructions: Cut sliced cheese in half diagonally, layer in a spiral pattern around a plate or platter and fill the center with berries.  I used blackberries, but blueberries would be great too!

Dessert was the biggest hit!  Ladybug Pops!  

(Get the super-easy recipe by clicking here.)

It's time to get our seeds started indoors so they'll have plenty of time to establish before we transplant them outdoor, which is usually around Mother's Day where we live.  Our family, as well as most of our friends, enjoys experimenting and adventuring in creating gardens and growing our own food. 

We made our own seed pots out of recycled newspaper (get similar instructions by clicking here), and we also used plastic and paper drinking cups with drainage holes poked in the bottom.

Making an event out of the annual seed starting helps prevent the seemingly inevitable procrastination- you know how the 'chores' that we enjoy the most some how get pushed to the bottom of the list and life get too busy, and before you know it, it's too late in the season to start seeds?  Somehow it's easier to work an afternoon with friends into the schedule...