So, I initially got this idea from Dean, at Urban Green Survival. He lives on the 28th floor of an apartment in Sydney. He’s got a great video of how to make these (the smart way) here.
Then, I got really excited about this project when I saw the success that Stephen Ritz had growing an “edible wall” in his classroom in the South Bronx. [Side note: I loved this quote from a poster in his classroom: “Bring your body and your brain will follow.” Apparently this is also a mantra of sorts in meditation and in addiction treatment.]
Then, I told my mom about this project and how I thought it would be really neat to have in a classroom. Because my mother a) has a classroom already, and b) is less of a dreamer and more of a doer than I am, she did this project and had it in her classroom last year. Her grade 2/3/4 students grew strawberries. They loved it. So. Cool.
Here’s why I think this is a worthwhile instillation in a classroom.
- Science. It is a valuable learning experience to watch plants grow from seed.
- If you can get kids excited about growing things, maybe you can get them excited about eating what they grow. Food deserts are numerous and growing. Snacks have become synonymous with processed corn and fat. Let’s put a bit of healthy in our schools.
- It is empowering to have the know-how to meet your own basic needs. Are these window gardens going to feed everyone? No. But, they can help teach the basics of planting and growing food.
- It teaches patience.
- Living things make for a stimulating and beautiful classroom landscape.
The project: Re-purpose 2L pop bottles into a hanging window garden.
Materials:
- 2L Pop bottles with lids (I used 3 per set, but you could make them as tall as you wanted.)
- string
- paper or paint to black out the soil-filled part of the bottle
- glue
- Duct tape for prevent injury on the sharp bottle edges (optional)
- potting soil
- seeds
- water
Tools:
- Drill and 1″ bit
- Rasp or file
- Utility knife
Some plants that might be worth trying to grow:
- lettuce
- arugula
- spinach
- parsley
- basil
- chives
- mint