Lettuce begin the season

I had to use the lettuce as an icebreaker since gardening is a communal effort - even if it is a communal effort of one person but many plants.  Plants can bring communities together.  Whether it be communities of people, animals or plants, communal efforts work best.

I had this bright idea that things I did when my daughters were little could be reinvented and shared with my grandsons.  I strongly feel that children today miss out on a lot of things because of the lack of communal efforts.  I thought that if I grew lettuce and shared with the children in their classes to show them how to reuse, recycle and reduce waste  in the landfills and eat healthy at the same time, it would be a great thing.  Something different than the norm. I am sure that many of us remember the bean in the Dixie cup that we did not know what to do with after it sprouted.  With lettuce, it can be eaten as it is or dressing with a little dressing.  I started the seedling on the dining room table as the last snow storm of the season was brewing outside.

old holiday baskets that were too good to just throw away, I saved just for this purpose....

I also saved candy containers and salad bowls and even a plastic chicken container to repurpose as planters. I then saved  and collected toilet paper and paper towel rolls to use as individual pots for the children to take home.  These could be planted in the soil as the paper will disintegrate and go back to the earth....continuing the cycle.....

The assorted lettuce and Danvers half long carrots grew and grew and then became leggy due to inferior lighting conditions. I was not erecting grow lights an such in the dining room, but I was going to make this work.  I had a plan and I was not going to fail....after all this was for my grandsons!!!  So I pulled out my little stand alone pop up green house that I use to store tender annuals until the proper time for planting.  (Nothing worse than planting a spring garden earlier than the calendar states and then for a nice frost to come and wipe the slate clean.) I wanted to make sure that the plants had some sturdy growth and were simply beautiful......I put them in the greenhouse.  The end results...

I know .......they look so excited!!!  However this gift to my grandsons to celebrate earth day and to share with their classmates will at least for Earth Day, allow the children to reflect on reusing, recycling and reducing everyday items.  It will also make them rethink how they can garden no matter where they live - apartment or home, a container garden is what you make it!!!  Lettuce garden communally and share our ideas and thoughts to invoke better stewardship to our land.  How will you celebrate Earth Day in your neighborhood or at home??