Sure, I guess I could save this post for the Peace In A Pod Organic Garden Blog, but gosh darnit can't gardening be a family and learning opportunity as well as a gardening extravaganza?!?
February and March are good months to start thinking about starting onions (and their kin) indoors for spring planting outdoors. Watching things grow from a tiny seed into a full plant that is then harvested and eaten is one of the best family activities I can think of.
The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association suggests you can easily start your seeds now indoors. The small bulbs will then be set out into your garden in late April or early May. Here's the link for more info!
One activity you could do with your family is to track the progress of your seedlings. Have your kids create a chart, where they make a small drawing of what each stage looks like as it is growing. You can check the seeds daily, several times a week, or however often it makes sense to do so. As the onion plants grow, typically you know it is time to pull up the bulbs after the greens have turned brown and died back. Some aliums, like green onions or shallots are often eaten as a cut-and-go crop (which is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them!). Grown organically, these onions will be healthier and better tasting than store-bought ones. That's a huge plus in my book!
It's so much fun to take time out of your busy schedule to check on the progress of growing plants. When the harvest finally arrives, have your child help you clean and prepare the onions for your meal. Have them taste different kinds of onions to see the difference in taste. Have them note the texture, size and color of different onions. I suspect they will appreciate this little powerful, super healthy plant after tracking it from seed to plate. This is the epitome of Slow Food, an ideal that means our food does not come to us automatically (such as a trip to a drive-thru window at a fast food restaurant).
This kind of activity has us stop and take notice of our world around us. We slow the pace of life down and are better able to appreciate the miracle of life here on earth.
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