Growing A Garden With Fabric

Now that spring is here we're getting our garden ready & planting our seed trays indoors. We've been spending time in our homeschool studies learning all about dirt, seeds & how plants grow, so I decide to make this set as a fun hands-on item they could play with even after our last real plants are done.  Two years ago we took a great vacation in Canada where we stopped at the London Regional Children's Museum. One of the best places we've taken the kids - EVER.  This was in their nature room:

Yes that is my middle child showing how theirs can double as a bed (while holding a fake potato no less).  Since I couldn't sew a lick 2 years ago it never occurred to me to try to make one.  When I saw a similar foam dirt how-to on ikat bag not long ago I was re-inspired.  Trouble was I'm not super confident with my hot glue gun abilities & I didn't have the critical component of foam around the house.   Therefore, I decided to do mine a completely different way.  I only used stuff I had in my stash.  I struck thrift gold!!  So, here's my photo journal of growing a fabric garden.

You've got to start with worms - that's what makes the dirt nutrient rich, so open up a can of 'em (both can & worms made from fleece):

Let them crawl in the dirt & freshen things up (my dirt box consists of a re-purposed cardboard box from Amazon with a scrap fabric cover & stretchy fabric, fiber-filled dirt rows): 

Put in some seeds (made from twill fabric scraps, decorated with my trusty printer fabric and sewn shut containing loose beads for seed realism):

 Add water (my own design for a fleece watering can with ribbon water)

Hey look!  Something's sprouting!

Hmmm, better add some more water to keep things going (wormy looks on with approval):

Ta-da!  Check out those blooms & juicy carrots!

Getting in for a closer look (I used snaps so the blooms could come on & off like real flowers and to be interchangeable):

And now an action shot of my little gardeners:

This was so fun & thrifty to make and I love how often my kids want to play with it. Added bonus is the 100% guarantee that something with grow in this garden.

Sharing with the fab link parties on the right ->