Seeds for your little sprout

While flipping through the Edmonton Journal today I came across this article which talks about the lost art of sowing seeds. In it you will find tips on how to start seeds indoors (a fun little project to get past the winter doldrums).

Harking back to "simpler times" when the company was started in 1896, McKenzie says, "Everyone knew their neighbour, evening meals were about family time, and a dollar went further."

Growing your own vegetables and flowers from seed was all anyone had, says McKenzie. "Gardens were as much about survival as about enjoyment and beauty."

The article also mentions McKenzie Seeds new seed program for kids. Last year they brought us the little Jiffy Cups with gourds and other wonders, and this year they have expanded to include a whole line of seeds, designed to be appealing to children.

This series features an assortment of easy-to-grow vegetables and flowers in humorous packets with quirky titles and colourful, cartoon-style graphics.

There's Squash Moonbeam with a squash-head space alien in a flying saucer, Cucumber Green Dragon, featuring a happy green dragon in a vegetable patch, and Radish Rudolf, a reindeer with giant red radish for a nose.

Others in this imaginative seed series are Pumpkin Spookie, Carrot Little Finger, Cosmos Candy Stripe, Lettuce Tom Thumb, Pea Knight (a very cute peapod in a knight's helmet), Tomato Lady Bug, Bean Rattlesnake and Watermelon Moon and Stars,

McKenzie says that using these lively seed packages will start children on the road to learning more about where food comes from, as well as how to grow beautiful flowers.

I think these are super cute. And watching a seed grow is so neat for kids. I still remember watching a bean grow in paper towel in school. Hannah also has a favorite book, The Small Seed, which shows the progression from seed to sunflower. At the end, the sunflower grows right out of the book and she LOVES it.

Even if you have no intention of sowing seeds, it's fun to come in and browse. There are SO many varieties of food and flowers, and it's nice to dream of warmer days...