While stopping into one of my local home centers, I passed by the seed racks (I cannot go into the garden center now without doing it). Standing proudly before me was a brilliantly colored display for Growums. What are Growums you ask? Growums are garden starter kits that provide a wonderful way for children to get into vegetable or herb gardening. They give children, regardless of their age, the skills and knowledge required to become successful young gardeners.

“How cool is that?” I thought to myself, as I grabbed one of the kits. I guess you could say the “kid” in me got excited about this, and I had to try it. Each Growums kit contains starter soil (pellets), self-watering tray, seeds and labels for one of six themed gardens: Herb, Taco, Stir Fry, Ratatouille, Pizza or Salad. Because our Spring weather turns warm in a hurry here in the South, I chose the Herb kit, since it contained plants that were suited to warm weather.

Flipping over the cover to the seed’s watering tray, you are presented with a website address to that garden kit’s section on the Growums website. Each package also has a secret code that you will enter once you’ve registered your Growums garden. So off I went to add my garden online. Once registered, I selected the Herb Garden and arrived at its start page.

Gardeners of any age can appreciate the wonderfully done interactive website, complete with step by step instructions and videos done by a very colorful cast of veggie and herb characters (I personally enjoyed the creative names). From the website, “Frank Cilantro digs it his way when it comes to jazzing up salsa, Regan O. brings a zesty rhythm to pizza, Baby Basil sets the stage for flavorful salads, and you can’t help falling in love with Elvis Parsley, who’s knack for helping chicken is legendary. When you grow this garden, your favorite meals will stay in tune!”

Clicking on the button for videos brought up a great selection of animated videos that show you how to properly care for your plants, from planting the seeds to harvesting your food. The videos that I watched were very well done and easy to understand. 

After watching some of these videos, you and your children will most likely be filled with enough information and inspiration to run right out and start digging. The Growums website at this point will help you keep track of each stage of your garden’s progress via regular emails. You can always visit the site at any time to view videos again or update your garden(s).

Last but certainly not least, Growums has teamed up with nationally-known associations to help raise the importance of gardening and healthy eating habits. The Junior Master Gardener program, the International Association of Fairs and Expositions, NBA Cares and the Women’s National Basketball Association have all partnered with the Growums program. 

Growums can also be offered as a fundraiser through your child’s school or organization. Fifty percent of the total proceeds earned through a Growums fundraiser goes directly to your school, while a portion of Growums’ revenues is donated to feeding needy children.

I would recommend the Growums kits and program to any family that’s interested in sharing their passion of gardening with their children. So go for it, and add a little character to your garden!

To get started, visit www.growums.com.

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