Mother's Day: The Garden Patch GrowBox Review & Giveaway

I have to admit that I don't have much of a green thumb. With that said, I still love to garden and do so each year with the kids. We actually tried indoor gardening during the winter and that was fun, but being outdoors is much more fun. This is why I was so excited to give the Garden Patch GrowBox a try. What is a GrowBox? It's just the most ingenious gardening idea, making gardening easier than ever!

There are two parts to the GrowBox: the bottom, which is the water well and the top, where the soil and plants go. I was able to put together my Grow Box in a matter of minutes just by clicking it into place. Then, we were ready to begin gardening!

First, I packed soil into the two holes that connect the water well to the top part and plants. This helps the water wick up to the roots of plants, so as long as there is water in the well, plants will continue to receive nourishment. After the soil was packed in, I filled the box halfway with more potting soil, sprayed well with water, filled the rest of the box to the very top with the soil and watered again. So easy!

The water well area that we keep full of water!

Next, I put on the Nutrient Patch Cover, which goes on top of the soil. The cover contains fertilizers that keep the plants happy and healthy. The fertilizer strip goes through the middle of the grow box and plants are then inserted on the sides of the box. I choose to plant tomatoes!

The Nutrient Patch Cover

We plant tomatoes every single year because the boys love tomato sandwiches and I do, too! We eat so many tomatoes during the summer season, so growing them is not only fun, but worthwhile for our family. Plus, the kids absolutely love helping grow foods we eat.

There are 16 total spaces in the GrowBox and they are used depending on what plants you are growing. When planting tomatoes, we can only use two of the spaces because they will eventually grow to be so big. If you plant too many, this will compromise their health as they get bigger and compete for space. Directions were included with the box to tell me how many of each type of plant can be inserted in the box, which was extremely helpful.

Per the instructions, I cut a line and triangle on the numbers where I was to insert the tomato plants first and then I dug about a 3 inch hole for them. The Nutrient Patch Cover fits right around the plant to keep it safe and to constantly feed it nutrients. We moved the box to a highly sunlit area, over by the swing set and picnic table since we've been trying to spruce up that part of our land. The box looks so cute there and definitely adds to the scenery. Also, the kids will be able to watch the tomatoes grow and we will know when we need to add more water to the well.

I cannot wait to see how many tomatoes this yields for our family! I love this box and the great thing is that I can use it over and over again. I don't think gardening could get any easier because the box is self-fertilizing, self-watering and I don't have to worry about weeds. Did I mention it is also eco-friendly and provides a 100% natural way to garden? We could even use it for indoor gardening. I only wish we had this at our last house because we lived up in the mountains where the soil contained too many rocks. Plants didn't stand a chance. The Garden Patch GrowBox would have been perfect for us! Hopefully our tomatoes will look like this once they grow:

Giveaway Time

So, now that you have read all about the Garden Patch Grow Box, How Would You Like A Chance To Win One?

One Lucky Reader Will Win Their Very Own Grow Box!

Back To The Roots Home Mushroom Kit Review & Giveaway

We are homeschooling this year and my son gets very excited when we have science class and also study about growing plants. This is why I was so excited to hear from Back To The Roots! They have the coolest At-Home Mushroom Kit that yields an amazing amount of oyster mushrooms and is so easy to do!

With this mushroom kit, there is no need to even step outside, so, even in the middle of winter, you can grow mushrooms! The kit also comes with a small water sprayer, so once you have the kit, you are really ready to grow mushrooms. All you need in addition is the water!

We couldn't wait to give this kit a try, so Josiah got the kit out and we followed the directions. First we cut an X on one side of the bag of mixture and soaked it overnight in water. The next day, we put the bag back in the box with the X side facing outward and placed it in by the window in our kitchen. After that, all we had to do was spray it two times a day! So easy, right?

Every day we sprayed the mushrooms and looked to see if we noticed anything. After about 3 days, we noticed something starting to pop up and 1 day later, here is what they looked like:

Here is what they looked like the next day:

They continued to grow and grow until they looked exactly like how pictured on the website:

Unfortunately, something happened to all of my pictures, and of course we ate them all, so there are none left. Let me just say that they were absolutely delicious. Knowing that we made them together made them that much better. 

The great thing about the Grow Mushrooms kit is that it can be used more than once! We can harvest mushrooms from the other side of the pouch now that we've done used this side. Two crops are guaranteed, but you may get three or more. Isn't that just awesome?

We had such a great time with this one. It went right along with our science lessons, too, so it was not only fun, but educational. Josiah is already asking if we can get another kit! 

So, now that you've read all about the Back To The Roots Home Mushroom Kit, you can purchase one for only $19.95. 

What about a giveaway?

Thanks to Back To The Roots, One Lucky Children Teaching mama Reader Will Win Their Very Own Mushroom Kit!  Just use the GiveawayTools form below to enter! Good Luck!

DIY Garden Irrigation System Project For The Family

Yesterday the weather got up into the 70s here, which tells me that Spring will soon arrive and Summer will not be far behind. I am so excited because we love the warm weather and spend a great deal of time outside. Each year I pick some fun projects for us to do outside and am already compiling some ideas. Last year we particularly enjoyed gardening, so this year we are taking it a step further!

One of the main issues we had with gardening was keeping the fruits and vegetables watered. When it's 100 degrees outside, they often dried out during the day. By using PVC Fittings, we will be able to make our own irrigation system to keep our plants happy. All you need to do is measure your garden, purchase some 3/4'' - 11/2'' PVC tubes, slip joints, tees and glue to get started. The amount you purchase really depends on how big you'd like the system to be and how intricate.

I just want to make a basic irrigation system that's pretty much a straight line, so this should be simple! My husband will cut the PVC for me and drill holes about 1 inch apart down the line and attach the water house. It's really that easy! For those who want to build a more intricate irrigation system, it's important to do your homework and make sure you purchase the right kind of piping, including Schedule 80 Fittings, which are often used underground and for irrigation systems because they can withstand water pressure and the presence of metals will not damage them! This means your system will be built to last, which is definitely what you'd want after all the hard work.

I also found that CPVC Fittings are ideal for water supply lines, so this is also a possibility when building our system. It is easy to use and cut, is durable and can withstand harsh water. I had no idea, but this type of piping is now often used to replace metal pipes since it is so durable! This is definitely good to know for future reference, too.

I will keep you informed about our projects for this Spring. I'm sure we'll have many coming up and we'll start planting everything soon, too. This year we'll have strawberries, tomatoes, squash, watermelons and cucumbers. The kids are so excited and so am I!