With record-setting temperatures here in Northern Illinois this week, the little one and I have been spending a lot of time outside getting inspired for the Spring and Summer Gardening seasons. In fact, having cleared 80-degrees already, this is the warmest March on record, and a lot of our Garden Friends that shouldn’t be here yet have already arrived. Joining them for 2012 are some new friends, the GROWUMS.
GROWUMS are a collection of six themed gardening kits that encourage kids to ”put a little character in your garden.” Intrigued by the kits and their vast array of characters, educational tools, and transmedia presence, I reached out to the Growums team to learn a little bit more.
At the root of the Growums’ project is the opportunity to teach and inspire a new generation of kids that are enthusiastic about growing their own healthy food. What makes the Growums world different, is that the experience combines real-world gardening with an online-educational site that entertains as it teaches. Each member of the garden has been given a unique persona and character, – such as the very Rock Father-appropriate Elvis Parsley and Frank Cilantro.
Last week, a care package from the Growums arrived here at The Rock Father™ HQ so that we could experience all of this first hand.
Inside the box was a sales sheet, a t-shirt, bag, some bracelets, and one of their themed gardens – the PIZZA GARDEN, which we’ll be growing and tracking the progress of, right here on The Rock Father Gardening Blog!
The Pizza Garden Kit Includes:
- 1 package: Roma Tomato Seeds
- 1 package: Basil Seeds
- 1 package: Oregano Seeds
- 1 package: Bell Pepper Seeds
- 8 Coco Pellets
- 8 Plant Tags (2 per veg.)
- Easy to read Directions
The first thing that we did was make a trip over to the computer to register our garden with the unique code inside. Once “planted” in the virtual world, our first lesson was presented in video form with colorful CGI veggies leading the way to gardening glory. Back to the table we went, and we began adding water to our Coco Pellets. Now, while the tray is self-watering, a favorite trick of mine for all Coco/Peat Pellet seed starting is to use a turkey baster to evenly distribute warm water for each pellet to expand.
After placing 2-3 of each seed into two pellets each, the pellets were labeled and ready to grow!
Our Pizza Garden has been placed in front of the sunny kitchen window, and we’ll be looking for the plants to sprout. We’ll also hear more from the Growums, as weekly emails will arrive with new instructional videos. Pretty cool, right?
While we’re getting started with our first Growums Garden, you can take part yourself by visiting Growums.com. In addition to being able to meet the characters and buy your own Gardens, you can also sign up for Fundraising Programs for your school or organization! Tired of selling cookies, coupons, or candy bars? Growums might be what you’re looking for. Additionally, they have some great programs like Growums Goes to the Fair, a Blue Ribbon program with some creative projects for all to enjoy.
Check back for more on our Pizza Garden Progress throughout the season!
PS: While at LOWES over the weekend, we noticed a pallet full of Growums Garden in a Box, which is exclusive to Lowes this year. Retailing for $39.99, you can see a video detailing the set below…
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FTC Disclosure: Growums provided one (1) Pizza Garden Kit ($9.99 value) to The Rock Father™ for the purpose of this project.
