A Chia herb garden can be a quick and easy option for the novice gardener who wants to try their hand at growing their own plants.
With the patented Chia growing system and a selection of herb seeds, a Chia herb garden takes all the guesswork out of container gardening and can even be the first step in planting your own outdoor garden.
Though herb gardening is among the easiest & simplest forms of gardening, the Chia system makes it even simpler.
Using the same unique growing sponge made of peat moss, bark and sponge that is used for other Chia plants, all the guesswork is taken out of gardening. The sponge helps regulate the air to water ratio, ensuring the ideal growing environment.
As with any Chia plant, the Chia herb garden uses a few simple steps to get your herbs growing. Just tuck the sponge into the pot and sprinkle the accompanying seeds onto it, then moisten lightly and cover the entire thing with an open sandwich bag to retain moisture.
Before long, you should see growth.
Once the plants have begun to sprout you can uncover them and move them to a windowsill to begin tending to them like you would with any standard herb gardening.
The seeds don’t need a tremendous amount of direct sunlight, but the plants will, so a windowsill with southern exposure should work best.
With the sponge system, the Chia herb garden allows you to avoid the trouble of finding just the right soil or some other kind of potting mixture to help your herbs grow.
And there is almost no limit to the kind of herbs you can grow. Chia offers a variety of seeds including Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Parsley and Sweet Marjoram. You can pick and choose which ones you’d like to grow and they should all grow easily.
All of these are among the most popular edible herbs, used in everything from tomato sauce to salad to soup and other dishes.
There are almost no limits to the benefits you can get from this type of herbs gardening and with the easy grow system, almost no way you can avoid being successful!
And perhaps the best part of the Chia herb garden experience is that it doesn’t have to end once your plants have reached full growth.
You can easily transplant from the small pots in the Chia kit to a larger windowsill container or directly to your garden. Just move the plant, sponge and all, and plant it in your desired location, it’s that simple!
If you’ve ever considered starting an herb garden but were afraid to try, the Chia garden may be the perfect first step for you.
Everything you need for a successful windowsill garden is provided in one kit. Follow the instructions and you’ll have a fragrant, thriving herb garden of your very own before you even know it!
Peter Bourke is a herb gardening expert… for more great information about a Chia herb garden visit http://www.WhatAreHerbs.com
Looney Balloon Games For Kids Parties
by: Patricia B. Jensen
What’s a kids party without balloons? Great for decorating, party favors, and of course, party games. Floating balloons, googly balloons, water balloons, screaming balloons … Here’s a great collection of looney balloon games kids will love.
BALLOON POP RELAY
Form guests into two lines facing a bag of balloons about 20 feet away. At the starting signal, guests must race to the balloon bag, take one out and pop it as quickly as possible by sitting on it, stepping on it, or any other means. They then race back and tag the next team member in their line. The first team to have every player pop a balloon is the winner.
BALLOON BALANCE
Blow up about 10-15 balloons and place them on the floor. Each guest has 2 minutes (use a timer) to pick up and hold as many balloons as possible. They must pick up the balloons all by themselves without help, put them in their clothes, between their legs, under their arms, between their teeth, etc. Each guest takes a turn while the others watch and laugh themselves silly! The guest who holds the most balloons when their time is up is the winner.
BALLOON BOP
Form guests into a circle with an adult leader in the middle with a balloon. Each guest will have a chance to hit the balloon to keep it up, but here’s the catch. The leader will call out the person’s name and a body part, and they must use that body part to hit the balloon upwards to keep it in play. You can use hands, feet, knee, elbow, head, and hips or butt. Players who use the wrong body part or let the balloon fall to the ground are out. The last player standing with the balloon in play is the winner.
CATCH THE BALLOON
Gather children in a circle around the adult leader. Toss a balloon in the air and call one child’s name. That child must catch the balloon before it touches the ground. If the child succeeds, she gets to toss the balloon and call the next name.
BALLOONS AND BEADS
Fill 20-30 balloons with two to four beads each and hide the filled balloons around the house or yard. Divide guests into groups of two and tie one set of hands and one set of feet together. Each team must find as many balloons as they can, pop them by themselves, and return with their beads. The team with the most beads at the end of the game is the winner.
GOOGLY BALLOONS
Blow up balloons, putting a small marble through the neck of each one before tying the end. This makes the balloons move in unexpected ways. Release into the group one more balloon than children. The object is to keep the balloons up in the air. Play this in two teams, each side with an extra balloon. The team who lets a balloon drop to the floor first loses.
FLOATING BALLOONS
Pass out a large balloon to each guest. Let them blow up their balloon and offer your help tying each one securely. The object of this game is to hit the balloons up into the air and keep them afloat for the longest period of time. This is a fun and easy way to start or end any party!
BALLOON POP
Place notes inside un-inflated balloons, one or two of the notes should indicate that this balloon is a winner. Inflate the balloons and hang them around. Let each child pick a balloon then pop it to see if their note is a winner.
BALLOON FAVORS
Before the party, insert a small, light-weight party favor such as a sticker, into the opening of a balloon before inflating it. Then, inflate the balloon and repeat until you have a balloon for each guest. Use these balloons to decorate the party area. At the end of the party, each guest may take a balloon and pop it by sitting on it, kicking it, etc. to get the prize hidden inside.
ROUND UP THE HERD
For this game you will need two brooms, a long string to mark your course, six balloons (and a few extra in case any should pop). Set up an obstacle course in your party area using boxes, chairs, bushes, trees, etc. Mark the path of your obstacle course with string.
Divide your party guests into two teams and line up both teams at the starting line. Give the first person in each line a broom and three balloons. (Be sure to use different colored balloons for each team). They must use the broom to herd their wild ponies (balloons) through the course.
Each player must herd their balloons through the entire course to complete their turn. The first team to finish the course, wins! If a balloon pops during a player’s turn, he or she must take a new balloon to the starting line and begin again.
BALLOON RELAY RACE #1
Instruct the children to stand in two single-file lines, facing forward. Place a balloon between the knees of the first child in each line. When the race starts, the first child on each team turns to face the next person in line. The second child must grasp the balloon with his or her knees and turn to pass it on to the third person, and so on. If the balloon falls to the ground, the team must start over. The first team to successfully pass the balloon down the line, wins!
BALLOON RELAY RACE #2
Divide guests into two or more equal teams and have them stand in a line. Give each team ten balloons in a basket or trash bag. The first child in each line takes a balloon and runs to the other side of the room and sits or stomps on the balloon to pop it. They then run back to the line and tag the next person who does the same thing. The winning team is the one who pops all their balloons the fastest.
WATER BALLOON TOSS
Fill up to 50 water balloons, depending the number and place them in large buckets. Divide guests into teams of two, standing and facing each other. They begin by tossing a water balloon back and forth, taking a step backward with each toss. If the balloon pops, the team is out. The last team with an intact balloon wins.
MUSICAL WATER BALLOONS
Guests sit in a large circle, about 4 feet apart. They must pass a water balloon around the circle as music is played, without breaking it. Everyone who gets wet is out, as well as each person left with the balloon when the music stops
SCREAMING BALLOONS
This isn’t a party game, but it’s just as fun as one! Tell kids you know how to make a balloon scream. Before the party, drop a hex nut into a latex balloon and inflate. When you’re ready to demonstrate, hold the balloon in both hands and move it rapidly in a circular motion. Can you hear it scream?
The unique six-sided shape of the hex nut vibrates the walls of the balloon as it moves, producing a rather unique “screaming” sound.
Stock up on hex nuts and balloons because all your party guests will want to try this one!
Copyright 2005 Kids Party Paradise All Rights Reserved
About The Author
Patricia B. Jensen is a mother of three and kids party enthusiast. She is the webmaster and owner of Kids-Party-Paradise.com – a complete resource for kids party ideas including invitations, cakes, decorations, games, costumes, favors, and food.
For all the latest party news, read her Kids Party Blog.
Are there any raspberry plant varieties suitable for container gardening?
I have a patio, but I don't have a yard. I'd like to grow some raspberries but I'm thinking that this plant may not be suited to container gardening. A raised bed isn't an option – I'd have to do a large container with a trellis or something. Is this possible?
I live in zone 5 of the US, if that matters.
Mail this post