Happy little heads of broccoli, that rise up out of the soil and sing a lovely morning song that goes, “Get up! Get up! The house is on fire! Now that you’re awake, I think I’ll eat the cat”—will NOT be joining the Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks Team any time soon. Although a package of seeds that Nate bought a while ago says, “Broccoli,” what’s inside is actually a micro-green variety that’s more reminiscent of Chia Pet hair.
The package that Nate bought is a kind of DIY kit that seems absolutely foolproof, but Nate stays close by when I open it—mostly out of curiosity—but also in case the following things happen:
–I attempt to open the package with hedge clippers because I can’t find the scissors.
–The package bursts open, and seeds go everywhere.
–I sever the water line at the sink somehow and, for some reason, water sprays all over the place.
–The seeds take root, and our house turns into an actual Chia Pet house. The neighborhood Facebook page blows up overnight with complaints, and the HOA has to get involved.
–As punishment, we have to sell everyone’s unwanted stuff at the next garage sale—and figure out a way for everyone to park their boats and trailers in a safe and attractive manner throughout the neighborhood.
Luckily, none of the above happens. The instructions for the “Back to the Roots” growing kit couldn’t be easier—and more fun. The kit consists of a biodegradable “grow tray, a “soil disc,” and a packet of seeds. All I have to do is:
–Place the “soil disc” into the “grow tray” and add 1/3 cup of water. In 30 seconds or less, the soil disc grew in a most fantastic, yet unmistakably phallic manner.
–Crumble up the soil and spread it evenly about the tray. (Nate inspected my work. I don’t know why. I haven’t turned the house into a Chia Pet, yet.)
–Sprinkle on the seeds and add 3 tablespoons of water. (There are sooo many seeds. So, at least one should grow. I should be able to put one sprout on a veggie burger one day. That will be the best day ever. I can’t wait.)
–Cover the tray with a cardboard lid that’s provided. I’m also supposed to text GROW to 888111 for reminders, which I did. The resulting message said that It will remind me when 48 hours are over, which is when I’m supposed to remove the lid and see little sprouts. The texting reminder service is a big plus for me. I wish there were texting reminder services for other things I forget about, such as how long I’ve had my yoga pants and when it’s time to get a new scented candle. Oh, the headaches I’d save myself!
In any case, the entire ordeal only took about five minutes tops. That’s my kind of planting project. With any luck, I’ll have enough long, luxurious locks of broccoli strands to last three glorious days. The neighborhood Facebook page will explode with comments like “That windowsill of the house on__ Street is out of control!” And I’ll reply, “Jealous much?”—and I’ll add a very sassy plant emoji.
Your Turn: Have you ever had a Chia Pet or plants that you grew from a kit? What were your results/memories?
Fixin' Leaks and Leeks 
I’ve never grown anything from a kit but after your story, I just might! Haha. And I love broccoli. Need to go get some and chow down!
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Thanks for stopping by! I wish you the best of luck on your growing endeavors!
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In my household, plants grown from kits always seem to end up in the Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Tiime category. (Read: Put up a couple of sad little shoots, which lay down and died.)
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Typically, I don’t have much luck, either. The last one I tried yielded a couple of spicy peppers, some Thai basil, and the blue borage. I was supposed to have way more plants than that, but still, I was pretty happy with these results, so I charged ahead with this new kit. I’ll have to see how it goes.
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I’ll be interested in seeing the results.
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My method has always been to toss seeds, or a tomato past its prime, or even a sprig of mint into a convenient pot in the kitchen balcony. And they sprout/fruit blissfully. But every single time I carefully plant a seed, water it on time and play music to it, the seed refuses to sprout. Honest!
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Oh, no! Since you have such great luck using the other method, definitely stick with that one:) Cheers!
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Oh yes, and they have been successfully eaten, often before they could migrate to pots. Micro greens, yummy. 🙂
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Nice! 🙂
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Sadly, no and no otherwise I might have a similarly amusing tale to tell.
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This is the first year that I’ve really gotten into plants–and they’ve grown for me. I’ll have to see what happens this time around. Cheers!
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😎
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This sounds like a very complicated 5 minutes! I never had a Chia pet, but we DID have Sea Monkeys…
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Ah, yes! Sea Monkeys taste great on a veggie burger:)
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🤣🤣🤣
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Text reminders for growing plants! Amazing. And helpful, too. Hi, Cecilia. Speaking of plants: I’ve gotten into store-bought marinated artichokes recently. Very delicious.
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Those artichokes sound like the perfect snack food. Thanks for stopping by!
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Cute post:) I bought a miniature clay pot with forget-me-not seeds in it from Target one year. Some green grew up about an inch…and that was it. I wasn’t too surprised. I kept the cute little pot, though!
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Sometimes the pot that the plant comes in is more fun than the plant itself:) Thanks for stopping by!
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That’s true; I ended up with several great ones that way!
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My parents were very big on instructional-and-fun-for-the-whole-family kits, that hatched butterflies, praying mantises, brine shrimp, crystal radio, etc. and some flowering bulbs, but don’t remember ever doing Chia Pets. I think you should revisit this Chia House idea, it sounds pleasant, comfortable, good humidity level. It could be a Green Alternative to carpets and wallpaper. And when it looks overgrown, you could just spritz some salad dressing around the family room, and invite some vegans over to graze.
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I love this idea! I’ll have Nate and Alex draw up the plans:)
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I’ve never grown anything from a kit, but a am eating quite good tomatoes that are coming from two old and rotten tomatoes I thrown in a pot last year 🙂
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That sounds wonderful–no kit needed:)
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A little disappointed that the first scenario was fake. That was just getting good. The chia house sounds like a lot of fun!
Never had a chia pet, or a seed kit, but I’m very happy it’s working well for you. 🙂
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A Chia Pet house would be awesome! Right now–it’s just my windowsill–it’s working! It’s really, really working! I’ll have to remember to post a picture next week–unless I’ve killed everything by then. Cheers!
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I wouldn’t have lasted this long with those plants, I’m sure. Plants come to my house to die.
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When I was little (narrator insert: you are still little, you are under 5 ft tall). Sorry for the interruption. We had the little bean in a bed of cotton project. I was always disappointed that I could never get an actual bean plant out of it all. But I have the opposite of a green finger, and plants have the bad habit of dying under my care. (My surprise passion fruit has been spared so far, knock on wood!) I hope you carry on sharing your plant adventures!
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I usually don’t have much luck with plants, but I did with this one–so I must carry on:)
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Well done! Keep us updated! 🙂
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