How to Make a Living Easter Basket
A living Easter Basket is a wonderfully green way to celebrate the spring season with a minimal amount of time invested. You can use wheat grass seeds, catnip or even green salad leaves such as mescaline to serve double duty in your salad after Easter. You should start the project three to four weeks in advance to insure the grass has grown or four to six weeks if you add flower bulbs to your basket.
Items Needed:
Strong basket, can be plastic or fiber weave
Saran wrap or other plastic to line bottom of basketTopsoil for planting, you will want to use an enriched topsoil for best results, MiracleGro has a good oneSeeds - wheat grass and catnip both are fast growersFlower bulbs, if desired for a more elegant basket
Line the bottom and sides of the basket with the plastic to hold the soil in place. Fill the basket halfway with topsoil. Sprinkle your grass seeds over the soil and cover with a light layer of topsoil. Water the basket being careful not to over water. Place in a warm, sunny window and allow Mother Nature to take over.
You are now at the waiting stage. Water the basket whenever you notice the soil is dry. Again, do not overwater. In a week you should see grass beginning to sprout. Continue to watch until time to turn your grass basket into an Easter basket. If you do not see grass sprouting and you still have time, you can purchase grass plugs at your local nursery to jump start the growing process. Make sure you have given yourself ample time before Easter to get your baskets growing. You can always trim grass that is too tall, you can't always make it grow fast.
Once the grass is up in height you can add dyed Easter eggs or chocolate eggs to the basket and use it as a centerpiece for your Easter dinner table. Make several small baskets to use as gifts for friends and family members. You can be as simple or as elaborate with your living basket as you want.
Making the living basket more elaborate involves a little more pre-planning but the end result is a centerpiece or gift you will be delighted to show. Plan to plant your basket four to six weeks before Easter. After adding the soil and grass seeds to the basket, add a flower bulb or two. Tulips and iris' are both gorgeous standing tall in your living basket.
After Easter, you can transplant your living basket to your flower bed and enjoy the satisfaction that you created a living basket that will continue to grow long past Easter. If you have planted salad leaves as the greenery for your basket you can now enjoy the fruits of your labor.
A living Easter basket makes beautiful decor and returns to the earth the goodness it gives to you.
