How to plant your own food!Planting your own food is a great thing to

do to help the environment! If you grow your food organically then

you are not using any nasty chemicals that kills bees, butterflies, other insects

and the soil that we need to keep the world (and ourselves) healthy.

The food will be in season, and locally sourced. This is great because your

carbon footprint will get smaller because the food doesn’t travel to you

and so use petrol and energy that releases greenhouse gases into the air.

The food will be really healthy for you! It’s vegetarian and vegan which is really

good for your body and mind!

It’s lots of fun making something grow!

So let’s make thing grow!

1. You can use plant pots and trays but if you don’t have any you can use single

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use plastic tubs from food shopping! Make sure the tub has holes in the

bottom for the water to drain away or the soil will get flooded! If the tub

doesn’t have holes get an adult to help you cut/poke some in.

2) Read the seed packet instructions to find out how much compost to use and where and when to plant the seeds(you can buy seeds in most supermarkets and garden shops).

3) Please use peat – free compost. Peat is a really nice type of mud that is good for Check any words written in red in the Eco glossary in module one to find out what it means!

plants but it is being taken from swamps that we need to leave alone, they are being destroyed and having a bad effect on the eco-system and animals. These swamps get a lot of the greenhouse gases out of the air which helps make the world cooler. Or even better use your own compost (look at module two “make your own compost”.Break up clumps so the seeds can grow through the soil.

4) Make little divots in the soil to put the seeds in.

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5) Cover the seeds with more compost and press down.

6) Water.

7) Make sure you label it so you remember what’s growing!

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8) Follow the instructions on the packet, keep an eye on your plants and water.

9) Harvest and enjoy!

Tips for organic growing:Insects and birds love plants and fruit, but please don’t use weed killer and pesticides to protect your plants, it kills the bees and butterflies which are really important for pollinating!

Here are five eco-friendly tips instead!1) Companion planting

This means planting a different type of plant next to your to attract insects to eat the ones that will eat your plants or ward away pests with their smell. For example planting marigold flowers next to

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strawberries will ward away pests with their smell. A quick google (or even better Ecosia search www.ecosia.org (the website that plants trees!) will tell you which plants make the best companions for yours!.

2) Use copper tapeYou can buy copper tape at a gardens centre or online, slugs and snails don’t like going over the copper and will avoid it, put this around the rim of your pots.

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3) Use straw Slugs and snails don’t like going over straw either, put some on top of your soil to deter these pests!

4) Use beer traps,Put some beer in old glass jars to attract slugs that would go for your plants instead, they will drown so think carefully if you want to do this one!

5) Chilli, garlic and cayenne pepper spray.This one’s my favourite! Cut up some chilli’s, garlic and add some cayenne pepper or ginger, mix it all in a jar of water and let sit overnight or longer if you like!

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Strain through a coffee filter or cheese cloth. Funnel into a spray bottle and spray on your plants, the strong taste will ward away pests, just make sure to wash your plants before you eat it!

Have fun! Post any photos of your plants on dojo!

Check any words written in red in the Eco glossary in module one to find out what it means!