How to Create a Pizza Pot: A Gardening Activity for You and Your Children

Children love dirt and they love pizza. What better way to combine the two with a gardening activity that includes both. Here is an activity to teach your children about seeds, how they grow and where we get our food.

First, you will need the following items:

• Potting soil
• Seeds (oregano, tomato, basil, parsley)
• A large pot (or the bottom half of a gallon milk jug)
• Patience

Spread newspapers underneath your work area. Give each child their own pot because there will be plenty of seeds to go around. Have your own pot so that you can lead and hopefully the children will follow.

Allow your young gardeners to look at the packages of seeds. Explain what each package contains.

Start with the tomato seeds. Place several tomato seeds right in the middle of your pot. Make sure that the children get the tomato seeds as close to the middle as is reasonable because the tomato plants will grow the largest.

Next, pick one of the herbs (oregano, basil and parsley are herbs). These seeds are often quite small. Place seeds on the outer edges of your pot, being careful not to overcrowd the tomatoes. Complete the Pizza Pot with the next two herbs.

Now use a small cup or a watering can and show the children how to carefully water the pots everyday. If you are using milk jugs, make sure that there are a few holes on the bottom for excess water to drain.

It is time for patience. Your children will want to check on the pots constantly at first. The herbs will begin growing rather quickly. Basil in particular can grow quite fast. Don’t be afraid to pick some of the herbs once they start growing. Have your children smell and taste the herbs.

The tomato plants will be the most difficult to keep healthy. Once the plant germinates, allow the tomato plant to grow about six inches high. To strengthen the plant, unearth the six inch plant and place most of the plant back under the soil. This will allow the six inches of plant to become a stronger root system and promote rapid growth in the tomato plant.

Once the tomato plants are growing strong, make sure that you stake the plants to prevent them from falling over. Place Pizza Pots outside only after the danger of frost has passed. Keep pots in a warm, sunny area of your yard and water frequently.

*If you have struggled hard to grow your Pizza Pot and you have not succeeded, nurseries grow all kinds of vegetable and herb plants. There is no shame in running to the plant nursery while your child is at school to replace unhealthy plants.

Now that your tomatoes are red and your herbs are in abundance, it is time to use your Pizza Pot for what is was intended. Make a pizza using the tomatoes. Chop up the herbs small and add them to pizza sauce. Your children will love that they have grown their own food and with care, the Pizza Pot you have created can be used most of the summer.

Tomatoes also grow beautifully with onions and peppers. You can add these to your pot as well and make it one ‘Healthy Veggie Pizza Pot’!