Wonder Wednesday 51: Glass Jar Gardens
Happy Wonder Wednesday 51!
Today is especially special here at Wings, Worms, and Wonder blog because not only is it the 51st Wonder Wednesday activity, it’s the 400th blog post.
400 blog posts!! It’s blowing my mind a bit to tell you the truth! I mean I know I’ve been doing this for 4 1/4 years  and I know I show up every Monday to write a post that goes live on Tuesday, and I know I pour my heart and soul into Wings, Worms, and Wonder, but it’s still pretty wild to think I’ve done anything 4oo times!
If this is your first time here, welcome! I’m so glad you are here in the world of Wings, Worms, and Wonder. I hope you enjoy and join the fun for 400 more posts!!
If it’s your 400th time here, welcome back! Thank you for being an integral part of everything I do here! Your commitment to connecting humans and nature through creativity is really important work!
Okay! Now, let’s get down to bringing some wonder into your Wednesday!
Wonder Wednesday #51:
Glass Jar Herb Gardens
This activity is great for many reasons. You can up-cycle glass jars and smoothie straws, you can plant cuttings from your own garden or cuttings you get from a friend, and once the plants finish their lifecycle, you can recycle or reuse the jar! Bringing it full circle!
One of the most fool proof ways to spark wonder for nature, in my experience, is when someone grows something and then eats it. It blows their minds and opens their hearts through the senses.
This activity gives adults and children of all ages, who may not have the space to embark on a gardening journey themselves, the wonder filled experience to grow and eat in a fun, easy, and almost always successful way.
This idea is also featured in my Give Nature for the Holidays post and on the coloring checklist printable, so check that link out below if you haven’t yet for lots of great nature-centric DIY gifts and experiences and to get your printable!
Materials
Glass jars, width mouth (ish) and approximately quart size. They could be actual canning jars or you can upcycle spaghetti sauce style jars. It’s up to you!
Smoothie or boba straws. These are the extra wide straws. I love boba tea, so the straws I used are boba straws. The straws can also be upcycled or new and are used to help water the herb easily and make sure that water reaches the bottom of the jar. Â (#bobalife right?! Anyone else love boba tea too?)
Herbs. I used mint and oregano because they are so easy to grow and propagate. Find small herb plants at the grocery store, local nursery, or use rooted cuttings from your own garden.
Potting soil. It’s important to use potting soil, not planting soil, because potting soil has better drainage and since the jars don’t have drainage, light soil is important.
Optional:
Glass jewels, marbles, or fun rocks. These are just for fun to give a little extra sparkle and weight in the bottom of the jar. You could choose a color theme or go clear and classy!
Ribbon, any color you like or that suits the holiday you may be celebrating with this gift!
Preparation
Make sure your jars are clean and dry and all labels removed if you are upcycling. If doing this project with children, you may want to control the potting soil in a bowl with scoops, especially if you are doing the project indoors.
Procedure
If you are using glass jewels or rocks add a layer into the bottom of the jar.
Place your straw into the jar with the angled side down into the jar.
Fill the jar with potting soil up to about the height of where the jar begins to curve in near the top.
About this high give or take.
Remove your herb from it’s pot and loosen the roots so they fit easily into he mouth of the jar. If you have propagated a plant in soil, just add it to the jar.
If your herb plant is a little big, you can gently split the root ball in half. This doesn’t work for all plants, but many it does. Oregano is especially easy to split and hardy.
Then, add a little more soil in to make sure your plant’s roots are buried and the plant is secure. Press down on the roots and soil to secure the plant into the jar. At this point the soil shouldn’t be above the lid thread line. This keeps things tidy.
Now water! At this point the plant hasn’t grown much, so add a little water directly to the soil and then pour some down the straw. This helps water get to the bottom of the jarWater will wick up the soil to reach the lower roots as they grow down the jar.
Once your jar is planted and watered, you can add a ribbon to dress it up. You could also make a gift tag with care instructions. Give mint to people you think may over water and oregano to people you think may underwater – set them up for success! Check out some sample instructions below.
What herbs would you like to grow in a jar garden?
Share in the comments below!
Share pics of your glass jar gardens and gift gardens on IG #wingswormsandwonder
Seeds to Sprout:
Get more garden upcycling ideas in this post on seed sprouting in old cd cases and this post making sprouting pots from old tp rolls.
Shop small this holiday! I have lots of unique gifts for the creative nature lovers on your list. Check out my Etsy shop here for stickers, the wooden prints, books, consultations, and more
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Here are instruction examples you could copy for your gift tags:
Say hello to your new mint plant! Mint is very easy to grow. Place your jar in a bright sunny window. To water, just pour some water down the straw and you are set! Keep the soil fairly wet, mint likes lots of water. Before you know it, you’l have enough mint for recipes & tea! Snip off the leaves and enjoy the fresh scent and taste!
Say hello to your new oregano plant! Oregano is very easy to grow! Place your jar in a bright sunny window and water about once a week. Oregano doesn’t like to be soggy wet, so watering about once a week is fine. Just pour some water down the straw and you are set! Since oregano prefers to be a little dry, it’s ok if you forget a week here and there. Oregano won’t mind. To use in your favorite recipes, just snip off some leaves and cook!