Mason Jar Gifts

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and I knew we wanted to make something that was heartfelt but not too expensive for my daughters' teachers. This idea can be used for anyone special in your life that deserves a thoughtful gift. Great for Christmas, Birthdays, Mother's Day...
This is what I came up with:

Items needed:

• mason jar (we used the pint size)
• optional: lid and ring for the jar if you would like the contents air tight
• ribbon or twine of your choice
• paper or thicker paper stock for the tag
• marker or pen
• hole punch
• your choice of items to fill the jar
• flowers (ours were from the yard)
• candy
• school supplies
• our favorite jar recipe mix

Make sure the jar is clean and dust free. May need to wash in hot soapy water and dry.
Cut ribbon or twine to desired length to wrap around the jar. If using ribbon, I suggest lightly melting the ends of the ribbon to stop fraying with a lighter. You only want to heat the ribbon to the point were the ribbon just starts to melt.
Cut out your tag in the desired shape. Punch with two holes at the top of the tag to string ribbon through. String the ribbon through the tag with the ribbon going in the front of the tag and out the back side.
Write any special message on the tag you wish.
We wrote: It is a "Ball" having you as my teacher! (as we used the Ball brand mason jars). And then they signed their names.
I tied the ribbon with the tag on it to the jar in a bow. You could end it in a knot too.
Then fill the jar with your desired contents. We cut fresh flowers from the yard and placed them in the jar. Don't forget some water too.

For transporting the jars to school I used a smaller box and placed the jars in the corners and filled the middle with newspaper. I then placed the box on the floor of the car.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Hardening Off Seedlings

Seedlings have been enjoying quite a pampered life inside your home. They get watered regularly and do not have to deal with the wind. But my garden is outside. So how do I safely transition my seedlings from my house to the garden?

Hardening off seedlings is a gradual transition to strong sunlight, wind and cool nights that occurs over 7 - 14 days. This prevents your seedlings from going into shock. During this time you want to cut back on watering the plants just enough so they do not whilt.

1. Begin 7 - 14 days before you plan to plant the seedlings outdoors.
2. Place plants in a wind sheltered spot or pick a mild day. Allow the plants to be in sunlight for   3 hours per day.
   
3. Bring plants back indoors each night.
4. Increase exposure to sunlight a few additional hours at a time and gradually reduce frequency of watering, but do not allow seedlings to wilt.  Do not fertilize.
5. After 7 days, the plants should be able to handle sun all day and stay out at night, if temperatures stay above 50 degrees Farenheit. Make sure that the soil doesn't dry out and the plants get baked in the sun. 
6. After  7 - 14 days your plants are ready to transplant into your garden! Try to do this on a cloudy day if possible to reduce shock.  Water well after planting.

Thinning Out Seedlings

Your seeds have grown into seedlings! But you begin to notice that you placed a few too many seeds into the container because you have a handful of seedlings growing out of the same crack in the dirt.

To give your seedlings the best chance to grow you need to thin or remove some of the seedlings. This decreases the crowding of roots and allows the nutrients to reach only one plant. 

 

You want to thin out the seedlings after the first true leaves appear. True leaves are not the first set of leaves that grow from the seedling but the second set. The second set of leaves are the true leaves, these leaves are miniature versions of the mature plant's leaves.

Once the first set of true leaves appear you can remove all other seedlings in the pot that surround this plant. To remove the seedlings you want to clip them off at the soil line with a scissors. Do not pull, tug or rip out the unwanted plant. If you pull out the unwanted seedlings you can pull out the plant you wanted to save because the roots are intertwined.

You might be upset to just cut off your precious seedlings but this is the easiest way to assure your seedling growing stronger.

An alternate way to separate seedlings is to remove the bunch of seedlings from the container and carefully pull the seedlings apart. Then you can plant the individual plants in their own containers. This method can result in damaged plants that do not thrive.

If you are new to growing plants from seed you will want to take the easy way by clipping the seedlings off.

Grow little seedlings grow!