Hi greenthumbs!

This week we are celebrating families! And I want to give a big shout-out to our amazing families all over the planet that are part of our dirtgirlworld family.

International Day of Families is on 15 May, so I think that’s a great excuse to celebrate! Families come in all shapes and sizes. Some are big and some are small. Some live in the same town and some are scattered all over the world!

Lots of people are staying at home with their families right now, which means it’s a super good time to get in the garden! I have some cool ideas of things to do together … make a pizza garden, make some plant labels and write a letter to someone you love!

Make a family pizza garden

Do you do a pizza night in your family? I LOVE pizza. It is sooo delicious. Yum yum.
Watch this and find out our favourite pizza toppings in dirtgirlworld.

Have you ever thought of making a pizza garden?

You can even make it in the shape of a pizza!

· Here are some things that you could grow in a pizza garden:

· Tomatoes

· Capsicum or bell peppers

· Basil

· Oregano

Onions

Most of these plants (except for onions) like to grow in the warmer seasons, so keep that in mind when planning your pizza garden.

Check out these amazing ideas:

And you can even grow a pizza garden in pots and containers!

Fun family project: make your own plant markers

You can make little signs so that everyone in your family knows what the name of the plants are in your garden, what is ready to pick and what jobs need doing to care for the plants. You can use rocks, icy pole sticks, pegs or you could cut up plastic icecream containers or milk bottles to make signs and labels.

Family traditions: let’s write a letter!

In lots of families, learning how to garden, plant seeds and grow food is passed down from one person to the next. Is there anyone in your big extended family that likes to grow their own food? Maybe you have a grandma or a grandad that is good in the garden? Or an aunt or uncle who likes to potter around with pots? What handy hints can they pass onto you? Let’s find out!

Write a letter or give them a phone call. Here are some ideas of things that you can ask:

· Who taught you how to grow food?

· What do you have in your garden or pots right now?

· What is your favourite food to grow and eat?

· What is the thing you love most about gardening?

You can even turn your letter into the envelope too!

Check this out:

Kids who Grow Food

Olly and Elani from Australiahave both been busy in their family garden. They are 4 and 5 years old. Their mum taught them how to grow food. When I asked them what they love to grow, Elani said "I like growing flowers because I like the look of them, and I like the smell. I want the bees to go into the flowers and have the pollen." And Olly said, "I like strawberries because they are tasty, yum yum!"

They also both talked about seeds. Seeds are so important if you want to grow a garden, they start the whole thing! Seeds are like a promise. Elani says that her favourite thing is "not watching the seeds because it takes a long time!” Seeds sure teach us how to be patient! Olly likes that the “seeds make food and we like eating it”.

Olly has a cool growing tip for all of us too:

"Water, sun and speaking good words over them."

Wow, Olly! I think that’s one of the greatest tips in the whole wide world!

Check out all the beautiful food this family has grown together in their amazing garden. Thanks Olly and Elani for sharing your story with all of us!