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A fun project for the kids this summer which will help
introduce or reinforce their ideas about the enjoyment found in
gardening could be growing a playhouse composed of giant
sunflowers (be sure to select a tall variety of seed),
morning glories and moonflowers. These plants would
also attract hummingbirds to your garden.
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To get started you will need:
- A sunny spot in the garden (at least 6 ft. by 6 ft. square).
A smaller space or a circular playhouse will work, too.
- A shovel or spading fork and rake (This is where adults are most useful.)
- Compost or soil builder.
- Sunflower, morning glory and / or moonflower seeds.
- A ruler, 4 small stakes and string.
- A full watering can or hose
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- Begin by soaking the morning glory seeds
and moonflower seeds overnight to make them sprout more readily.
- Trace an 8 ft. by 8 ft. square in a flat, sunny area.
Ask adults to help you dig up soil about 6" to 8" deep in a 2 ft. wide strip within each of the four walls leaving
a 2 ft. wide doorway uncultivated on one of the walls. Spread 4 in. of compost or soil builder over the
cultivated area and dig it in. Don't plant seeds in the doorway!
- Place a stake 1" inside each corner and connect them with string. This should make a 6 ft. by 6 ft. square.
- Using your ruler, plant 2 or 3 sunflower seeds every 12" under the string. Then make four evenly
spaced holes around each sunflower seed hole. Plant morning glory
and/or moonflower seeds in the holes. Cover all the seeds with
1/2" of soil. You can remove the string now.
- Soak the soil with water. Check the soil for moistness every day. For the first four weeks, the soil
should stay evenly moist. Afterward, water when the soil feels dry.
- When the sunflowers have grown to 2" to 3", thin out all but one at each spot. Leave the morning glories
and moonflowers alone.
- Soon, the sunflowers will reach 5 to 6 ft. tall. The morning glories and moonflowers will climb up
the sunflower stalks.
- Make a roof by twining string back and forth across the tops of the sunflowers. Then ask a tall adult to help
you train the morning glories to grow across the top of your playhouse. By late summer, you should have a
cozy retreat of your own which the birds and hummingbirds will also find attractive.
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