THE CITYSENS VERTICAL GARDEN: OUR FIRST VEGETABLE GARDEN AT HOME
EDUCATING TO LOVE LIFE
Article for Carla Peña Nature is an open book. By only paying attention to the life cycle of plants, our little ones can internalize so many valuable tools for life... From learning patience and the value of constancy to developing a sense of responsibility and involvement in protecting the environment. Following the principles of Montessori pedagogy, we wanted Jana to be involved in the care of plants at home from an early age. So, when she was about two years old, we started with simple activities such as removing dry leaves from pots or watering, and gradually we progressed until we were about to realise our dream of having our own vegetable garden at home. This was made possible by the CitySens vertical garden, which combines design, technology and functionality to bring nature into homes and workspaces in urban environments like ours. From the beginning, I wanted Jana to be involved in the whole process. The first thing I did was to read the assembly instructions to her so that together we could carefully observe each of the components of our garden. She immediately wanted to participate in the activity, as the little ones like to get involved in the tasks that Maria Montessori defined as practical life exercises (cleaning, tidying, personal hygiene and conversation). Specifically, involving children in plant care also helps them to develop greater dexterity with their hands and improve their visual-motor coordination, while helping them to become more independent and involved in the care of their outdoor spaces, their homes, their schools and their communities. To make our vertical garden a reality, all we had to do was follow the simple step-by-step assembly instructions: insert a pot into the metal part of the base, turn the module on its axis clockwise until we felt a "click", then place the other four pots one by one. It was time to transplant the specimens that Jana had been caring for over the past few months, so the first step was to add a layer of draining substrate at the base. In vertical gardens with manual irrigation, citysens uses peach pits which, in addition to reducing the environmental impact, allow hydroponics (growing plants without soil). An efficient and sustainable system for plant care in urban areas because, in addition to not needing soil (which is heavy and a source of dust and dirt), we can save up to 50% of water and nutrients at each watering and have more plants in less space. After Jana added the draining substrate layer, we incorporated the soil, transplanted and covered with a new substrate layer. It was time to plant, and following the instructions from citysens for our aroma planting kit, we found it quite easy and enjoyed the experience. +info on citysens.com and earlychildfood.com
