Build And Grow A Living Playhouse For Your Kids

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There are so many incredible benefits to gardening with your children. Many children never grown their own food, nor have they even seen a garden, farm or orchard. Teaching your children how to garden and grow their own food, not only gives them the knowledge on how to do so, it connects them with the food in which they consume.

With that said, this super cool ‘living playhouse’ with not only teach your children how to grow their own food, they will have a ton of fun doing it! Plus, it looks pretty cool in the backyard!

Growing a living playhouse

Living playhouses are the perfect way for your children to be a part of the process of growing fruits and vegetables from a seed to full ripeness in a way that also provides them with a natural, calm place to play. Living playhouses are also relatively simple, leaving room for your kid’s imagination to run wild.

There are so many different types of fruits and vegetables that grow best up a trellis or fence. So this setup gives you a ton of great options!

  • Cucumbers
  • Squash
  • Pole beans
  • Tomatoes
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Sweet peas

Choosing your vegetable depends largely on what type of soil you have and what size and shape your base structure will be. You can visit this site for more information on growing each type of these vegetables.

Some items that you will need:

  • Bamboo canes (8-10, 6 or 7 feet-long)
  • 1 packet of seeds (or more, depending on which vegetable you choose)
  • Gardening string
  • Chicken wire (optional)

Once you have gathered your items, follow these simple steps to build your living playhouse:

  1. Choose the spot in your yard where the playhouse will be.
  2. Put your bamboo into the ground. Push the shoots firmly into the ground evenly-spaced apart in the shape that you want them. Make sure that you leave a wider space in the front for an entrance.
  3. Create your garden. At the base of each cane, dig up an area that is 12″ wide, 12″ long and 12″ deep at minimum. You can also dig  a continuous 12″-wide bed in a ring surrounding the entire perimeter of the bamboo canes. Be sure to mix in some compost or manure into your soil to provide much-needed nutrients for your veggies.
  4. Plant your seeds.Poke two 1”-2” holes at the base of each bamboo cane. Drop one seeds into each hole and fill it with water. Once the water has soaked into the soil, gently cover the holes with soil and water again.
    *You may also want to start them in pots and then transplant them once they are already 6-inches in height.
  5. Protect your plants. Consider some of these organic methods of controlling slugs. You may need to help some of your vines reach the bamboo if they don’t do so on their own. Take those tendrils and gently wrap them around the bamboo. Cover the base of the plants with wood chips or lawn clippings to help keep the moisture in, and be sure to water them often, especially in hot, dry periods.

This is such a fun project for your kids! It will get them active, have them eating healthy and spending a ton of time outdoors!