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Quality Time: Plant Some Garbage

2/5/07 - By Anna Fader

Quality Time postings are dedicated to activities for spending time with your kids to get the most out of your time together.

Kids of all ages love gardening projects, especially ones that magically transform something from one thing to another. One minute that big juicy oval thing is a piece of fruit sitting on their plate, and the next it's an activity. Talk about getting to play with your food!

Everybody knows how to plant an avocado, but did you know you can also plant many other things like pineapples and mangos. Mangos actually make one of the most attractive houseplants.

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To plant a mango, pry open the pit of a ripe mango with a knife, being careful not to pierce the seed. Plant the seed on its side, 1/2 inch below the soil's surface. Place in full sun, and cover with a glass or plastic until it sends up a leafy shoot. The seed will sprout in two to three weeks.

If you want many more ideas of garbage you can plant, pick up a copy of the book After Dinner Gardening Book. It's out of print, but they do sell used copies on Amazon.

Find more great activities like this in our Indoor Activities Guide.

 

About the Author

Anna Fader

Founder of Mommy Poppins

A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.

Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.

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