With Minigarden, when it’s time to cook, all you need to do is pick those fresh delicacies that give your cooking that special flavour and a very personal touch.

Plants that are grown for their leaves and stems should be picked before they begin to flower, which is when their essential oils are at their peak. Any leaves that are dry or discoloured should be discarded. The next step is to tie them into small bunches and hang them in a well-ventilated spot away from direct sunlight, because light can cause the essential oils to evaporate. The herbs are completely dry when the leaves break apart easily. Larger leaves and small flower buds can be crushed by rubbing them between the palms of your hands.

Not all herbs can be dried or dehydrated without losing their characteristic flavour. There is another method of preserving them – freezing. To freeze herbs, they should be chopped first and then placed in small containers or ice cube trays with a little water and olive oil. To freeze herbs in the form of a paste, purée the herbs in a food processor with a little olive oil and freeze in plastic containers.

Herbs that are grown only for their seeds should be harvested at the end of summer when they have turned a yellowish or brownish colour, which will vary depending on the species.

With Minigarden, just pick your fresh ingredients right before starting to cook, to add that very special and personal taste to your cookings.

Building a small garden is a perfect therapeutic and relaxing activity. To teach children that the vegetables they consume are produced in the ground, there is nothing better than building their own garden. Accompanying the growth process is enriching and it awakens in children a sense of responsibility towards nature. Plants provoke great amounts of interest and curiosity as there are many questions, hypothesis and associations related to this topic. Contact with nature offers children the opportunity to learn and broaden their understanding about the world, both socially and naturally.

• Find a good place for the Minigarden planters. A firm and flat surface without any deformations is recommended. It should be a place with good lighting (around 5 hours/day) and access to water (make sure the water that is used to water the plants is clean and pure).

• Necessary material. All that is needed is a small gardening kit composed of a pistol planter, a transplanting trowel (small shovel), a small hoe (with peaked peen) and lastly, a watering can.

• Soil Fertilization. Fertilizers are used to help the growth and strength of a plant. The fertilizers used can either be chemical or organic. In the case of a minigarden garden made by children, the fertilizers should be organic, this way they aren&rsquo,t toxic and there is less impact on the environment. Products that come from this kind of production are better for our health and for the environment.

How is an organic fertilizer made?
An organic fertilizer is a natural fertilizer. The technique used to form an organic fertilizer is called composting. Composting consists of a method of biological decomposition of organic material by aerobic microorganisms. These microorganisms decompose the organic material into simpler composts, creating sterilized compost that can be used as a corrective component, amongst other uses. This process can be done domestically. A natural fertilizer can be obtained by composting, which is usually used to yield organic materials.

Composting can be done directly, in a composting pile or in a composting bin (a container specially constructed for composting).

How do you construct a composting box?
Four pallets of wood will be enough to construct the composting box. Three of them are united by their ends. Hinges are then placed on the last one to make a door. The box is perforated to allow air to enter. The ideal place to install the box is under a tree. The composting bin must be protected from the sun.

Compost formation
Vegetable residues produced in the yard, garden or kitchen should be placed in the beds, alternating vegetable residues with organic residues. The compost must be kept humid, watered whenever necessary, as humidity and heat are important to activate the composting process. The composting bin should be placed on the ground to allow microorganisms to enter and water to drain. In optimal conditions, composting can produce usable compost in one or two months.

Maintenance
For plants to grow healthy and strong, much attention must be paid to watering. The plant cannot be given too much water or be left to dry. Watering must be done during the morning or when the sun goes down. Lastly, one must only be patient and wait for the little plants to grow.