Gardening with Kids: Growing rosemary from a cutting

Today I am going to move away from my bookish world to show you another passion of mine, gardening. My vegie garden is one of my favourite places to spend time with the kids. From the new and ripening fruit and veg to the little insects who come to visit, there is always something interesting happening in our garden.

During the school holidays I received some sprigs of rosemary in our Fruit and Veg box. I didn't need to use it for cooking, so I decided to use them to show the kids how to propagate a plant from a cutting.

Here's what we did:

1. We chose the healthiest looking sprigs of rosemary. If you are taking cuttings from your existing rosemary plant, cut a 15-20cm stem.
2. We removed the leaves from the bottom of the stem (about 4cm)
3. We then placed the stems in a clear glass of water. Only put enough water to cover the bottom of the stem, don't cover the leaves of the cutting.
4. Place the glass on a window sill where it can get some sunlight and then the waiting game begins.
5. While waiting for the roots to grow continue to top up the water as required.

It took about two weeks for our roots to start growing.

Once the root system was well established, it was time to plant out our cuttings. I managed to find some lovely terracotta pots on sale. We potted up our cuttings, taking special care to not damage the wonderful root systems.

I already have a lovely rosemary plant in the garden so we decided that these cuttings will make some awesome home grown gifts for friends. All we need to do is wrap a bow around the pot and they are ready to go. By Christmas time, they will certainly be well established!

Our rosemary plants have cost next to nothing and it will be a gift that keeps on giving. Rosemary is definitely my favourite herb. The smell is divine and the good old lamb roast tastes amazing with a little added rosemary!

Have you tried propagating plants by this method? Did you have any success?

If you would like to see some more of our vegie garden, you can follow me on Instagram where I try to take a few photos of our gardening adventures each week.

We are linking to For the Kids Friday and Fun Sparks - February. Why not drop by and check out these great link parties full of wonderful kid friendly crafts and play activities.