Bring the outdoors in no matter where you live

Do you live in an apartment and long to bring the outdoors in? Mike McGrath helps a young couple give their children something green to look at besides boiled broccoli. Plus Mike speaks with Pat Stone, editor of GreenPrints magazine celebrating 25 years of garden culture. Mike speaks with Pat about how the magazine got started and what the future holds. Also, answers to all your growing questions.

Question of the Week

“My wife and I are big fans of your Public Radio show. What started as casual drive time listening has led to us sitting in the parking lot at the grocery store as we eagerly await the Question of the Week at the end of the show. Anyway, OUR question: How can our family get into gardening when we live in a fifth floor apartment in the Old City section of town? We’d like to get some plants into the house and have our older daughter (3 1/2) help us water and care for them. At the same time, we’d like to avoid creating a mud pit for our ten month old to play in as she starts cruising around looking for trouble.”

“We don’t have any outside space; no roof access, no courtyard, no window boxes. Are there some hearty plants that can live entirely indoors, don’t require a ton of light, and won’t poison a toddler if she happens to eat a leaf or two? Or, if our kids are too young and our living situation too impractical, maybe it’s best we take our family circus on the road? Are there garden clubs or groups we can join where both adults and kids can get involved?”

Ryan in Philadelphia

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  Photo by Flickr user Dore Burry