The weather is bad and you are stuck inside with a family that has gone stir crazy. Everyone is tired and the confinement is too much to handle. Time to break out a family project. This week may I suggest breaking out the dirt - inside!

Yes, I mean exactly that, break out some seeds or take a plant that is ready to be divided and create some family plant masterpieces. May I suggest three plants that are wonderful - Aloe, Lavender, and Rosemary. Why these three? They each will offer your family a unique quality that can help over time.

Aloe Vera

Used for medicinal purposes, Aloe is a very easy plant to grow and care for and will be the prefect plant to keep in your bathroom window. The gel, located within the plant leaves, can help when applied to burns, cuts, and to sooth sunburns. When watering your aloe plant, drench the dirt completely and then drain excess water from the plant allowing it to dry completely

Lavender

You can grow lavender from seed and is great for younger children to watch grow. The fragrant plant is drought-tolerant and will sit lovely on a a bedroom window sill. Why the bedroom? Lavender is a wonderful soothing herb. It can steep in hot water for a calming tea, be used as an antiseptic, or used to help calm you for a restful sleep.

Rosemary

Another seed growing plant, rosemary, will love to sit in your kitchen window to gather the sun and thrives on a little mist frequently. Rosemary is an aromatic herb great with vegetables and fish. It can also be used as a hair tonic and can treat both fatigue and stomach disorders.

Now, in order for each family member to be able to grow their own plant, you can purchase small terra cotta clay pots at any local gardening store. I suggest the 4 inch pots. They are wonderful for little hands, can be bought in bulk, and will fit easily into a window. For the Aloe Vera plant, I suggest a little larger pot. Don’t forget to purchase inexpensive plastic dishes to go under your planters.

The next two items are the most important items - the seeds and potting soil. Again, these items can be purchased at your local gardening center where the representatives will know the best type of seed and soil to use, so that your plants will thrive.

Purchase your items when you have a free moment to look around. This way you will have the items on hand for when the family starts going stir crazy. Then all you have to do is pull out the planting material and get under way.

Tip: Since you will be doing this project indoors, use plastic garbage bags spread on the floor to keep tidy. This way when you are finished, any remaining potting dirt can be placed in your plants or thrown outside in your yard and you still have the trash bags for trash - no paper waste to throw away.

This is an original Simple Home Basics post.