Plant a Garden in a Sun Basket

Your Sun Basket arrives full of fresh produce, but that doesn’t have to end once you’ve unpacked it. You can turn the empty box into a container garden—and keep the vegetables growing all year long. 

These box container gardens are also a great way to recycle our ice packs. Cut open the plastic bag (you can put the empty bag in your recycling bin) and bury the gel in the dirt. Made from 98% water and 2% non-GMO cotton, the water in the gel slowly dissipates into the soil, providing a steady source of moisture to the seeds and roots, leaving only the biodegradable cotton behind.

Here’s how we did it:

Materials
Empty Sun Basket box, top flaps removed
Gardening gloves
Soil 
Compost
Scissors
Sun Basket ice pack
Trowel
Seeds
Plant stakes
Pen

Step 1
Fill the empty Sun Basket box three-quarters full of soil. Spread approximately 1” of compost evenly over the top.

Step 2
Cut open one end of the Sun Basket ice pack with scissors. Lay the gel on top of the compost. Fill the rest of the box with more soil, leaving approximately 1” between the top of the soil and the edge of the box. Smooth the top.

Step 3
Using the tip of the trowel, make furrows for the seeds, following the packet instructions for depth and spacing.

Step 4
Plant the seeds in the furrows.

Step 5
Using a pen, write the name of the plants on the stakes and place at the head of each furrow.

Spray the soil lightly with water. Keep the surface moist, but not soaking wet, until the seeds sprout. And continue to water according to the instructions on the seed packet. 

For outdoor use only. In case of heavy rainfall post-planting, box may need reinforcement—tie a few lengths of heavy-duty twine around the outside of the box.