Mumsnet users review innocent’s at home growing kits

[EllieMumsnet]

This activity is now closed

This is the thread for the 20 MNers who tested out the innocent growing kits with their DC’s.

Each tester was sent:

• a pack of pea seeds
  
• a box of innocent kids smoothies
  
• a garden label
  
• a compost disc
  
• a growing guide
  

Here’s what innocent have to say: “We want to encourage kids to grow their own veg to help teach them where their food comes from. We believe that by growing it themselves, kids are much more likely to eat (and enjoy eating) fruit and veg and continue with healthy eating habits to last a lifetime”

Testers please answer the following questions and we'd also love you to share photos of how it’s all going:

First impressions

• What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?
  
• How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it?
  
• How has your DC found the initial growing process?
  

Final thoughts

• How have you and your DC found the whole growing experience?
  
• Did you manage to grow the peas easily?
  
• Would you recommend this growing kit to a friend or family member?
  

Everyone who leaves the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one tester will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

[TheClitterati]

Nice big box delivered with the smoothies and growing kits packed in recycled wool & an ice pack. I am now determined to reuse the wool in some kind of picnic hamper I will fashion myself. I digress ......

Kids downed the smoothies, not even commenting/ on or noticing the vegetable content.

By far the most fabulous thing about the cute growing kit was the disc of compost. It was like magic! A miracle. And we all ooohed and ahhhed as soil grew and expanded before our eyes.

Planting was pretty quick & the 2 ex smoothie containers are on a sunny windowsill. THe DC enjoyed expanding the soil and planting the seeds and worried a little about overwatering as there were no holes in the bottom.

I noticed shoots starting to appear this morning before I left home.

[TheClitterati]

Arrival and watching the soil grow!

[SillyMoomin]

First impressions

• What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?
  

Very impressed, before it had arrived I was wondering why they were sending compost disks but nowhere to plant them- my DC thought it brilliant that the smoothie containers were then used to as plant pots!
Loved the addition of the cool packs in the box also, v impressed

• How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it?
  

Easy to follow instructions, I could get the DC to read (slowly!) along and it seemed fun

• How has your DC found the initial growing process?
  

Loved it. Each morning they check on “their peas” and keep asking when they’re ready to eat! We’re now thinking about getting them a proper grow bag for outside and then they can start growing their own plants

Thank you Innocent, the Moomin family think this is a great idea!

[IggyAce]

Lovely big box delivered, we loved the use of sheep's wool as insulation, I will be reusing this in my new picnic bag this summer. DCs also decided it was a great box to colour in (another rainy day activity sorted for later).
The smoothies went down well even the one containing carrot, after DD going eww, she tried it and declared it her favourite.
The growing kit was great, the DCs read the instructions themselves and followed them with hardly any input from me. The compost disc was compared to a cake rising, they loved it and thought it was magic.
There was enough in the pack to do two, and the DCs happily checked and watered their seeds every few days. On checking today we discovered that they have sprouted.

[beautifulsoup]

There was much excitement when a box of (literally) cool stuff arrived! I loved the suggestions for reusing all the packing materials, there were some great ideas and rather than just chucking it in the recycling bin I've a plan for most of it.

The smoothies and juices were both a huge hit, in fact I had to hide them at the back of the fridge to stop the toddler guzzling the lot in one go. Lots of 'more dat please Mummy'.

The kits are brilliant, they completely take the mystery out of growing veg and show how easy and cheap it is to do. Both boys loved planting the seeds and are enjoying watering them and keeping a daily eye on how they're growing. There's a healthy amount of competition going with who has the best/biggest shoots.

It has spurred on lots of discussion and questions from my four year old; 'where do bananas grow?' and 'can you eat leaves from the garden?' We can't wait to start eating our efforts!

[Sleepysausage]

Thankyou for choosing us to try the growing kit. We've had such a great time. The drinks have been well received by my dd, and reassuring to us that there's some goodness in them.

• What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?
  

It was simple to use and mess free. Wonderful use of the cartons. The compost disk is magical!

• How helpful did you find the growing guide?
  

The instructions were clear and simple. They were very easy to follow.

What did you like most about it?
The simple and clear instructions were broken down so well that I was able to tell my 2.5 DD what to do and she could do it all mostly on her own.

• How has your DC found the initial growing process?
  

She was so pleased with her self and is very proud of her peas. She checks them daily and shows all our visitors. It's really captured her interest in growing.

[PinotAndPlaydough]

What are you first thoughts on the growing kit? Nice and simple to use, the eldest enjoyed the puns, love the use of wool to keep everything cool. Kids LOVED the smoothies.

• How helpful did you find the growing guide? Very easy to follow, simple and to the point.
  

What did you like most about it? They loved watching the compost disk grow and were fascinated by the seeds.

• How has your DC found the initial growing process? They both really enjoyed it, they are eagerly checking for sprouts!

[Grasshopper123]

• What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?

Very impressed with the growing kit - packaging and promotional style was impressive and this in turn added to the children's excitement!

I really liked that it was fairly simple; not over complicated and my 6/7 yr olds were able to follow the instructions with minimal parental support! - although my children had drunk most of the drinks and the packaging gone in the recycling before we actually started the growing activity!! Whoops.

• How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it?

Growing guide was good, as I said, nice and simple for the children to follow and the imagery/ style added to the excitement. The instructions were simple enough and the additional colouring in was a nice addition.

• How has your DC found the initial growing process?

As with all seed planting after the first few hours with no movement they soon forgot about it and lost interest until the peas actually started sprouting!! Seeing the shoots starting to grow was very exciting.

Planting and sorting out the compost disc was fun and not too messy - which I liked!

[Stej7]

What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?
We absolutely love the kit. As soon as it arrived my little ones were keen to get inside. Great recyclable packaging which we've used to line our garden hanging baskets . The kit was perfect for little growers with everything they needed, not to mention that they had to enjoy a lovely smoothie to be able to plant their peas! Great compost idea too.

• How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it?
  

Loved the little guide. Pitched just at the right level and my son loved filling in and colouring in the picture.

• How has your DC found the initial growing process?
  

We've had great fun planting our peas. We've been checking at least three times a day to see if we have any growth yet. Its as exciting as waiting for Christmas morning. Looking forward to watching our peas.

[iamcalledemma]

Thank you for choosing us to test the growing kit and smoothies!

• What are your first thoughts on the growing kit?
  

My son was very excited to open the package, obviously the smoothies were an instant hit and he was intrigued by the compost disc and seeds. I was asked when we were 'doing the growing' for a few hours until we could get round to it.

• How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it?
  

It was simple and easy for my son to understand when I read it out to him. He liked 'writing' his name on the label, which I think makes him feel a bit more responsibility.

• How has your DC found the initial growing process?
  

He enjoyed planting the seeds, and the process of making the disc into compost. He's not fully grasped that it takes a while for things to grow and expected instant plants once we'd done it! He's a very enthusiastic gardener and we're both looking forward to something growing.

[TheClitterati]

Things are coming along nicely. Kids lost interest but I'm hoping things will change when they can pick and eat some shoots.

[Sammyislost]

-What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?

We arrived home and it was waiting for us on the doorstep, the box was so cool and exciting, and we couldn't wait to get it indoors and see what was inside!! Inside the box were the seeds, compost disks, plant markers, the instructions, and 2 boxes of Innocent drinks (they both insisted on having one straight away!!)
We thought it was so exciting, and the kids were thrilled to get stuck in. We loved the magic compost disks too, they expanded upwards into tall towers! We loved the idea of being able to put your name in the plant pot too, it makes it really personal.
We are definitely going to reuse the wool liner too!

• How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it?
  

We loved that the growing guide resembled the Innocent brand, colourful, friendly and of course, the quirkiness! We found it easy to follow, and thought the colouring on the back was so sweet.

• How has your DC found the initial growing process?
  

My two LOVED planting the seeds, they thought it was fun, and liked to get stuck in. They felt proud of their little plant pots that were once drinks! Sadly for us, ours haven't grown yet! (I've checked below the soil, and they've started to sprout, but not above the surface yet) We've kept them moist, and i'm sure we will see them sprouting up in the next few days. It hasn't stopped my two from checking on them regularly though. Fingers crossed the sunshine will help them grow!

I love the idea of encouraging children to grow food. It shows them where food comes from, and helps them appreciate that food doesn't just magically appear. I hope to see it encourage healthy eating, as my children always seem more interested in food they've helped grow or cook. It's wonderful as well to be reusing the cartons from the drinks to grow the peas in, we do love recycling!! I'm hoping to get some peas for my son and his class to grow too, they will love it and growing and eating food is part of their agenda for every child.

Thanks Innocent and Mumsnet!

[Sammyislost]

And the photos..

[Sammyislost]

and the photos :)

[cannotmakemymindup]

What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?
Love it!! My Dd was really happy to get involved. Actually never seen compact compost disks before. Really loved watching it expand way to much.

• How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it?
  

Really clear guide about what was required. With the usual innocent puns which I love. Also all pictured so young children can follow along.

• How has your DC found the initial growing process
  

Dd loved planting the peas. Now to be patient and wait for the shoots!

[Gazelda]

• What are you first thoughts on the growing kit? What an exciting parcel! We loved unpacking and finding all the goodies, and thinking about how we can recycle the packaging materials.
• How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it? Brilliant. Clear and easy for dd to follow.
• How has your DC found the initial growing process? Great fun. Patience is a skill she definitely needs to develop though!

[Gazelda]

Pics ...

[Gazelda]

Why aren't my photos loading?

[MacNcheese87]

• What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?

Kids loved the drinks, they really enjoyed the fun aspect of the packaging, noting all the ingredients on the list and having a giggle that no bears were included. (And 'stop looking at my bottom' on the bottom of the cartons was a winner). Regarding the seeds and the planting process, we were very impressed by the compost disc which surprised all of us with the amount it expanded.

• How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it?

The growing guide was simple and clear enough for younger children to read. Innocent's wording is fun and great for young sense of humour, as well as old. My son loved the little name tag and was happy to claim the plant as his own. He will be so happy once it's produced peas!

• How has your DC found the initial growing process?

Initially very excited. Was happy to join in and plant the seeds, but then kind of went back to iPad/ tv screens/ Thomas the tank engine. Once they've been planted, you just have to wait and they're not the best at waiting. However, we water the plant daily and keep a look over how they are growing and they enjoy this 2-3 minutes every day.

I anticipate once they start to flower we will all be pretty fascinated, even more so if we are able to eat the produce. If this works, it will be the first time I've ever planted vegetables and I would be very happy to plant some in a bigger pot for our garden. Fingers crossed! All is going well so far, we have 6 happy stalks.

Packaging didn't state not to plant all 6 in one, so I did. Not sure if that's right or wrong.

[bec4everuk1]

My first impressions we're I loved that the packaging had wool in that we could reuse for some hanging baskets. I thought that the idea of recycling the smoothie drink cartons to plant the peas in was a brilliant idea. My children loved the smoothies they didn't last long and we ended up buying some more as they we're on offer in supermarket.

The growing guide was simple and easy to follow step by step which meant that we knew exactly what we we're doing as this is the first time we have planted peas before.

They have enjoyed it more so my daughter as she is older than my son and already has a love of gardening that she gets from her Nanny she takes pride because she planted them herself and she likes watering them. She shows friends and family when they come round and we have noticed that they are starting to shoot.

Thank you for the opportunity this is something we will definitely continue to do, has been great fun. x

[bec4everuk1]

We reused the wool lining for some hanging baskets :D

[Candyperfumegirl]

First impressions

• What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?
  

The growing kit was lovely and it interested the kids - they couldn't wait to get started. Loved all the packaging, nice, bright & engaging. The tiny compost was a great success and they loved the idea of growing something in a innocent carton!

• How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it?
  

I loved how easy it was to follow, my kids basically got on with it themselves and I was able to just supervise.

• How has your DC found the initial growing process?
  

Really fun & they've been interested in keeping up with checking on their peas to see what's new with them, especially since the weather took a turn for the better. They've also shown a lot of interest in growing some other veggies too which is lovely.

Will keep you updated on our progress.

Thanks for letting us take part MN & Innocent

[Quietvoiceplease]

Thank you so much for choosing us to test the Innocent growing kit. We have found it really exciting, especially when the parcel first arrived, with its exciting contents and brilliant insulation. Huge congratulations for sending a parcel which was both (a) so well insulated and (b) made almost entirely from recyclable materials.
We were away the first week, so planted up the seeds last weekend and are loving watching the progress this week.

What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?
It looked brilliant. I loved the fact that everything was included - seeds, compost, labels and very clear instructions. Literally child's play. Wonderful also to see innovative uses for the leftover cartons. As an aside, the innocent smoothies have been really enjoyed by my DD (age 10). I had slightly fallen out of the habit of buying them, but have since bought more - she loves them, and I really love the inclusion of vegetables in some of the recipes. Also, very excitingly, I picked up free seeds with the last batch I bought from the supermarket, so now have something of a wonderful market garden on my kitchen windowsill!

How helpful did you find the growing guide? What did you like most about it?
The growing guide was really clear and my DD read it herself. Little things like how much water to add, how deep to put the seeds, were all things that made it feel like a recipe. That's what I loved most: the ease. You don't need to know anything about gardening to do this. Really, really fun. We loved the compost disk which expanded like magic (we did a time lapse video but my DD put the phone in the wrong place so it doesn't actually look like its expanded)! The only thing I needed to do differently to the instructions was cut the carton down a bit - the compost only filled the carton by about 4/5, so was worried that when the shoots arrived they would be in the dark.


How has your DC found the initial growing process?
They have been really engaged with it, keeping daily progress updates on it. Actually, by yesterday morning I was starting to worry that we'd done something wrong as nothing had emerged (I'm clearly impatient as it was only 6 days by that point). However, like the miracle that it is, from those small seeds, three shoots emerged yesterday. This morning - since taking the photo - three more shoots have emerged, and they are almost literally unfurling in front of our eyes. It has been delightful to do this with my DD and marvelling at the amazing things that grow from tiny seeds.

Thank you for letting us test this. Pictures attached - one of first planting, and one of the first three shoots appearing. We are really looking forward to seeing the plants grow and enjoying the fruits (vegetables?) of our labours. A great idea Innocent - and loved the display in the supermarket with the seeds attached. Something to consider at school I think.

[MacNcheese87]

I had 6 seeds. I planted 6 seeds, I now have 7 stems. Not sure how this has happened but I can only assume peas will now take over the world.

[hayz1912]

Thank you for choosing us for this test!

What are you first thoughts on the growing kit?

I was surprised at just how little you actually needed, I thought my box was missing items!

• How helpful did you find the growing guide?
  

The instructions were clear, my son LOVED the fact that he had to drink the smoothie first in order to start the task, he actually double checked that he got to have his treat FIRST!

What did you like most about it?

I liked that I could let my son do the process himself and that it kept him engaged, you don’t need fancy equipment and expensive plant pots and soil, just a few ‘ingredients’ as my son said.

• How has your DC found the initial growing process?
  

My son loved it, he was engaged from start to finish, he loved watching the magic soil grow, and ran downstairs every morning to check if it had grown. It was great that he didn’t have to wait very long to start seeing results.

Thank you for letting us test this, never mind how great this was at getting my son enjoying gardening, i had almost as much fun as he did