Make an Easter Basket with Real Grass!

I wanted to make zero-waste, no-candy Easter baskets for my friends, and really wanted to avoid using that yucky cellophane grass. The solution? Real grass! And a gift card.

Making these zero-waste baskets is super easy, and it takes just one week for the grass to grow from seed to a height of about 3 1/2 – 4″.

What you will need:

♥  baskets or containers

♥  plastic liner to fit inside the basket

♥  perennial rye grass seed – it’s really inexpensive and grows quick! Tip: store the remaining seed in a plastic container with a snug-fitting lid. This will keep the mice out of it.

♥  potting soil

Sowing the grass seed for your eco-friendly Easter basket

♥  Fill the plastic liner with potting soil. If the basket and container are deep, put some small rocks or small chunks of broken clay pots at the bottom of the liner. The grass doesn’t need too much soil in order to grow.

♥  Set the liner inside the basket or container.

♥  Sow the grass seed heavily! Spread the seed out evenly over the soil with your fingers.

♥  Using a plant mister, evenly soak the soil.

♥  Place the container in a window with bright light, or under a grow light.

After four days, the grass started growing! You can see how heavily I sowed the seed too.

Grass! And bonus – after a long, bleak winter, seeing a little grass growing is a boost!

After one week, your grass basket is ready!

This container didn’t have a liner that fit snug, so I used some sphagnum moss to hide the edges.

If the grass gets too high, don’t worry! Grab some scissors and “mow” it!

Add goodies to the Easter basket

Since this basket is going to a friend that doesn’t eat candy, I put a gift card in the basket. To do this, I taped a 4″ wooden floral pick to the back of the envelope.

Next, I added 3 silk tulips and a few plastic Easter eggs that were left after making the Easter egg wreath.

Finished! And my zero waste, no candy Easter basket is ready to give to my friend!

Be sure to keep your grass basket watered! After Easter, the grass can be used to patch the lawn and the container can be used to hold a plant.

Alternative goodies to add to your real grass Easter basket:

♥  real flowers – stick them in some water tubes, which you can get from the florist

♥  pretty earrings instead of a gift card. Leave them on the display card and tape it to a 4″ wooden florist pick (or use a bamboo kabob stick or break a wooden chopstick in half, pushing the broken end into the potting soil)

♥  a big chocolate bunny and chocolate eggs for a chocolate lover

♥  turn it into a “traditional” Easter basket for the kids

What goodies will you be adding to your zero-waste, real grass Easter basket?