DIY Plantable Felt Garden Box

A plantable felt garden box is a hands-on craft that lets children enjoy pretend gardening indoors. Make a simple box, soft fabric “soil” and felt vegetables that children can plant, pick and replant. The project includes carrots, beets and strawberries, with optional flowers and ladybugs for extra garden details.

Gather the materials before starting. A shallow box is easiest for little hands to reach into, and a selection of felt colors makes it simple to distinguish each vegetable.

Materials for a Plantable Felt Garden Box

• Felt in a variety of colors, including purple, orange, green and red
• Green pipe cleaners
• Velcro
• Brown paint and a paintbrush
• Brown jersey cotton
• Needle and thread
• Scissors
• A good-sized box
• Stuffing for the fabric soil and vegetables

Choose a box with enough room for the fabric soil pillows and the felt plants. A shallow box can make it easier for children to reach in and arrange the pieces.

Make the Box and Fabric Soil

1. Paint the box: Coat the outside and inside of the box with brown paint. Let it dry between coats and before adding the fabric pieces.
2. Cut the fabric: While the paint dries, cut brown jersey cotton to the width of the box. The example pieces measured 13 × 14 inches. Fold each piece in half and sew along one edge, leaving the ends open.
3. Form the soil pillows: Turn each sewn piece right side out. Use a running stitch to gather and close one end, then tie the thread securely. Stuff the piece and gather the other end closed.
4. Fill the box: Make enough pillows to fit snugly inside. Arrange them so there is space to insert and remove the felt vegetables.

Make Felt Carrots

Use orange felt for each carrot and green felt for its leaves. The example carrot measured 5 inches long and 5 inches at its widest point.

1. Cut a large triangle from orange felt and fold it in half. Sew from the bottom toward the top, but do not close the opening.
2. Cut a circle for the carrot top and cut out the leaves. Sew the leaves to the top section.
3. Turn the carrot right side out, add stuffing, and hand-sew the leafy top in place.

Sew the Felt Beets

For each beet, cut a circle from purple felt. The example circle was 7½ inches in diameter.

1. Cut four evenly spaced triangles from the circle. Sew each cut edge to the neighboring edge to form a rounded beet.
2. Turn the piece right side out, stuff it until firm, then gather the opening closed and tie off the thread.
3. Cut a long leaf shape from green felt; the example leaf was 8 inches tall. Sew a purple stalk piece onto the leaf to create a pocket, leaving the bottom open.
4. Slide a pipe cleaner into the stalk, trim away any excess, and repeat for the other stalks.
5. Optional: Add contrasting stitches to the leaves to create decorative veins.

Insert three leaves into the top of the beet and hand-sew them securely in place. Repeat to make as many beets as desired; the example garden contains two.

Create Felt Strawberries and Vines

The example strawberries measured 2 inches long and 2 inches at their widest point. Adjust the size if needed, while keeping the pieces small enough to fit comfortably in the box.

1. Cut a strawberry shape from felt. Sew around the edge, leaving the top open.
2. Turn it right side out, stuff it, and gather the opening closed with thread.
3. Add small decorative stitches across the strawberry. Cut a small green top, sew a piece of soft Velcro to it, then hand-stitch the top onto the fruit. The example includes four strawberries.

To make the strawberry plant, twist three pipe cleaners together. Cut groups of three leaf shapes with jagged edges, then stitch them to the underside of the pipe cleaners until the stems are concealed. For the top leaf, thread another pipe cleaner through a four-point leaf shape, round its ends, and lay it flat against the felt.

Sew a rough piece of Velcro over each rounded pipe-cleaner end. This gives the plant a way to attach to the strawberry tops.

Twist the completed pipe-cleaner stem around the base of the plant. Check that the felt leaves and fruit tops are attached firmly before adding the pieces to the box.

Set Up the Pretend Garden

Place the vegetables and plants in the box and invite children to plant and harvest them. The removable pieces make it easy to rearrange the garden and practice matching fruits and vegetables with their leafy tops.

For extra color, add simple felt flowers or store-bought ladybugs. Keep small decorative pieces out of reach of children who may put them in their mouths, and supervise play as appropriate for the child’s age.

Conclusion

This plantable felt garden box combines simple sewing with open-ended pretend play. Make the vegetables in different colors, add optional garden decorations, and store the pieces together in the box when playtime is over. Project by Katie.