Pesto Garden Seed Pack — Kale, Arugula, Chives & Genovese Basil

Grow Four Herbs. Compare How They Grow. Make Pesto. The Living Lab Seeds Pesto Garden bundle packs four classic pesto ingredients into one seed pack: kale, arugula, chives, and Genovese basil. Plant all four side by side and you get more than an herb garden — you get a live comparison of germination speed, leaf shape, and growth rate across four genuinely different plants, all heading toward the same finish line: a homemade batch of pesto. It's built to be simple enough for a single classroom windowsill tray or a backyard garden bed, and structured enough to double as an actual observation activity, not just a seed packet you plant once and forget. Why These Four Each variety plays a different role, both in the pesto and in what it teaches: Genovese basil — the traditional pesto base, and the fastest-germinating of the four. A good "first to sprout" plant for building early excitement. Kale — a cool-season, sturdier leaf that grows more slowly, making kale pesto a heartier variation and a clear contrast in growth rate against basil. Arugula — peppery, fast, and one of the quickest greens to go from seed to harvestable leaf, good for a short-attention-span win early in a unit. Chives — the slowest and most different of the four: a perennial allium that comes back year after year, with a mild onion flavor that adds depth to any of the pesto variations. Planting all four at once turns a simple seed pack into a real side-by-side experiment: same day planted, same conditions, four different timelines and outcomes. What's in the Bundle 1 packet Genovese basil seeds (Living Lab Seeds branded) 1 packet kale seeds 1 packet arugula seeds 1 packet chives seeds (Seeds only — soil, containers, and tools are not included. Pairs naturally with any FTF raised-bed kit, hydroponics kit, or your own classroom pots and trays.) Growing Basics (general guidance — always follow any specific instructions printed on your seed packets) Variety Germination Typical time to first harvest Light needs Growing style Genovese Basil ~5–10 days ~3–4 weeks for baby leaves Full sun; warm soil Indoor windowsill or outdoor after frost risk passes Kale ~5–10 days ~25–30 days for baby greens Full sun to part shade Cool-season; tolerates light frost; indoor or outdoor Arugula ~5–7 days ~20–30 days Full sun to part shade One of the fastest classroom crops; cool-season Chives ~10–15 days ~60–80 days for a full cutting (light snipping earlier is fine) Full sun Perennial; slower start, comes back season after season Because germination and growth speed vary this much across the four, this bundle works well as a planting-to-harvest timeline activity — track and graph which variety sprouts first, which grows fastest, and which takes longest, using the same planting day as a shared starting point. From Garden to Pesto Once kale, arugula, or basil leaves are large enough to harvest, they can be blended into pesto on their own or mixed — basil pesto, kale pesto, and arugula pesto are all real, kitchen-tested variations, and chives make a flavorful mix-in for any of them. For a classroom, this makes the final step a natural cooking or life-skills tie-in, not just a science observation that ends at "the plant grew." Who It's For Classrooms and after-school programs running a plant-comparison or life-cycle unit Teachers who want one low-cost seed pack that produces four different data points instead of one Home gardeners and families who want to grow the ingredients for a homemade pesto from scratch Garden clubs and STEM programs looking for an inexpensive add-on to a larger garden bed or hydroponics setup FAQ Q: What seeds are included in the Pesto Garden bundle? A: Four seed packets: Genovese basil, kale, arugula, and chives — all under the Living Lab Seeds brand. Q: Does this include soil, pots, or growing tools? A: No, this bundle is seeds only. It's designed to pair with a garden bed, hydroponics kit, or your own pots and trays. Q: Which of the four seeds grows the fastest? A: Genovese basil and arugula are typically the fastest to germinate and reach an early harvest, usually within 3–4 weeks. Kale takes a bit longer, and chives are the slowest, often taking 60–80 days to a full first cutting. Q: Can these be grown indoors? A: Yes. Basil, kale, arugula, and chives can all be started indoors on a sunny windowsill or under classroom grow lights; kale and arugula can also move outdoors in cool weather, and chives will thrive outdoors as a perennial in the right climate. Q: Is this good for a classroom science lesson? A: Yes — planting all four on the same day creates a natural comparison activity, since each variety germinates and grows at a different rate. It works well for tracking, graphing, and observing plant growth differences over several weeks. Q: Can you really make pesto from what you grow? A: Yes. Basil is the traditional pesto base, and kale and arugula both make well-known pesto variations. Chives add a mild onion flavor as a mix-in to any of them. Q: Is this a one-time-use seed pack, or can I save seeds for next season? A: Each packet contains enough seed for a single planting cycle as sold. Chives are a perennial and will regrow from the same plant in future seasons without replanting. Q: How much does the Pesto Garden bundle cost? A: $7.99 for all four seed packets.