No-Excuses-Not-to-Garden Gift Basket

Materials:
basket
sealable plastic bag
potting soil
sphagnum moss
three-inch terra-cotta pots
acrylic paint
varnish that contains polyurethane
packets of seeds
plant markers
gardening gloves
trowel
decorative watering can (available at craft stores)

Assemble the basket
Once the pots are dry, measure the exact amount of potting soil needed to fill all the pots. Put the measured potting soil in a sealed plastic bag, and place the bag at the bottom of the basket. You can camouflage the bag with the sphagnum moss. Next, add the seed packets and the plant markers; write on the markers the names of the seeds in the basket. For an added touch, you can wrap the seed packets with a little bow of raffia.

For those who don't like to get hands dirty, be sure to include some gardening gloves. And to top it off, write the name of the lucky recipient on a small decorative watering can and tie it to the basket as a gift card. Soon your friend will have no excuses not to garden.