Coal Gardens

[Chickie]

Does anyone remember coal gardens? The craze took hold in the mid 1940’s and just about every home had a coal garden growing somewhere, especially those with children. We would mix up a concoction and pour it over lumps of coal. I know a couple of the ingredients were ammonia and bluing, but there may have been others. The coals were dotted with iodine and the liquid was poured over them. In a few days it was blooming gloriously in various colors. I don’t know whether it was a phenomenon throughout the country or just an east coast or New England thing. Are there any other former coal gardeners in this forum?

[Resident 2B]

I remember that!

What grew was both colorful and had interesting shapes.

Those days coal was everywhere. In the winter, the noise of the coal deliveries, with the coal running down the chute into the basement, would carry all over the nieghborhood.

If you had not asked, I would never had remembered. It was stored very deep in the gray matter. :)

R2B

[ITD]

I never did it, little before my time, but I found it on the internets. It says any porous material will work as a base. Enjoy.

http://www.mrsstewart.com/pages/scginstructions.htm