product · 2020–present
Baby Sprout
One pot, one plant. A mint garden that fits on a window sill.
- The box
- One ceramic pot, one plant — mint first
- Also grows
- Basil, chives, oregano or parsley
- Soil and seeds
- Organic, non-GMO
Initiatives
Two products, one curriculum, three partnerships.
More than three million New Yorkers live in a food desert — a neighborhood without reliable access to fresh, affordable produce. Growing a little of your own food does not fix that. It does put fresh herbs and vegetables within reach of a window sill, a classroom, or a senior center common room, and it is something a person can start this week.
01 — Products and programs
What we make
product · 2022–present
Auto-Watering Planter
A waist-height planting bed that holds two months of water.
- Footprint
- 3 ft x 2.5 ft
- Water capacity
- About two months
- Irrigation
- Three perforated sub-irrigation pipes
curriculum · 2021–present
Baby Sprout EDU
The kit, paired with a plant science and nutrition curriculum.
- Built with
- Avenues Lower School teachers
- First tested
- First grade class, spring 2021
- Now used in
- Two 5th grade science classes
02 — Partnerships
Partner organizations
2021–present · Manhattan
Hudson Guild
We built our first Auto-Watering Planter with members of the Fulton Senior Center, who maintain it themselves.
2023–present · Manhattan
Covenant House
We donated 50 Baby Sprout EDU kits across four shelters in Manhattan and the Bronx.
2021–present · Manhattan
Avenues: The World School
Where the EDU curriculum was written, tested, and first taught — co-developed with Lower Division teachers.
2026–present · Manhattan
VISIONS at Selis Manor
Services for blind and visually impaired New Yorkers at Selis Manor. First joint session August 2026; about 60 boxes committed.
2026–present · Manhattan
Saint Peter's Lutheran Church
An ongoing distribution partnership that began with a joint community event in February 2026 — the partnership model working exactly as designed.
2025–present · Manhattan
St. Clement's Food Kitchen
Since November 2025: distribution paired with a hands-on planting workshop rather than a drop-off, for neighbors already coming to the food kitchen.
2025–present · Manhattan
New Sanctuary Coalition
Since September 2025: kits for families attending the weekly pro bono immigration legal clinics, alongside the childcare program run there by a MintBox member.
03 — Materials
Guides and materials
Everything we hand out with a kit, free to download and reprint.
guide
Baby Sprout instructions
The guide that ships in every Baby Sprout kit: how to plant it, how much to water, and what to expect week by week.
For: families, partners
curriculum
Baby Sprout EDU curriculum
Lesson plans, student worksheets and the teacher's guide for the plant science and nutrition unit, built with Avenues Lower Division teachers.
For: teachers, partners
guide
Gardening at home
A beginner's guide to growing food in a New York apartment: light, containers, watering, and what is realistic on a window sill.
For: families