Cool and Easy Seeds to Grow with Kids

It’s that time of year…at least it is for us gardening-type people. This is the time of year we start dreaming of spring. If you’re very lucky you live in one of those states or provinces like California or British Columbia and if you’re not gardening and growing things already, you will be very soon. This makes me very jealous.

I live in the Province of Ontario, Canada, which means that this is the time of year that makes us Ontarians want to throw ourselves off of the nearest bridge. And to make matters worse, the snow just really arrived here a couple of days ago. True, the official first day of spring is a mere three weeks away, but real, green, lush, late-spring, summery weather won’t arrive until months from now. Remind me again why I live here.

Now that I’m a mom, I’ve started to think not just about what kinds of plants I want to grow in my vegetable garden, but what kinds of plants my son Nate and I will have fun growing together someday. I have lots of friends with toddlers or school-aged children, and I have them in mind, too, when I consider the possibilities.

The best plants to grow from seed with little kids are the ones that are more dramatic in the beginning. Since our little sprouts have a limited attention span, you’ll want to grow things that sprout rather quickly so they won’t lose interest.

To grow seedlings with your child, you’ll need:

• A container to use as a pot. When I was a kid styrofoam cups were pretty commonly used, but these days they are not considered to be ecologically friendly. I’d go with a plastic yogurt container washed out well, some holes poked in the bottom for drainage.
• Soil. You can buy a bag of seed-starting mix at any garden centre. Potting soil is okay, but a seed-starting mix is “fluffier” than potting soil, which allows air to get at the seed, which is also important for germination. Just follow the instructions on the bag for adding moisture to the mix.
• Seeds! You can buy seeds this time of year at specialty garden shops or online, but places like Lowe’s or Home Depot usually have a huge selection of seeds. Try not to get overwhelmed, in fact, by how big the selection is. Zero in on the kind of plant you want to grow and focus your shopping efforts there. Buy something you’d like to eat, and preferably, something your kids might like to eat. They may not be into eating veggies yet, but you’d be surprised by the interest that is generated when kids find out how food is grown, and when they participate in growing it, too.
• Water. Plants need water. This shouldn’t be news to anyone.

To grow seeds:

• Fill your plastic cup with soil. The soil will probably settle a bit when you water the seed.
• Make a hole in the centre of the soil using the end of a pencil, a chopstick, or your little one’s finger.
• Place the seed in the hole, following directions on the package as to how deep the seed should be planted.
• Place the seed in the hole. Kids’ little fingers are the perfect size for this job, too!
• Cover the seed with more soil.
• Water the seed.
• Place the cup in a warm, sunny place, like the kitchen window. If you live in a warmer climate, you can also leave your cup outside. Be careful not to let it dry out.
• Wait, and watch for sprouting!

In terms of deciding what seeds to start with, beans are great to grow with kids. The seeds are large enough for small hands to grasp and handle easily. If you have a trellis or a fence you can grow varieties marked as “pole beans”, but if you want to grow your bean plant in a pot or in the ground, stick to “bush beans.”

Another great plant to grow with kids is naturtium. Nasturtiums are annual flowers that are also edible. They make pretty garnishes and you can eat both the blooms and the leaves, which have a peppery flavour. We call nasturtiums “nasties,” and I always have some in my garden. The seeds germinate fairly quickly, like beans, and the seeds themselves look like little brains, which ups their cool factor considerably.

Other large, easy-to-handle, fast-growing seeds include peas, corn, squash (this includes all varieties of pumpkins and zucchini) and sunflowers. Check the package details for growing instructions. When your seedling gets large enough, you can transfer it from your yogurt pot to the ground or a larger pot.

You’ll have a little gardener on your hands before you know it!

Tagged as: gardening, gardening with kids