Best seeds for kids to plant?

[elektra]

DD keeps talking about planting seeds and watching them grow into a plant.
I know nothing about gardening though. What are the best kind of seeds to buy for something like this?
I am thinking that something sturdy and that will grow quickly would be what we would be looking for.
Any ideas?

Oh, and we live in CA, moderate climate, pretty warm right now (but unseasonably cool relatively speaking), assuming that is relevant.

[Tondi G]

My 5 yr old just planted green beans w/ grandma. My mom started them out in an egg carton (use a spray bottle and water them daily)... then once the little plants were about 6 inches tall, DS and grandma planted them out in the garden. Make sure you have some trellis or a tomato cage for them to grow up on! My DS was so proud of his little "baby plants"!

Sunflowers are fun too!

[Meatball Mommie]

Beans of any kind are really easy to handle and grow fast. I like bush green beans, personally, but you can buy pole beans that will climb.

For flowers, marigold seeds germinate fast and are generally easy to grow. Morning Glory is fun too but you def. need something for it to climb. We used to plant them at our mailbox and they grew like crazy.

[bubbaray]

If you want edible, I would start with carrots and possibly lettuce. You might be a bit late to plant, though lettuce you can usually plant pretty late with good results.

Check out page 3 of this for some ideas: http://msuextension.org/publications/YardandGarden/MT199501AG.pdf

I have had good results with Cosmos (in shade or full sun) and with just packages of wildflowers.

[m448]

definitely agree with marigolds, and then show them to split open the flower and distribute the seeds (like long thing sticks) back in the soil for more flowers. Kept my boys busy for ages each time we'd go out.

Also inside you can grow sprouts like watercress and chia seed.

[Ceepa]

Beans are really easy and sunflowers are good for getting that tall "wow" factor.

[sariana]

Elektra, we're in the same zone (I'm in south OC).

Last year we had great success with our carrots. This year, not so much (don't know why). This year we also planted radishes, which did great. Of course, no one in our family LIKES radishes, but DS really wanted to plant them!

Sunflowers are always fun. You can start in a small container (the egg carton Tondi mentiond would be great*) and then transplant them once you have a small plant. They can grow to 6' or taller, and then you can harvest the seeds for the next season. And they grow practically overnight, so if patience is an issue, sunflowers are great.

You can plant almost anything almost any time of year around here. But if you go to Lowe's or a garden center or wherever, you can look at the back of the seed packets. They will show you when you can plant that variety in our zone (we're Zone 9, but it usually has a map as well).

We have had better success with seedlings (peppers and tomatoes), but of course then you don't get to see those first sprouts come out of the ground.

*You also can use a toilet paper tube. Cut it in half by height (so you have a cylinder half the height). Then cut four slits halfway up the sides. Work with the four flaps to create a bottom (you have to "push" them a little) so you have a little cup. Fill it with soil and plant some seeds. When your seedling sprouts, you can plant the whole thing, container and all. It will dissolve into the soil.

[elektra]

Thanks for the ideas and the specifics. I was just going to put the seeds in the ground and did not even think of the egg cartons or TP tubes!
I think I'll ask DD if she wants flowers or veggies. :)

[crl]

This time of year I'd do lettuce.

Catherine

[Melaine]

Beans are really easy and sunflowers are good for getting that tall "wow" factor.

I was also going to say sunflowers....they grow so big so fast.

Here is an easy way we like to sprout beans http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=321415&highlight=plant+seed

[elektra]

Thanks for that link, Melaine. I am glad you had the picture though, I was having trouble picturing the whole set up!

And you guys, I'm seriously dense. Do you put the little egg carton or whatever kind of planters outside????? Or do you keep them inside?

[MommyAllison]

If you are out playing in the yard every day anyway, I'd just plant beans outside, in the ground. It is fun to plant things inside and watch them sprout, but if you forget to water for a few days, not so fun. Beans are super easy, just plant and watch it grow!

[sariana]

The little containers are more for convenience. Where we live you can plant right in the ground, but it can be difficult to mark exactly where you put the seeds. By starting them in containers, you can track their growth more closely. But it definitely is not necessary. If it's easier to dig a hole in the ground, dump in a bunch of seeds, and see what takes, do it! Seeds are so inexpensive; it's a great project to try because you can always start over again with little monetary outlay.

[GonnaBeNana]

Potatoes are an easy grow and can be started in a small jar. If you're looking for flowers, marigolds are almost impossible to kill and they grow fast too. I plant those or beans with my preschoolers each year.

Beth

[luza]

Potatoes are an easy grow and can be started in a small jar.

:yeahthat: You can start a sweet potato in water and then move it to an old bucket or half barrel. They grow fast and within a few months you can have enough sweet potatoes for a batch of sweet potato french fries. While they are growing you can also pinch back the tips and use the tender leaves in stir fries.
I keep a bunch of little pots and some potting soil around the house so we are always planting random left over fruit and vegetable seeds to see what happens. So far we've had good luck with avocados, mangos, clemintines, and potatoes. We also plant tomatoes, but those require a bit more work because they need to be staked or caged when they get bigger.

[rkold]

Personally, I've grown a lot from seed over the last 2 years but have had mixed luck with marigolds. It's really easy to plant them too deep in the soil and not get something. At least I'm now pretty sure that is what I was doing wrong. My SiL with an amazing green thumb has also had mixed luck with marigolds.

Pole beans and bush beans are great and have pretty flowers along with the beans. Scarlet Runner Beans have pretty red flowers (some people grow them for the flowers) though you need bees or to fertilize the flowers yourself to get the pods. The beans themselves if you wait for them to dry out are a pretty navy blue with purple speckles.

For bush beans I would recommend Royalty Purple or Dragon's Tongue. I grew both easily and fast last summer. Royalty purple are... a dark purple and the Dragon's Tongue is green and purple speckled! When you cook them they go back to being green. Bush beans are self fertile.

I've done a lot of carrots, but at least here it can take a long time for them to get big. Radishes grow fast.

Technically, you're not supposed to just plant potatoes in the yard because you can introduce weird diseases/bacteria into your soil that way. Most places selling specifically seed potatoes are long sold out this time of year. Potatoes are super fun to grow though and digging them up is really fun, much more so than other root vegetables like carrots or beets or radishes.

I'm not sure I would do lettuce, as if it turns warm, it tends to bolt fast.

I've had good luck with basil and cilantro.

Does your DD like any specific vegetables, it might be fun to grow one she likes so she can eat something she grew as well. ^^;

If you go with flowers I'd recommend Nastutium. They're pretty and brightly colored and grow fast. Plus, they're edible. :D