How to Grow Seeds With Kids
By making gardening a family affair, you not only get to spend precious family time in a healthy, worthwhile way, but you may be training the next generation of gardeners, horticulturists and landscapers. Children have a natural curiosity about how plants grow. They love exploring in dirt, playing in water and experimenting with new ideas. Experiencing how plants grow from seeds is the perfect way to introduce your children to your interest in gardening. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Seed-starting potting-soil mix
- Peat pots
- Shallow container such as cake pan or commercial window greenhouse
- Seeds
- Water
- Plastic wrap
- Clear plastic cups
- Clean sponges
- Bean seeds
Instructions
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Take a trip to your local garden center to purchase seeds for the plants you wish to grow. Always choose seeds packaged for that season's growth by a reputable dealer. Discount seeds found in deep-discount stores or those that don't have a garden department are often too old and may not grow since the seeds are past their prime. Take the time to read over the seeds with your children, giving them the opportunity to make decisions on what to grow. Choose seeds that fit your needs and garden location. Talk about the amount of sunlight you have to grow the seeds and what you hope to accomplish: Are you growing flowers or wanting to start a vegetable garden? Pick up bean seeds for the kids' experiment.
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Purchase or mix a seed-starting potting soil that is lightweight enough for emerging roots and plant shoots to grow through. Directions for various formulas are available online if you choose to create your own -- with most formulas containing a mixture of peat moss, compost and an additive that helps retain water, such as vermiculite or perlite.
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Place peat pots in a shallow container to keep water and soil in place. Commercial products such as window greenhouse kits are inexpensive investments, or a shallow pan like a cake pan will suffice. Peat pots are biodegradable "containers" made of compressed peat moss planted along with the seedlings into the soil after the threat of frost has passed. Fill peat pots with the seed-starting mix.
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Have a child read the planting instructions for your selections. Every plant type has specific planting needs. Some seeds need soaking to soften the shell; some seeds require a process known as scarification by scratching the seed's surface with a nail file to aid in germination. Follow the instructions for planting your seeds. (You may wish to do the opposite of the instructions in another container to experiment with how well they grow.)
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Add water to the container, allowing the water to soak through the peat pots until the soil is moist.
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Cover the shallow pan with plastic wrap -- or with a greenhouse cover if provided with your commercial greenhouse product. This allows for a warm, humid environment where the plant can germinate.
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Mark on a calendar the day that the seeds should germinate, depending on the plant information on the back of the seed packet. Have children, in the meantime, wet a clean new sponge or handful of paper towels and stuff them into a clear plastic cup. Place a bean seed between the wall of the cup and the sponge. Bean seeds sprout quickly within a few days, and this experiment will give the children the chance to witness an emerging sprout.
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Remove the plastic once sprouts have developed two leaves and move to a sunny location that's not drafty. Continue to water and follow specific instructions available for your selection, including when to transplant your plant outdoors.
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Tips & Warnings
Plants you wish to grow from seeds that need to be sown directly in the ground require planting in a well-prepared bed that's been amended with compost and other amendments as recommended by a soil test.
Seeds sown directly into containers that are to be their home for the entire growing season need regular potting soil. Seed-starting soil is formulated with enough nutrients to sustain the emerging seedling and not the growth of a mature plant.
Read age-appropriate books about how seeds grow while you're waiting for your seed to germinate.
Have the children keep a gardening journal to record notes about how the bean sprout experiment went; compare the seeds grown by the instructions to the seeds that weren't; encourage them to write about how their garden grows through the summer. Journaling is a great way for gardeners of any age to keep track of the season and their learning experiences.
Never use garden soil to start seeds indoors. Garden soil clumps too easily and may contain diseased material or pests harmful to your emerging plants.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images
