Now is the time to choose seeds for plants you are going to sow and grow in the next couple of months.  If you are new to gardening or have never gardened with your children before here are some thoughts on the what, why and how of growing seeds with your kids.  You can of course buy plants later in the year, but there is magic in seeing those seeds sprout and burst forth.  It is a joy to watch children experience it whatever age they are.  So select a few packets of seeds now.

Where to Source your Seeds

Your local garden centre will stock a wide range of seeds.  You may wish to choose with your kids in the comfort of your own home.  You can send away for catalogues or view online.  Most of the large seed suppliers have a special section highlighting seeds which are easy for children to grow.  It is also worthwhile trying a few of the smaller seed suppliers.  We like Seed Parade, Victoriana Nurseries, which has a great Scarecrow Club for children and Sea Spring Seeds (veg only).

Closer to home there are Seedy Sundays.  Seed swap events that are usually held in early February.  Take a look and see if there is one close to you.  You don’t usually need to have seeds to swap.  There may well be children’s activities organised on the day and it’s a great way to meet local gardeners.  Another way is to join your local horticultural society or go down and visit the shop on your local allotments.  Family and friends who are keen gardeners are also bound to have spare seeds for you to have a go with.  One of my most successful vegetables last year was Pad Choi which came as a free packet of seeds with the RHS magazine.

 What to choose.

The world is your oyster.  Take your pick from annuals,biennials, perennials, fruit and vegetables.  Seed sizes vary considerably.  Large seeds like those from courgettes, beans, nasturtium (see below) and sunflower are all easy for toddlers to handle.  Ask your child what type of plants they would like to grow.  Whether they would like to have scented flowers that attract bees and butterflies, have flowers to cut and bring inside, or grow edible plants and vegetables.

Not all plants and vegetables are easily grown from seed.  For some it is best to buy small plants.  If you are just starting out and your children are quite young then perhaps choose seeds from the following list:-

Cress – grown indoors, quickly germinated on just wet kitchen roll, assured success.

Nasturtium – will grow in situ, flowers and petals edible, seed heads can be collected for next year. See photo above.

Sunflower – try some of the shorter varieties as well as the Giant Russian Sunflower.  We have some great sunflower seeds birthday cards for sell.

Pot Marigold -  An annual that looks great in the flower and vegetable garden.  Will self seed.

Green Beans -  Children love to see these growing and twisting up poles.  Make a bean pole den.

Chives – perennial  herb from the onion family with pretty purple flowers.

Cornflower -  will grow in situ and will flower in 10 – 12 weeks.

Courgette – large seeds to sow.  Children will love seeing how fast the courgette grow.s

If you and your children are feeling more adventurous and a little more patient you could try the following:-

Pumpkin –need to soak seeds first overnight, need a temperature of 21c to germinate.

Peas – can sow in situ, nee soil temperature of 10c to germinate.

Sweet Pea – soak seeds overnight in tepid water, germinate in a cold frame.

Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Hurta ) An annual climber with orange flowers with back centres.  You could grow it up the same poles as your beans.

You can find more detailed information on our other pages on growing fruit, vegetables, and flowers with your children.  If you do not want to sow seeds or are unsuccessful with them then remember another option is to buy small plants from the garden centre. Sign up to our newsletter or like our facebook page to be keep updated with tips and ideas on gardening with your children.