Ten favourites: seeds to sow with kids
We love to share all the different parts of gardening with our little one, and she is a big fan of everything from watering plants to weeding! But undoubtedly one of the most satisfying and impactful things to do is sowing seeds, watching them germinate, and grow into new plants (for kids and adults alike, to be honest…)
Children never fail to enjoy watching a seed put out roots and shoots, get bigger and bigger, and finally produce flowers or fruits. The magic of nature right in front of their eyes! And while you could sow just about any seeds with children, we’ve found that some are more high impact than others. When we’re sowing with our daughter, we tend to go for seeds that germinate and grow fast (the quickest, highest impact possible), seeds that are reliable and easy to grow (to avoid any disappointments) and seeds that are physically large, which makes it easier for small hands to get involved.
Here are our top seeds to sow with kids:
Five favourite flower seeds
Calendula
Calendula, or marigolds, are such a bright, cheerful flower, we’ve found they’re always popular with kids. The seeds are big, and easy to handle, they germinate well, and the plants grow fast and are popular with pollinators. Sow in March-April for plants that will flower in the Summer and Autumn. You can sow directly in the ground where they will grow. Weed the soil first, and lightly rake to create a crumbly seed bed.
There are lots of different varieties of calendula. Try the pleasingly named ‘Porcupine’ for an interesting flower with pointed petals, or ‘Pink Mix’ for a flower with pink hues…
2. Nasturtiums
A perfect seed for sowing with children as they’re super reliable at germination, grow quickly, and — best of all — you can eat the flowers when they’re in bloom! Both flowers and leaves are edible, though the leaves are a little bitter. Add the flowers to salads, or put them on the top of cakes (or cup cakes) - just shake them gently to remove any bugs, and hold under a gentle stream of water from the tap to rinse out.
Seeds can be sown directly outside from March to May. Keep watered for any dry spells.
3. Sunflowers
Popular with children for good reason! Sunflowers are surely one of the most impressive plants in terms of how incredibly large they can grow in just one season from a tiny seed! We love to have a “sunflower race” — each sowing a seed in a marked pot and then seeing whose grows the biggest by the Autumn. The seeds are large, so are very easily handled by children, and again, have reliable germination. Place two in a single pot and remove the weakest seedling a few weeks after germination. Large varieties of sunflower will need staking as they grow taller, so allow plenty of space. Smaller varieties, including the gorgeous pink ‘Ms Mars’ on the right, don’t need to be staked, but still reach impressive heights (usually taller than small children, which is always fun!)
4. Cosmos
Cosmos was one of the first flowers I ever grew from seed, and I was just as impressed with its prolific growth then, as our little one is now! As well as growing into large bushy plants in a really short space of time, they also put out a huge number of flowers, which you can cut and bring into the house, and they’ll produce more. It’s really satisfying for children (and adults!) to know that they have grown a flower that can be put in a vase inside, and cosmos are low-maintenance and grow without too much fuss, so they’re a really reliable seed. Cosmos flowers come in a huge range of colours too, so there is plenty of choice for what to sow… See more tips in our cosmos plant guide.
5. Borage
Another edible plant, borage is a really beautiful herb, with star-shaped blue flowers, and a cucumber smell from its slightly bristly leaves.
It can be planted directly outside from around mid April, and again is a low maintenance plant that doesn’t need a huge amount of care. The flowers can be eaten on cakes, or as a garnish in drinks, which we’ve always found popular with kids!
Borage is a cheerful self-seeder, so you will likely find seedlings in subsequent year. Weed out any growing in spots you don’t want them.
Five favourite vegetable seeds:
Peas
Peas are one of those veggies that just taste better when eaten straight from the plant! They’re easy enough to grow, as long as they have plenty of space to climb up, and there is something very satisfying for children seeing what is clearly a slightly dried and crinkled pea, sown into some compost, watered, and then growing into a whole new plant that produces a whole crop of fresh new peas. Our little one loves to eat them fresh from the pod in the garden, but of course you can cook them as well. We always like to grow mange tout varieties, where you can eat the pod itself, or leave them to grow bigger and eat them as peas…
2. Carrots
Another really popular veg to grow with children, there is undoubtedly something a bit magical the moment that you pull on the carrot leaves to release the carrot from where it’s been growing beneath the soil! Carrot seeds can be sown directly into the ground, or even in containers that are deep enough. (Raising them up off the ground helps to prevent against carrot fly as well…) Take a look for smaller varieties if you want to reduce the time from sowing to harvesting. We enjoy growing rainbow carrots of all different colours, from orange to purple and yellow…
3. Broad beans
The classic seed, that we all sowed in wet kitchen roll on a window sill at school. It’s one of the easiest seeds to watch emerge, as it really does need nothing more than a bit of damp paper to encourage it to grow… Though it’s quick to germinate and fun to watch appear, we have found that beans tend to get destroyed by pests as soon as we put them into the garden. So if you’re growing this on after the windowsill stage, it can help to grow in a large container with copper tape, or some other protection against slugs and snails. (See our guide to protecting plants from slugs and snails for more info…)
4. Pumpkins
Another plant with big, easy-to-handle seeds, that does an impressive amount of growing in one short season…
We grow quite a few different types of pumpkins every year, but our little one especially enjoys the small, cute ones. Pumpkins need plenty of space, both for the plant and fruit itself. Most plants tend to trail outwards a lot, though you can get some that will climb up a support. And larger pumpkins varieties need lots of space for the fruit itself to grow.
Sow directly outside in May, water as needed, and you won’t need to do much else for an impressive pumpkin harvest!
5. Tomatoes
Another plant that tastes absolutely delicious when picked direct from the stalk. They’re pretty easy and reliable for germination, though they do need a little bit more care at the end of the growing season, when they start to produce fruit. Take care to water well, and feed every few weeks once the fruits start to emerge, in order to get the best crop.
Tomatoes can take up a bit of space, and many prefer to be grown in a covered environment like a greenhouse or polytunnel. But if space is limited, you can find smaller varieties that grow in pots (‘Tumbling Tom Red’ is a good one for a smallish container, and as it trails, rather than growing upright, it doesn’t need to be staked).
