I bought some Poached Egg plant seeds after talking about
them a short while ago.
Limnanthes douglasii or poached egg plants are really easy
to grow and within four days of planting them out they germinated. Another
three days saw their first true leaves. I think I should get a colourful show
of flowers before the summer is out and hopefully they will self-seed to give
us earlier plants next year.
The ease and simplicity of sowing and germinating these
seeds make them an ideal choice for youngsters to build up their confidence in
the garden. I remember myself when, as a child I started growing cacti and was
devastated when one of them died. I got that same feeling for years as any
house plant that shrivelled up I took as a failure on my part, instead of looking
at it as a continual learning process.
Plants
There are a lot of
great plants children can grow other than sunflowers
Crane's-bill,
Geranium; grown for its white, pink, blue or purple saucer-shaped flowers
and its dense foliage, which is great for keeping down the weeds.
Lamb's ears, grown more for its foliage than its flowers. As
its name suggests, its downy leaves resemble the ears of a lamb. It can be a
bit of a pest if left unattended.
Houseleek, (Sempervivum)
a rosette-forming succulent that produces flowers on long stems. It is a great
plant for dry areas of the garden. They grow from offsets so if a friend has
one, nip a few off and replant.
Forget-me-not,
pretty clusters of small flowers in either blue, white or pink. They love
well-drained soil and polytunnels. They are the third biggest weed in there
just behind chickweed and rogue tomatoes.
Primrose, a
spring wildflower that comes in a variety of colours. Great for planting in
pots and containers and divide easily.
Bellflower,
'Canterbury Bells'; a blue, white or lavender, summer-flowering plant can
easily be sown from seed.
Pansy, Viola; the
cheery face of the pansy is a popular choice for an abundance of both summer
and winter colour.
Seeds
Flower seeds could
include:
Sweet pea, Marigold,Nasturtium, Cosmos,Cornflower for
examo[ple. Next time you are out and about at a friends house or on a walk,
collect some seeds and plant them in pots.
Herbs
Herb seeds prove to be easy to germinate. And can be sown
anytime in a pot on the windowsill if it’s too wet outside.
Spearmint, mint
will thrive in most soils, to the extent that it can easily become a nuisance.
To avoid this, try growing it in a container on the patio.
Rosemary, this
pretty herb produces blue flowers and has highly-scented, needle-like leaves.
Thyme, grow thyme
in a well-drained, sunny area of your garden.
Chives, For a
regular supply of delicious leaves for your salads cut off the flowers before
they open.
Sage, this
strong-flavoured herb has grey-green leaves and spikes of blue flowers.
Oregano, planted
in a sunny area of the garden, marjoram will grow as vigorously as mint.
Children may recognise its taste as it's often used in pizza and pasta.
Coriander, this
popular herb, frequently used in Indian cookery and salads.
Fruit and vegetables
Even if it’s too late for some vegetables to give a serious amount
of produce – or any, just watching them grow can be so much fun. A runner bean
will grow a foot a week.
Radish, a great
starter vegetable for kids because as well as being problem-free to grow, the
colourful roots are ready for eating within a month of sowing.
Lettuce, lettuces
can be grown all-year-round. Simply choose from the many varieties to ensure
you have a crop for every season. Once sown, seeds should begin to sprout
within 12 days.
Courgette,
courgettes are simply marrows harvested before they have been allowed to grow
to full size. Plants get quite big so be sure to give them room.
Carrot, sow
carrot seeds thinly in a sunny area of the garden and they should germinate
within 17 days.
Spinach, start
picking the young, tender outside leaves of the spinach as soon as they reach a
reasonable size, this also encourages new growth.
Swiss chard, one
of the hardier vegetables, chard to survive winter.
Beetroot, a slow
starter but once seedlings start to push through it picks up speed. You could
speed up germination time by soaking seeds for a few hours before planting.
There you have it. A selection of random seeds and plants we
could play with in the summer. It’s not about getting a large crop or a
competition winning flower display. It’s more about just getting children
interested in the wonder of nature and watching things grow. We can teach them
about taking cuttings next year.
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