STARTING SEEDS WITH KIDS

One of the best ways to build curiosity in kids is by allowing them to engage in activities that get their hands dirty and get to observe the progress over time. Gardening can spark so much interest and starting seeds with kids is a wonderful way to build that curiosity. 

Now let’s get those hands dirty. Most of us should remember cutting up an old milk carton, adding a bit of potting soil, and sprouting a bean. Usually accompanied by reading jack and the giant beanstalk. Today there are so many amazing books to check out that talk about gardening and growing. 

Remember it was that simple, an old milk carton, some potting mix, and a seed. Or a handful. Let’s not forget some light and water. Those plants will not grow in a dark room or without water. So, find the sunniest place you have and decide how much space this project will take up and go for it.

Try a few different seeds. What does your kid like? Sometimes it’s not as important to get the end plant with full-grown tomatoes, but it’s the experience that is something to enjoy and the learning opportunities. You can sprout seeds with kids and talk about the seedlings before the growing season, or ask questions as to why they can’t be outside during the cold months, why they are so elongated, and other questions that spark curiosity. 

If you live in a region that has year-round growing, that’s great, you can start some fresh seeds with the kids and plant them outside and watch them grow. 

I tried this with my kids and did some planting of seeds in trays. We did carrots, radish, lettuce, cucumbers, and melon. This was a great time to explore the different seeds, sizes, and colors. I made sure the kids knew it wasn’t the season to plant seeds. but it was a fun weekend project that grew into a week or two of watching the seed sprout. Plus, it gives a bit of practice going into next year. 

You can even get some grow lights to put the sprouting seeds under and see how they grow. If you choose seeds like lettuce, arugula, basil, and some other leafy greens, these plants should grow into full-size plants under the right conditions using lights. 

 I recommend a nice light a fluffy mix. If you are using dirt from your back yard, you most likely will run into various trouble from mold to compaction and poor drainage that will result in a failed experiment. 

You can make a homemade mix as well, using coco coir or peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, and garden lime (to balance the pH). Light, Fluffy, and porous is what it takes to start successfully at this stage.

This is what you need if you are making a homemade mix. Which can be fun for the kids to see what goes into the mix. 

• 8 parts coco coir or peat moss
• 1 part vermiculite
• 1 part perlite
• ¼ tsp garden lime per gallon (if using peat moss)

Now some premade mixes will have additional amendments such as worm castings, soil microbes, mycorrhizae. You can experiment with this or not. Just remember a little will go a long way when it comes to seedlings.

Once you’ve made this mix you can store it in an airtight container to keep out bugs, pets, pests, and other microbes that could cause problems in the future. Just make sure you have enough on hand because the kids, or even yourself, will end up going though so much starting seeds. Once you get this mix done, you can work with other mediums for house plants and potted veggies and trees.

Starting seeds with kids is just the beginnings of their explorations learning to nurture nature and connect with where their food comes from and how its grown. And hopefully, its not only great education and growth for the kids, but the parents as well.