# Gardeners - good plants for youngsters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 15, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-good-plants-for-youngsters/673976 "2013-11-15T12:42:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-good-plants-for-youngsters/673976/1 "2013-11-15T12:42:41Z")
I’m volunteering at my son’s school, doing monthly Grow Lab presentations to his Kindergarten class. This month is “seeds” and I’m hoping to send the kids home with small pots (plastic cups) and seeds to grow and tend at home. Any thoughts on what kind of seeds would be appropriate? I’m thinking something in a flower that is compact enough to not get out of hand, but really have no idea what variety would work. I could do a vegetable like a radish or bean, but I figure they are short term at best, with the radish getting very boring, and the bean outgrowing the pot pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-good-plants-for-youngsters/673976/2 "2013-11-15T13:21:39Z")
Not quite what you’re probably looking for, but we’re doing Paperwhites and Amaryllis bulbs in our kids’ little pots. They grow super fast and are very easy to find this time of year. They also bloom indoors, which is a huge plus. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-good-plants-for-youngsters/673976/3 "2013-11-15T13:47:51Z")
Paperwhites are on the docket for next month, this month is limited to a seed based project. Are Nasturtiums a good choice? I just saw them on the Burpee catalog. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-good-plants-for-youngsters/673976/4 "2013-11-15T14:37:15Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Paperwhites are on the docket for next month, this month is limited to a seed based project. > > Are Nasturtiums a good choice? I just saw them on the Burpee catalog. Good question. I see them in my community garden all the time, but I’ve never tried to grow them from seed. It may be difficult to find something to grow from seed indoors this time of year that will actually bloom. Unless, of course, you’re in Southern California. In which case, I say so with any wildflower seed blend. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gardeners-good-plants-for-youngsters/673976/5 "2013-11-15T14:58:52Z")
Do the kids have access to outdoor space, or are these destined to be houseplants? Outside, sunflowers are a favorite, but they won’t survive long inside. For indoor, I’d consider peas and beans. They probably won’t produce fruit, but they’re fast growing to keep the kids interested, and they make lovely little windowsill plants. Plus they’re big enough for little fingers to grasp and plant, unlike, say, basil. Using a recognizable food as seed blows their little minds, and really helps to reinforce the circle of seed to plant to food to seed…