Easy Gardening Projects for Children

Little Hands, Big Seeds

• Watermelon, pumpkin and sunflower seeds all provide larger seeds for easy planting. Choosing larger seeds helps prevent frustration for children when planting and also limits future thinning of seedlings. Teach children how to properly prepare garden soil. Include weeding, tilling and soil preparation as the main focus of a project. Emphasize the importance of creating the perfect environment for plants to grow and thrive. Encourage children to monitor their garden plot before planting any seeds to remove any weeds. Schedule the actual planting of large seeds after any danger of frost. Let the children plant the seeds after providing space, light requirements and planting depth instructions.

Forcing Bulbs

• Bring sunshine inside by creating an easy gardening project with Narcissus flower bulbs. These hardy bulbs can be easily forced to create beautiful gifts for family and friends. Forcing bulbs also allows the instructor to explain how plants go to sleep for the winter. Collect some empty 6-inch pots with drainage holes. Provide new potting soil and Narcissus bulbs. Encourage each child to get his her hands dirty filling the flower pots half full with potting soil. Plant three bulbs per pot, spacing each bulb carefully to prevent touching other bulbs. The nose or pointy tip of the bulb should be even with the pot rim. Use small cups to lightly fill in the soil around the bulbs and water lightly. Stash the bulbs in a cool dark place (garages work well) for 11 to 13 weeks. Bring the plants inside to a room with a 65-degree F temperature to encourage blooming.

Finding Seeds

• Plenty of plants in the garden produce seeds that children can collect for the next planting season. Impatiens offer a fun seedpod that pops when touched. The plant itself is actually named because of the seed pod's tendency to explode on impact with the ground or when touched. Provide paper bags and markers for labeling seed types per bag. Encourage the children to collect various types of seeds from annual flowers such as impatiens, marigolds or zinnia for use the following year. Zinnia and marigold seeds are contained at the base of the flower. Simply hold the dried flower in your hand and press the thumbnails into the base of the flower to find the seeds. Place seeds inside the labeled bags, and store in a cool, dry space for the winter.