Please Help My 5 Year Old Gardener

[ButterflyGarden]

My 5 year old planted a kernel of corn in a plastic cup to learn about gardening and plants. It sprouted and she was very proud. Now she had a little garden just like her mother.



Well, the 2 year old got a hold of the cup and separated the sprout from the kernel. Will the kernel sprout again or is her plant a goner? If it's lost, what else can we plant in a cup that she can watch grow? I'd like to replace it with something that we could keep in a small container and can grow from food around the house (as opposed to having to go out and get seeds).

[Kisal]

Sadly, one seed will only produce one plant. I don't know of any food-bearing plant that will grow to maturity in a plastic cup, except perhaps a single radish. However, you can grow 3 to 5 bean plants in a 2-gallon container.

I usually recommend dried beans from the grocery store for very young beginning gardeners. They're inexpensive, sprout quickly, and the beans are large enough for small fingers to handle. Just buy a bag like you would use to cook for your family. Many other seeds from fruits and veggies you buy to eat can be used to grow plants, but beans are the easiest and fastest, in my opinion.

[smaxey843]

whoa! your saying I can buy dried beans, plant them. and expect them to grow in 2gallons of soil?!?! Whoa! if thats the case its nothing short of amazing to me. but I still have my newbie enthusiasm

[john gault]

I grew corn for the first time this year, but had really bad luck with insects. I chopped them down and composted them in my mulch and now I got little corn plants growing all over the place. I thought they were weeds until I pulled up one and it was srouting from a kernal of corn. What took your daughter only 5 years to learn took me a little longer -- but please don't think I'm a slow learner

[TZ -OH6]

off the top of my head

Popcorn from a fresh bag will often sprout.
Dried beans and peas (not split) usually grow.
Sunflower seeds (and every other seed) from bird seed
avocado pits
seeds from ripe (not green) peppers
tomato seeds
Squash seeds
Melon seeds (I don't know about watermelon as most are genetically screwed up seedless varieties now)


Sprouts and slips and rooting (might need some toothpicks and a glass of water for some of these but its all on the internet)
Pineapple tops
Sweet potatos
Irish Potatoes once the eyes break dormancy

[john gault]

My honeydew watermelons seeds are alway sprouting, it's one of the easiest things I grow. Most my WM plants are from composting in my mulch from last year.

[soil]

try beans, they sprout fast and kids like to see them grow. soak in water overnight before planting to get even faster results.

[ButterflyGarden]

Thanks everyone. I think we will try the beans. I really want to encourage her gardening enthusiasm. On the plus side when she found out about what her little brother did she said she "that's ok, he didn't know better." I was so proud.

[DeborahL]

Your daughter sounds like a very sweet little girl.
Radishes will grow in a container too, and are ready to eat very soon.

[ButterflyGarden]

That's a good idea, too. Maybe we'll do both.

[rainbowgardener]

At smaxey - it is in the nature of seeds to grow. Many things we eat are seeds (like beans, corn) or have seeds (like squash and peppers).

I haven't gotten in to saving tomato seeds yet, because it is a little more complicated process. But the peppers and squash in my garden as well as many flowers, came from seeds I saved last year and my potato plants and garlic (all harvested now) from grocery store potatoes and garlic (just divide the head up into cloves and plant them, each one turns into a new head).

Adding to TZ's list of stuff from the grocery store you can plant:

Other fruit tree seeds like oranges and lemons.

Herb/spices - the ones that are sold as whole seeds like dill, fennel, coriander.