Seeds for spring

[namechangefail2020]

Hello, I'm even below novice standards so looking for advice. I wanted to plant some seeds into a trough or plant pots with my 2 year old that he can watch grow in the spring. Is it too late to do that for this spring? And any ideas which seeds if not. Thank you all 😄😄😄

If anything it may be too early! Some plants are called 'hardy' which means they can cope with sun zero temperatures and frosts, and others are called 'half-hardy' or 'tender' which means that to a greater or lesser extent they can't, and cold and frost will kill them.

Lots of the plants that are considered easy for children to grow are tender, which means they should be started in a pot on your windowsill and then planted outside later in the year when it warms up. Tomatoes, squash, sunflowers, nasturtium, peas, sweet peas are all good.

If you will be keeping them in the trough then look for smaller varieties - you can get dwarf versions of peas, sunflowers and tomatoes. Look for ones that say they are good for container growing. My BIL grew butternut squash in a window box and got a good sized squash from it at the end of the season. Obviously peas and tomatoes will make something you can eat quicker, and more of them. Nasturtiums are pretty and edible.

I would be sowing any of these seeds until Feb-April - depending on the variety. The seed packet will tell you when to sow and if the plant is hardy or not.

Hth

@BewareTheBeardedDragon thanks so much that's so helpful :-)

I'm definitely a novice too. Hoping to plant some seeds too. I've been wondering the same, eager to start planting! I've been given some beans and sweet peas, so no packet to check, will look online. I don't have a lot of window sill space and my cats may chew any plants. No room for a greenhouse, I have a shed with window, probably too cold though?

Look for seeds that can be planted directly into the ground in spring @MsKL (it will tell you on the packet/website). A windowsill propagator will stop your cat munching seedlings but not knocking it on the floor.

There are lots of dwarf vegetables/fruit that you can grow in pots @namechangefail2020. You can usually filter by "suitable for container growing" on websites. Kew Gardens have an Urban Gardening vegetable seed range for pots sold by Thompson & Morgan.

Most seed companies have a kids range that are easy to grow with a high success rate that are a good starting point.

It's a getting bit late for spring flowering bulbs but it's still worth a go.

It's just the right time to start sweet peas, start on a cool windowsill, I have some in loo rolls that have just sprouted.

www.sarahraven.com/articles/how-to-grow-sweet-peas-from-seed.htm

Thanks, I'll get started.