Plant easy-to-grow seeds with children

Study after study shows gardening is beneficial for children. A bacterium in soil triggers the release of serotonin that elevates mood, decreases anxiety, and improves cognitive function. Children who grow their own food are more likely to eat vegetables. And that's just the beginning.

Spend some quality time in the garden with your children or grandchildren. All you need is a bare patch of soil - in the ground or a container - and a few packets of easy-to-grow seeds. Imagine their sense of accomplishment when they pick their own-grown flowers or vegetables.

Garden prep

Choose a site with lots of sun and good, well-drained soil. If your soil is full of clay, add liberal amounts of compost to improve it. If space is a challenge, plant seeds in containers on your patio or deck.

Take children to your local garden center to help choose which plants to grow. Do they want to grow flowers? Or would they rather eat what they grow? If your children are very young, guide them toward plants with large seeds that small hands can handle easily.

Get children some child-sized tools so they won't be discouraged trying to handle tools intended for adults.

Flowers

Bachelor buttons (Centaurea cyanus) are perfect for impatient young gardeners. They bloom within six weeks of planting. Their blue flowers attract butterflies in the garden or look beautiful in a vase on the dinner table.

Cosmos germinate very quickly and bloom all summer if deadheaded, in shades of white and pink. Cosmos also make good cut flowers and attract butterflies.

Marigold seeds are easy to handle, germinate very quickly, and bloom within two months of planting. Their flowers of white to yellow, orange to red, and combinations of these bloom all summer.

Nasturtiums are fast growing and tough. Their seeds are large, easy to handle, and germinate quickly. These plants thrive on neglect, making them perfect for a beginning gardener.

Pot marigolds (Calendula) have cheerful flowers in colors ranging from cream to apricot and orange. Their easy-to-handle large seeds germinate quickly and are not fussy about where they grow.

Sunflowers (Helianthus) belong in all children's gardens. They grow very quickly and need little care. Their seeds are large enough for even the smallest of hands to plant. Although sunflowers are available in dwarf sizes, children love to watch them grow to gigantic proportions.

Vegetables

Bush beans are easy to grow and fun to harvest. They germinate in just a week and are ready to pick in 40 to 65 days. Bush beans don't need poles or trellises. If your children want a bean teepee, choose pole beans that are just as easy to grow.

Carrots are underground treasures that kids love to discover. Children love their orange color and sweet taste but will have to wait for their slower germination. Choose dwarf varieties because they mature more quickly.

Leaf lettuce is a quick, reliable crop ready to eat in just 45 days. Plant several varieties together in a salad garden.

Pumpkins are an obvious choice. Seeds germinate in seven days and vines begin to grow shortly after. Pumpkins take up to 120 days to mature, but patience is rewarded when kids carve their own pumpkin for Halloween.

Radishes may not be on your child's list of favorite vegetables but for impatient gardeners, radishes may be the instant gratification they demand. Radishes are easy to grow and are ready to eat in just 25 days.

Sugar snap peas are sweet and crunchy. Fifty-five days after planting, kids love picking and popping them into their mouths.

Have fun together in the garden this summer. Help children discover the wonder of gardening and create memories that last a lifetime.

• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040, ext. 2, or visit planterspalette.com.