Getting your kids busy in the garden is a great way to keep them occupied during summer. Children enjoy engaging in a wide range of activities, and gardening is not an exception.
Kids enjoy seeing plants grow from seeds. Even so, not most children are patient with the growth process.
So, when gardening with your children, it is essential to select fast growing seeds. In this article, we look at the fastest growing seeds for kids.
What you need when gardening with your kids?
First, let’s look at some of the things you’ll need when you are in the garden with a beginner like your kids. The first and most obvious thing you’ll need is high-quality soil.
Remember, all plants need high-quality soil to grow healthy and strong. Generally, the soil you use should have excellent water retention and drainage properties.
Having a watering can or spray bottle is also necessary when planting with your children. It would be best to get a child-friendly watering can to make the experience more fun.
Lastly, you need quick growing seeds to plant. As a parent, you can choose to go the extra mile by purchasing fun equipment to garden with.
Best seeds that grow fast
Some of the fast growing seeds include:
- Morning Glory
One of the best growing seeds for kids is morning glory. Morning glory just like clematis vine are usually a climbing plant that flowers upon maturity. Its flowers open in the morning and close during the night.
This flower is pretty simple to grow; hence perfect for growing with your kids. Nevertheless, you must note that morning glory seeds are poisonous. Therefore, you need to be careful when growing them. Always monitor your children when they are planting these seeds.
- Sweet Peas
The next rapid growing seed you can grow with your kids is sweet peas. Sweet peas are relatively simple to grow and don’t incorporate a long maturation period.
These plants are climbing plants; hence ensure you plant them near a trellis or vertical object since they can grow very long sometimes. Additionally, sweet peas attract pollinators to your garden. Thus, they are an ideal companion plant.
- Nasturtium
Nasturtium is one of the easiest plants to grow with your kids. All you have to do is sprinkle the seeds across your garden. Then, water the soil and leave them to germinate.
Ensure that you cut or pull out the weeds around the area to ensure they grow healthy. This plant also serves as a great companion plant and can help you chase away bugs from the garden. Another advantage of this plant is that it flowers throughout the entire summer.
- Marigolds
Marigolds are also amazing flowers you should consider growing with your children in the garden. Aside from offering excellent aesthetics, marigolds are pretty simple to grow.
These plants also help you reduce pests and diseases in your garden. Thus, consider growing them around strawberries, beans, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, among other plants. Marigolds also attract pollinators, thus will promote healthy flowering in other plants.
- Poppies
Poppies are one of the simplest plants to grow in your garden. One poppy seed produces lots of harvest for an extended period. Thus, you’ll always have lots of poppies in your garden. All you have to do is take good care of them by ensuring they receive sufficient sunlight and moisture.
- Sunflowers
Consider growing sunflowers with your kids in your backyard. They don’t take too long to flower and are relatively simple to grow. Your kids will undoubtedly enjoy tending to them daily. Get colorful watering cans to make the watering process more fun. These flowers often provide seeds for birds during fall and winter.
- Wallflowers
Wallflowers look fantastic and offer a pleasant smell to your garden. Unlike most plants, they can survive in harsh climatic conditions.
They are pretty simple to grow and require less maintenance. Hence, they are a good plant option to grow with your kids. Your children will enjoy seeing the warm colors offered by wallflowers.
- Spring Bulbs
Spring bulbs will brighten up your garden and fascinate your kids. They are relatively simple to grow and take several weeks to bloom. Consider planting spring bulbs amid other plants like tulips and irises.
Which plant grows in 2 days?
At present, the plant that grows fastest in two days belongs to the bamboo species. This plant can grow 70 inches long in two days. Thus, it matures more quickly than all other plant varieties.
Typically, very few plant species can grow in two days. But there are several techniques you can use to make your plants grow faster and bigger.
Conduct a soil test: Before you start planting, you need to conduct a soil test. A soil test helps you know the nutritional content of your soil. As a result, it helps you know the proper nutrients to add to your soil.
All you need to do is purchase a soil test kit from your local garden store. Then, use it as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Also, ensure you test the acidity and alkalinity of your soil.
Remember, plants have different pH requirements. For example, tomatoes thrive in slightly acidic soil. Knowing the pH of your soil helps you adjust the soil accordingly.
In turn, you end up promoting healthy plant growth. If you don’t have time to conduct a soil test, you can collect a soil sample and take it to your garden store for testing.
Choose the best organic fertilizer: Always use high-quality organic fertilizers to quicken plant growth. Today, there is a broad spectrum of organic fertilizers you can use for your plant.
Consult your manufacturer on the best fertilizer to use. Keep in mind that different fertilizers contain different nutrients. Therefore, check your plant requirements first before using any fertilizer.
Some of the best liquid fertilizers that promote the fast growth of plants include;
- Carbonated water
Generally, carbonated water promotes fast plant growth. This is because it contains carbon dioxide bubbles. So, if you want your plants to grow fast, use carbonated water. Nonetheless, note that you have to use it correctly. Also, avoid using it repeatedly since it could damage your plants.
- Fish emulsion
One of the most popular liquid fertilizers is fish emulsion. Fish emulsion is rich in nitrogen, among other nutrients. Thus, it promotes rapid plant growth. Luckily, you need not worry about the smell. The fishy smell will always go away after several days.
- Green tea
Green tea is very rich in nutrients and helps in boosting tree growth. It offers exceptional nutrients to the soil, hence fastening plant growth.
Nevertheless, when applying green tea to plants, you have to use the correct techniques. Otherwise, you would damage your plants.
- Seaweed fertilizer
Gardeners love seaweed fertilizer since it offers a broad spectrum of nutrients to plants.
Not only does this fertilizer quicken the growth of your plants, but it also ensures your plants grow healthy. You can find seaweed fertilizers in your ‘local garden or online store. The price, of course, varies depending on the fertilizer.
Fastest growing plant in the world
At present, the fastest growing plant in the world is from the bamboos species. This plant can grow 91 cm long in a day under the right conditions.
Based on previous surveys, there is a wide range of bamboo species. They are popularly known to grow very fast and tall when exposed to the necessary growing conditions.
Planting is not as simple as most people think. Almost every plant requires adequate maintenance to grow well. Nonetheless, you can always save your time and effort by growing fast growing plants.
Let’s take a look at some of the plants that incorporate the shortest maturation period.
- Radishes
On average, it takes a month to grow radishes. The maturation period of radishes is approximately three to four weeks. Aside from growing quickly, it is relatively simple to grow radishes.
Sow the seeds in your garden or planting pot. As you do this, ensure you maintain a distance of one inch between each seed. If you want to harvest throughout summer, consider planting in batches every week.
It won’t take long before you have your radishes on the table. Once you sow the seeds, the seedlings usually pop in three to four days. However, you have to ensure that you take good care of the radishes to mature quickly.
- Salad leaves
Another fast growing vegetable is salad leaves. Salad leaves take approximately 21 days to germinate and mature. There are different varieties of salad leaves; some include lettuce, kale and mustard.
When planting salad leaves, ensure you observe a distance of six to ten inches between each seed. Keep the soil moist and get rid of any weeds present in the garden. Use a shade cloth if the temperatures in your area are too high.
- Bush beans
It takes approximately two months to sow and harvest bush beans. Sow the beans directly on the ground, growbags or planting containers, and be careful to observe a distance of 10 to 16 inches. It would be best to plant in batches at least once every month to obtain a continuous harvest.
- Spinach
Spinach is a fast growing vegetable used in salads and a wide range of recipes. Sow the seeds one inch apart and water the soil regularly. Expose them to low to medium light for healthy growth.
Note that exposing this vegetable to an incredibly high temperature makes the leaves bitter. Observe regular pruning if you want to obtain a plentiful harvest.
Preparing the Ground
Regardless of the plant you plan to grow, it is advisable to prepare a grow bed or a wicking bed using high-quality soil. Your soil should be rich in nutrients. This way, your plants will be able to grow quickly.
Additionally, ensure that your soil is sieved, has excellent moisture retention and drainage properties. You can also use the right fertilizer to encourage the healthy growth of plants.
Enjoy your quick gardening days
Planting consumes time and effort. Therefore, if you have a tight schedule, always choose rapid growing seeds to plant. Luckily, there is a broad spectrum of fast growing seeds you will enjoy growing.
Some include salad leaves, radishes and marigolds. When growing these seeds, incorporate the proper maintenance techniques for best results year-round.