This late you would direct sow outdoors. Maybe calendula would be suitable, visit and independent garden center at a slower time of the day or week and get someone to make suggestions.

Otherwise the backs of the packets will have directions.

This post was edited by bboy on Thu, May 8, 14 at 12:20

if you have full sun, maybe sunflowers.

It's certainly not too late to grow some fun in the garden. I've gardened with lots of children over the years. I hope you have fun together and find the gardening process a delightfully healing experience.

Here are some suggestons for free seeds or plants:

1. Go to the Winter Sowing forum & find the post with instructions how to request a newbie pack of seeds. For postage you will get easy to sow & grow as donated from other gardeners. Plus it doesn't have to be done inside & outside sowing in milk jugs is super easy to keep watered & well lit! It's more difficult indoors because they dry out quickly on warmer days in shallow pots.

2. local free plant swaps: If you're within driving distance of Redmond, WA there is a free plant swap (includes seeds sometimes) the 1st Sat. of June. Info at holycrossredmond.org. Other swaps listed on the Pacific Northwest Garden Exchange forum.

Here are some tips off the top of my head about what I've enjoyed doing with kids.

I know kids love to peek, so you might want to grow some beans or peas in large clear containers repurposed from coffee drinks or 2 liter soda bottles & filled with potting soil not garden dirt. That way you give them a container for watching & tell them the other pots are underground mysteries you can't see. Plus pea flowers & shoots are all edible as well as pretty even if you don't manage to keep the plants alive in the pots long enough for pods.

Marigolds are quick growers, but if you have slugs beware they devour them overnight outside if not protected.
Cosmos & nasturtium grow in poor soil.
You could also try Love in a mist, bachelor's buttons, or Linaria.
Zinna are showy & grow well in a sunny spot.

Scarlet Runner beans are edible vines, but have amazing flowers that hummingbirds adore. Plus their huge seeds are easy for kids to plant. Plenty of suggestions online for supports. Our favorites were long poles attached teepee style or a wooden ladder wired or plastic electrical/ziptied to tposts. My kids loved to go under the vines in the shade, so I stopped trying to plant lettuces under there.

Radish even quicker and though my kids didn't like the roots, flowers are pretty & pods are tasty in stir fry.

It's fun to start something from seed as well as plant transplants like lettuces or cucumbers in a large deep pot. My kids liked to compare the growth. When they went to peek if lettuce had sprouted they could cut the outer leaves of the lettuce for sandwiches or salad. Even if they don't yet eat lettuce they will gladly harvest for you.

A container garden of transplants that include found objects such as rocks, sticks, moss, or even weed seedlings are fun for kids especially if you include some miniature toys such as animals, pretend fairies or pirates. Kids don't mind if it's not a named flower. A bottlecap becomes a plate. Pen lids are cups. Other found items from the recycle bin become creative what-nots that thrill them for the moment if not days or weeks. The world of miniatures is fascinating at any age.

Activity in the garden has been half the fun for me, so I try to include watering devices (drilled holes in a water bottle lid), chairs, shallow pans with rocks for water to attract birds or butterflies. You could bury a bucket in the soil leaving an inch showing above ground. Let it fill with rainwater and you might even attract a frog like we did recently. The green little Pacific Tree frogs are mating now. In past years, frogs have found our fountains and large pots by our front door where it was cool & damp in the shaded porch. If you don't want mosquitoes in the pond you can put a mosquito dunk into it or change the water every few days. Use that water to fill the water jug for the plants. A yogurt container is a great child size dipper & you want to get fancy let them use the soup ladle. Water keeps kids busy for a good while if it's warm enough outside.

Kids and adults appreciate a seat or shade from summer sun, so plan where you'll sit outside. A tarp on the ground topped with a blanket, towels, or a bed sheet makes an instant dry spot when the sun comes out. Many times I folded it up & kept in my trunk for the next dry-ish day to sit out again.

Have a great season growing something together!
Corrine

olympicmeadow, I'm so sorry for your loss. Gardening can be very healing, especially growing flowers, and a great activity for mom and daughter to do together. I remember watering my mom's flower bed with her with a big metal watering can and marveling at the beautiful flowers. It's wonderful to see things again through the eyes of a child, everything is new and amazing.

A couple of my favorites for growing with kids, that you can sow directly outdoors, are alyssum and nasturtiums. If you score the nasturtium seeds and soak them overnight before planting, they come up faster. Your daughter may enjoy the giant nasturtiums, they are a little like Jack and the Beanstalk!

Good luck with your garden!

Olympicmeadow,

I have no suggestions, but wanted to say that I wish you happiness and peace. I'm sorry that you suffered such a loss. But I'm glad that you are beginning to find pleasure in garden things again. Your daughter would probably also like seeing butterflies and birds. Nature has wonderful healing properties.
I wish you the best!

Olympicmeadow I am so sorry for your loss. I can empathize with you as I had a very big loss in my life 2 years ago and this is the first year I am really into my garden again and it is a big stress reliever. I wish you and your little girl the best and lots of fun.

Can you grow a few veggies that you and your daughter enjoy eating? I love peas, radish and lettuce, they all grow quickly and are delicious. It's a wonderful thing to do together, and should be inexpensive too.