EARLY BLOOMERS NURTURE YOUR CHILD'S CAPACITY FOR GROWTH BY STARTING A FAMILY GARDEN.

Byline: Chris J. Parker Correspondent

OUR FIRST-GRADE DAUGHTER recently came home from school disappointed that her bean sprouts weren't growing as fast as those of some of her classmates.

I decided we should go back to her school late that night and pull out the offending sprouts, but my wife had a better idea. We went to our favorite discount department store and bought some wildflower seeds and potting soil.

Within a week, our daughter had four wildflower sprouts and the pride of growing something beautiful. And I had a much greater appreciation for the joys - and lessons - of gardening.

Spring may be slipping away, but there's still plenty of time for families to start their own gardens before a summer of ``What should we do now?!'' begins.

With just a little planning and preparation, parents can turn a simple summer garden into a fun family activity that could also teach a few lessons. Gardening is science, of course, but it also teaches patience and perseverance. A good lesson for kids and certain knee-jerk-reactionary dads, too.

``Gardening is a great family activity,'' says Lisa Beach, education specialist at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia. ``It's a great way to tie a family together. It teaches kids about growing their own food. They learn where food is from.

``It's an important lesson, it's an important life lesson.''

Beach should know. She's currently teaching a weekly gardening class for children at the Arboretum. The children are learning gardening skills and the science behind gardening. They're also learning how to work in teams as they share the class plot.

How soon can a family garden be started? When the children are toddlers. Although an 18-month-old child will be too young to plant seeds or pick weeds, she can learn from her parents' examples of caring and nurturing a garden. The older the children, the more involved they can be in the day-to-day care of the garden.

``You just want to be involved with your kids,'' Beach says. ``It can be their own project, but be involved with them.''

Beach and other experts who work with child gardeners say parents should start out simple and small when it comes to a family garden. It's tempting to plant large plots of fruit and vegetable gardens since so much of the work is done by the plants themselves.

But large gardens require a lot of maintenance, and the daily chores of weeding, pruning and caring for the garden can kill off a child's enthusiasm.

``Start out small,'' Beach says. ``If you start too big, it can be a little overwhelming, and it can be a letdown if it doesn't work.''

Small can be as little as one flower pot, filled with potting soil and some seeds, or a small corner of the back yard converted into a gardening plot.

Don't know where to start? Beach recommends hearty, easy-to-care-for plants such as lettuce, radishes and wildflowers, especially as the summer months approach. Buy the seeds at a local gardening store, home-improvement store or discount department store and follow the planting instructions on the packet.

``Radishes and beets,'' recommends Bill MacDonald, manager of Armstrong Garden Center in Thousand Oaks. ``Kids see something right away. There's no waiting around. Radishes grow in about three days. They happen right away.''

More-adventurous gardeners can try to grow a garden from plant cuttings, bulbs, kernels or tubers. But consult a book such as ``Wally's Big Book of Gardening'' by Susanne Tommes (Abbeville Press; $14.95) to determine the best combination of seed and vessel for young gardeners.

Tommes suggests an easy and quick way to grow sprouts that will satisfy the short attention span of almost any child.

First, collect some wheat seeds, bean sprouts, mustard seeds and cress seeds (Tommes recommends getting them from an organic food store). Wash each kind of seed separately in a sieve under cold running water. Spread about a tablespoon of each seed on top of separate saucers that have been covered with moist cotton gauze.

Cover each saucer with plastic wrap, punching a few air holes in each. Place the saucers in a warm, dark place and check them daily for sprouts. As soon as the seeds sprout, remove the plastic cover and place the saucers in a sunny spot and sprinkle daily with water. They're ready to eat as soon as they're done sprouting.

Whether one gardens for food or fun, the important thing is to get outside.

``Gardens are always good for families,'' MacDonald says. ``It's good exercise, and it gives you an appreciation for all the beauty around you.''

backyard basics

Although gardening requires tools for specific tasks, casual gardeners don't need to buy fancy - or expensive - tools. Many common household items can be converted into handy gardening tools.

Here are a few tools every gardener should have:

Silverware: Gardeners planting in small garden spots - such as windowsills or small pots - can use tablespoons to fill pots with potting soil, forks to loosen soil and larger wooden spoons to dig into the soil. Obviously, these should be taken from the old silverware drawer. And once the silverware goes in the garden, it doesn't go back in the silverware tray.

Watering can: It doesn't have to be big or fancy, but every gardener needs a way to gently water her plants. Look for small, plastic watering cans in the toy section of a discount store.

Misting bottle: These are needed both for keeping plants moist and - occasionally - to spray organic pesticide.

Flowerpots: You can use either plastic or clay. Although clay is traditional, plastic pots are inexpensive, don't break easily and retain water better.

What to do:

During the summer months, gardeners need to:

--Water all plants generously. Plants in outside pots or tubs should get a good drink of water every morning and evening.

--Tie climbing plants to a fence or a trellis.

--Regularly cut off wilted flowers from summer flowers or climbing plants.

--Refertilize house plants and cactuses.

--Weed regularly.

- Chris Parker 

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) little sprouts

Kids learn important life lessons while watching their gardens grow

(2 -- color) Five-year-olds Elaine Walshe, right, and Sarah Linton, in cap, clean their shovels after their once-a-month gardening class at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. Children's gardening accessories available at Target.

(3 -- color) Elaine Walshe removes weeds from the Roots and Shoots garden.

(4 -- color) no caption (gardening gloves)

(5 -- color) no caption (child holding plant)

(6 -- color) no caption (bucket)

Roy LaBomme/Staff Photographer

Box:

backyard basics (see text)

Source: ``Wally's Big Book of Gardening,'' by Susanne Tommes