Download The Virginia Gardener - VT Horticulture

Teacher Information
The
Virginia Gardener
http://www.hort.vt.edu/envirohort
“Growing Seeds Indoors” Worksheets
Diane Relf - Extension Specialist, Environmental Horticulture, Virginia Tech
Kate Dobbs - Research Associate, Horticulture, Virginia Tech
Laurie DeMarco - Horticulture Education Consultant, Virginia Tech
Elizabeth Ball - Program Support, Horticulture, Virginia Tech
Elizabeth Phibbs - Research Assistant, Horticulture, Virginia Tech
Adam Bert - Work Study Student, Computer Science, Virginia Tech
Rachel Mack - Graphics, Undergraduate, Horticulture, Virginia Tech
Objectives: What You Will Learn
At the end of this project, students will be able to:
• build a mini-greenhouse for starting seeds
• see how seedlings grow from seeds and chart their development
• observe what seeds need to germinate
• know how to make soilless media for growing seeds
Activity Sheets
Make a Mini-Greenhouse
Seed Needs
What should I plant my seeds in?
Make your own soilless mix
Growing Seeds Indoors Project
What is the Difference?
Too Many Tomatoes
Seed Exploration
Interview a Seed
Seeds for Breakfast
Let's do it again!
Try it on for size
New Words
cotyledon:
called the seed leaf because it comes directly from inside the seed. These leaves are the first leaves
to appear and may not look like the true leaves of the plant.
dicot:
(short for dicotyledon) a plant with two seed leaves or cotyledons, like a green bean or sunflower
plant.
germinate:
to sprout; to begin to grow
grow.
imbibition:
the absorption of water by seeds in order to germinate.
monocot:
(short for monocotyledon) a plant with one seed leaf or cotyledon, like an onion plant or corn.
thinning:
removing some plants from a crowded row or pot so that the remaining plants have more space to
true leaf:
the leaves on a plant that grow after the cotyledons or seed leaves.
Oh, no! You say you haven't got a place to put a garden outside, or a balcony or patio to put containers on? Well,
as long as you have a windowsill or a little table that you can put near a sunny window, you can grow a garden
indoors!
© This activity sheet is provided by the Department of Horticulture, Virginia Tech 407 Saunders Hall, Blacksburg VA, 24061-0327
Idea: A Project Notebook
Children love to show others what they are doing. Encourage them to make a special notebook to hold their notes
and projects. This is very important if you plan to do several gardening projects. They can use an old three-ring
binder to make a project record book. Have students look at old garden catalogs and magazines to find pictures of
herbs. They can cut them out and glue them all over the cover of their old binders. As they finish each project,
have them place the sheets in their special notebook!
On a separate sheet of paper, have students write down the following information as they do their project.
the varieties of plants that they used
how many seeds they planted and the date planted
where they put their mini-greenhouse after planting and the temperature there
how many seeds germinated
the dates the first seed and the last seed germinated
where they moved the sprouted seeds to and the temperature there
any problems and what they did about them
how their seedlings grew and what they looked like
what they did with their seedlings
Have students keep records on each problem that they experience in your garden, what they did about them, and
whether the plant(s) recovered.
Students can add a drawing or photograph of each plant they grew to show what it looked like after sprouting.
Have students make a list of who else learned something from their project and what they thought about it.
What else can they put into their special project notebook?
Answers
What is the Difference?: Dicotolydons are more common.
© This activity sheet is provid ed by the Department of Horticulture, Virginia Tech 407 Saunders Hall, Blacksburg VA, 24061-0327