Spring has sprung and new plants are popping up everywhere. Have you ever wanted to get a closer look at how these brand new plants begin growing? Now is your chance – sprout some seeds in your very own window. Germination, the process of growing a plant from a seed, usually happens underground in the soil but under the right circumstances, you can watch the magic with your own eyes!
MATERIALS
- Plastic sandwich bag
- Paper towel
- Tape
- Dried beans or seeds
- Optional: Small pots or cups for planting and potting soil
TRY IT!
- Collect seeds — these can be seeds purchased for a garden, dry beans from the grocery store, or even seeds from a snack such as peppers or tomatoes.
- Dampen the paper towel and fold it into the bag.
- Place your seeds along one side of the bag and press them into the damp paper towel. Seal the bag. If you have more than one type of seed, create multiple bags (one per seed type) and label them so you can compare the ways different seeds sprout. (Note: even with seeds purchased in a seed pack from the store, not every seed will sprout. Make sure you “plant” multiples.)
- Hang in a window using tape with the seeds facing you.
- Check your seeds every day — do you see any starting to grow? Do they have roots now? Do any have leaves?
- Once your sprouts have started to grow leaves, if you’d like to keep watching them grow, plant them in a small container with soil with the leaves sticking up. Be sure to place somewhere sunny and water regularly.