Hey there! It’s a beautiful morning, and guess what? Spring is almost here! That means more sunlight, warmer weather, and my favorite part—plants start growing again. How about we start a vegetable garden to watch plants grow through spring, summer, and even fall?
First, we need to find a good spot for our garden. We found an old planter box in the backyard, but it needs some work. Before planting, we have to make sure the spot gets enough sunlight and has good soil. Plants need water, sunlight, and nutrients from the soil to grow.
Juniper, our friendly earthworm, knows a lot about gardening. She helps us understand that different plants need different amounts of water and sunlight. We need to choose plants that can handle direct sunlight since our garden spot doesn’t have much shade.
We have different seeds like beans, radishes, and tomatoes. Each seed has its own needs. For example, radishes like cooler weather, so we plant them before the last frost. Beans and tomatoes need warmer weather, so we plant them after the last frost.
Did you know seeds have three parts? The seed coat protects the seed, the embryo is the baby plant inside, and the endosperm is the food for the baby plant. We can watch seeds grow by placing them in a damp paper towel inside a plastic bag and putting them in a sunny spot.
Plants usually grow in soil because it holds them in place and provides water and nutrients. But we can also grow plants without soil by giving them water mixed with nutrients and plenty of sunlight. This method is useful in places without much soil, like cities or even space!
With Juniper’s help, we’ve learned how to plan our garden and when to plant each seed. Soon, we’ll have delicious vegetables to eat. Remember, even tiny seeds can grow into big plants with the right care. Happy gardening!
Seed Observation Experiment: Try growing seeds in two different ways to see how they sprout. Take two small plastic bags and place a damp paper towel inside each. Put a few seeds on the paper towel in each bag. Seal one bag and place it in a sunny spot, and put the other bag in a darker place. Check the bags every day and note any differences in how the seeds grow. Which seeds sprout faster? Why do you think that is?
Sunlight and Shadow Hunt: Go on a sunlight and shadow hunt in your backyard or a nearby park. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side, draw or write about places where you find a lot of sunlight. On the other side, draw or write about places with a lot of shade. Think about which plants might like each spot. Can you find any plants growing in the sunny areas? How about in the shady areas?
Earthworm Adventure: Pretend you are Juniper the Earthworm and explore your garden or a patch of soil. Look for earthworms and other small creatures. How do you think they help the garden? Draw a picture of what you find and write a short story about Juniper’s adventure in the garden. What does Juniper see, and how does she help the plants grow?
