Seed Planting 101 Lesson Alaska Ag in the Classroom Lesson Plans Concept Objectives: Understand what seeds need to grow. Know how to read a seed packet. Know the proper way to plant a seed. Time: 40 45 minutes Setting: Indoors Activities: Seed Planting Materials Needed: Seeds and seed packets Soil Planting containers Plant markers (popsicle sticks) Spray Bottles Magnifiers Paper Crayons or markers or colored pencils Procedure Tell the students that today we will be starting seeds. Remind them about the basic needs of plants: Sun Soil Water and Air. Show them the seed packets and explain that the packet contains lots of information on what kind of plant the seeds will become, how long it will take, what kind of things this plant will need. Lay out some of the seed packets and talk about different type of plants, flowers vs. vegetables vs. herbs. Have them start thinking about which plants they might want to grow. Learn how to read a seed packet (adapted from article on www.frugalupstate.com) 1. Pass out seed packets to students, pair if necessary. (You can let them choose their favorite, but make sure they are all the same kind of seed packet.
2. There is a LOT of information on your average seed packet and it can be rather confusing for a new gardener. It s actually pretty amazing how much data they can fit on a very small 3 x 4 package! It will tell you lots if you learn how to read it properly. 3. Of course to make it all fit they use some standard terminology and icons without really going into a lot of explanation. Compare seed packets to see the similar information after going through the reading seed packets activity. Start with the front of the package: The front of your packet usually has some very basic information: Type of Plant: Tomato (generally larger than the variety) Cultivar or Variety: Amish Paste This tells you exactly which TYPE of tomato it is. There is usually more detailed information about it on the back of the packet or in your seed catalog. Most packages will have the type in large font and the variety or cultivar in a smaller font, but not always. Company Name: Seeds of Change Net Weight: 115mg Additional info: Heirloom & Organic Heirloom: Just like grandma s heirloom silver has been passed down from generation to generation, an heirloom seed is from a variety that has been passed down and grown over and over. Although there is not (as far as I know) a regulated definition of the term when it comes to seed usually you can be assured that it is an older, more flavorful variety. It also means that the seeds from your plant should breed true so if you saved seeds from this heirloom tomato and planted them you should get the exact same kind of tomato.
USDA Organic: This means that the plant that the seed came from was grown under the standards required to be certified by the USDA as organic, therefore making the seed itself organic. It also means that the seed could not be treated with any substances that would make it ineligible for the organic certification. Some non organic seeds are sold treated or coated. Now on to the real treasure trove of information the back of the seed package. Let s start by going from the top to the bottom: Date or Year of Seed Packaging: This is similar to the sell by date on your milk, or your canned goods. The Federal Seed Act in the United States sets germination standards for vegetable seeds in interstate commerce. The company is basically promising that as long as the seed is sold by the date specified that it will meet those germination standards. Does it mean that the seeds magically stop growing when you hit that date? No, of course not! Seeds can continue to germinate YEARS after that date, but depending on a variety of factors including the temperature and moisture at which they were stored. Just realized that as time goes on the percentage of seeds that actually germinate in the package may go down and plant accordingly. Description: Somewhere on your seed packet you will find a description that gives you the specific characteristics of the cultivar/variety. Some packets will have a nice paragraph like you see above, others will just have a few lines. It should give you an idea of the color of the vegetable
(if that s important) and the taste, growing and/or storage characteristics. Basically whatever makes this plant different than others. Here are some phrases or terms that may be included in the description: Indeterminate / Determinate : These phrases are used to describe tomato plants. A determinate plant means that somewhere in the plant s genetic code there is a determined height. It will only grow so tall and then it will stop growing. All of it s fruit should set and mature within a fairly short time frame about two weeks. So if you want to grow a whole bunch of tomatoes, have them all ripen at the same time and then indulge in a huge canning session you may want to consider determinate plants. An indeterminate plant (sometimes referred to as vining ) will just continue to grow up and up or, if you don t physically stake or tie it up on and on. You don t have to let it turn into the tomato plant that ate the garden either if you pinch off the growing tip at the top of the plant that will stop its growth. Either way it will continue to set fruit and ripen until a frost kills it! So if you want to keep having tomatoes over time to eat fresh, this may be what you are looking for. Vine / Bush: These phrases are typically used to describe beans, squash and cucumber plants. A vine variety (called pole for beans) will grow out long from a central point. The beans naturally try to find something to grow straight up (the same pinching off technique you use for tomatoes can work here). Squash and cucumbers naturally vine out along the ground. Vines can be trained to grow up fences and a variety of trellises sometimes with a bit of tying and encouraging, other times naturally. Most vining squash and cucumbers will also set down additional roots along the way if they are left to lay on the ground. This can help them take up extra water good in a dry climate. Pole beans like indeterminate tomatoes will continue to set and ripen over a long period of time until frost kills them. Bush varieties are more compact and take up a fairly set amount of space (usually specified on the seed packet). Bush beans like determinate tomatoes will have all the beans mature in a fairly short time frame. Annual: This means that a plant will only live for one year. You plant it, harvest it and then the next year you must plant it again. Perennial: This means that a plant will come back year after year (if you are in the correct zone for that plant). Daffodils are perennials. You plant the bulbs once and then they come back every year. Some herbs, like chives, are perennials. Hybrid: There is a lot of confusion about hybrids. A hybrid simply means that you cross 2 different parents to get a child plant with specific characteristics but that child probably won t breed true. You do not want to practice seed saving on a hybrid. A hybrid is sort of the first step to a new variety except that it s just easier to keep producing the hybrid than to go through the process of developing a new variety (or maybe for some reason they can t get it to come up stable).
Why buy a hybrid over an heirloom? Well it may have specific characteristics you are looking for, like disease resistance. A hybrid CAN BE ORGANIC. If both of the parent plants are organic and they are crossed they can make an organic hybrid. When to Plant: How to start the plant? The package will tell you if you can start it ahead of time in pots (some plants DO NOT like to be transplanted) and how long before it can be planted outside you can do that. It will tell you when the plant can be planted outside. Typical phrases are: As soon as the ground can be worked When it stops being frozen and sopping wet) Early spring When it starts feeling consistently spring like but still has cold nights) After last frost or X weeks after last frost After your last average frost date (just google last frost date and the name of your county). Directly in garden Don t try to transplant this, it doesn t like it. When ground has warmed to A specific temperature might be given. Harden off this is a process where you slowly get transplants used to being outside by bringing them out a few hours at a time over the course of a few days I ll be writing a post specifically on this process. Soil & Water: Although some packages have this listed, for most seeds you ll have to either check online or find that information in the catalog. Harvesting & Seed Storage: Although occasionally a seed packet or catalog will mention specifics about harvesting the actual produce it isn t very common. And I ve never seen anyone other than Seeds of Change specifically mention how to store the seeds. Now let s move on to that panel on the left hand side, which gives the specifications for physically growing the seed. Note: although it may be in slightly different places this type of chart is standard on most seed packets. Sometimes it is more in graphic form like this: Planting Depth: Every seed packet will have this information telling you how deep the seed goes in the ground. If a tomato seed is supposed to be 1/4 inch deep and you plant it 2 inches
down you probably won t see any tomatoes. You may want to just want to bring a ruler outside to plant with you or else mark a popsicle stick with a permanent marker. Soil Temp for Germination: Not all packets will include this information many just rely on the when soil warms or early spring type descriptions however if the information is listed it can be very helpful. If you need 70 degree soil and you plant it in 50 degree ground you probably won t sprout until the soil warms up assuming the seed doesn t get waterlogged & rot in the meantime. note: Germination is the act of the seed actually sprouting. Different seeds have different requirements it s nature s way of ensuring that the seed comes up at the time at which the plant is most likely to survive! Days to Germination: How long, under good conditions (i.e. the correct soil temperature and adequate moisture) it should take for you to see a sprout emerge. It may take longer if the conditions are not optimal but if it s supposed to germinate in a week and it s been a month with no plant, you should probably assume you ve had a failure and try re seeding. Plant Spacing: For every plant there is an optimum amount of space for them to grow in where they will not only have the physical room they need to spread out (both above and below the soil) but also have enough soil around themselves to provide the water & nutrients they need. If you crowd them too closely certain plants will not really produce for you. This seems to be especially true for root vegetables, which need the room. Plant Spacing After Thinning: The standard method of planting is to plant more seeds in the ground than you need in case some don t come up, then to thin your plants down to the recommended spacing. You thin by either pulling up or cutting off the plants you don t need Some people have trouble with this it seems criminal to kill a perfectly healthy little plant. Be strong your remaining plants need that room! Of course you could just plant at the recommended distance for after thinning and hope everything comes up! Days to Maturity: How long it takes the vegetable to be at the point where you can harvest it. note: Days to maturity is very important! If your growing season in between frosts is 90 days and you plant tomatoes that take 120 days to mature in the ground after the last frost of the spring, you will NEVER see a ripe tomato. Sun: This tells generally how much sun a vegetable requires. Full sun is considered 8 full hours without shade. Partial sun and shade are the other normal designations. In general you can assume that vegetables which produce fruit are going to need full sun, leafy items might be ok in partial shade. Not much edible grows in full shade.
Planting in the six pack containers: 1. Have the students choose on seed packet they wish to plant. 2. Give each child a plant tag and have them write their name, the date and the name of what they are planting on the label. 3. Have students add soil to the planting containers. 4. Be sure the students DO NOT compact the soil. We want it light and fluffy refer back to your discussion about how the seeds need air in the soil to grow. If the soil is hard and compact, it will push the air right out of the soil. 5. Once they have done that, have them take their pinky finger and put a very shallow hole in the soil. The depth should be according to the depth listed on the seed package. 6. Add the seeds (generally 2 3 seeds per section) and cover. 7. Water the seed lightly with the spray bottles so that it is wet but not drowning. 8. Have the containers placed on a tray placed in the area you have designated in the classroom. A sunny window is ok if it doesn t get too hot to dry out the plants. Add a plant light if necessary. 9. Be sure to encourage the students to water the plants when you are not there. Signage Have the students create a sign, or a few signs, to let others know that the seedlings are for their Afterschool program and would they kindly leave them alone.