One of several garden projects this summer is learning about seeds, plants, and gardening. I save Parmesan cheese containers throughout the winter (a few relatives help me out with this by saving their containers too) to use for some of our projects.

For this project, they become little greenhouses. What happens beneath the surface of the soil is as interesting as the plant above the surface and this makes a simple way to view germination and the root system. We started our seed greenhouses May 23rd.

All that is needed is some paper towel folded and fit snugly around the interior and a bit stuffed in the middle to push the paper towel nicely up against the side. Place a seed (we used Lima Beans) between the container and the paper towel. Slowly add water until the paper towel soaks up the water. Allow a little to remain in the bottom. Put the lids back on and open the side with the holes for a vent. Label with the seed name, person's name, and date. We observed the seeds each day and talked about air, light, heat, and water; compared them to seeds sitting on the window ledge and talked about conditions needed for germination. The three little guys I babysit are ages 2.5 to 5 so I keep it simple. For planting in the ground, leave the paper towel right with the roots and plant, cover it all with soil. I intended to post a bit as we went along and make separate entries but it didn't work that way. Pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.

See more of our Seed Germination Projects here and here.