A handy gardener

Learning objectives:

Trowel | Soil | Plant | Digging | Compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

| Tool | Roots | Garden

Preparation

• Create a washing line using string or cord near to a window
• Soak your cotton wool balls before you start the activity
• Use a pencil to poke the cotton wool and seed to the bottom of the finger

Equipment

• Use large sized clear gloves
• A range of different seeds (5 minimum)
• Permanent marker pens
• Cotton wool balls
• Water
• String, cord or a washing line
• Pegs

This activity is split into two parts:

Preparation of the gloves:

1. Collect your clear gloves
2. Soak and gently squeeze out your cotton wool balls - they need to be damp
3. Label the fingers of the glove with the names of each seed, using a marker pen
4. Push a cotton wool ball into each finger
5. Gently poke a seed into each finger
6. Attach the glove to the washing line using pegs

Observing the growing:

1. Look at your glove daily
2. Add drops of water if the cotton wool looks too dry - you could use a dropping pipette to do this
3. Keep a written diary or take photos to note the changes

• Try any of these seeds in your gloves - runner beans, sunlowers, nasturtiums, peas, radish, pot marigolds and beetroot. These seeds are different shapes and sizes and work well in germination
  

  Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.

  experiments
• Discover different rates of growth by using a variety of seeds
• Experiment with different coloured gloves - do plants grow best with any particular colour? If you can’t find different coloured gloves, try colouring the fingers with a range of coloured permanent marker pens
• Change the conditions for growing by using different growing places or temperatures and note any differences