Skill Level
Intermediate, Advanced
Learner Outcomes
- Learn to read a seed packet for information on when and how to plant the seeds.
Life Skills
Decision making, planning/organizing, communications, social skills, sharing, contribution to group, teamwork
Time
10 minutes
Materials
- Seed packets, ideally a variety of fruits and vegetables. This activity works best if each youth has a seed packet to look at.
Space
Open area with space for youth to move around and form a line
Introduction
In this activity, youth will get up and moving as they practice reading seed packets. This activity can be done before planning the garden or planting the garden. Seed packets can be considered the “recipe” for specific plants as they provide useful information on how to plant the seed, when to plant the seeds, and the conditions they need to thrive. When planning out a garden, youth will need to consider plant spacing and timing.
The seed packet usually provides information on the height and width of the mature plant. Plant height is important to consider to avoid taller plants shading out shorter plants. Mature plant width tells us how far apart plants should be spaced from one another.
The seed packet usually provides information on when to plant. Different plants can be planted outside at different times of the year, depending on whether they prefer cool or warm temperatures. For example, there are plants that can be sown in cool soil in spring and fall (e.g. lettuce and other salad greens, peas, spring onions) and there are those that need warm soil to germinate (e.g. carrots, corn, cucumbers, peppers, summer squash, tomatoes, zucchini). Additionally, keep harvest in mind when deciding when to plant. Make sure you have enough time in the growing season for the plant to be mature for harvest.
Note to facilitators: This activity contains new concepts for some. Remember you do not have to facilitate this all this alone. Guidance from a neighbor with a passion for gardening or a Master Gardener Volunteer with experience working with youth could be helpful and offer new perspective.
Vocabulary
Sow: to plant a seed for growth
Germinate: to sprout or begin to grow
Activity
Opening Questions
- What do you need to know when planting a seed? (This could include how deep to plant, plant spacing, when to plant, sunlight needs, time till germination and harvest, etc.)
Experience
- Hand everyone in the group a seed packet and invite them to explore. Ask the group, what types of information they see.
- Have a group member share the type of seed they have, an information category they see on their seed packet, and the information provided in that category. Ask others if they have that same type of information on their packet and to share with the group the name of their crop and the information. For example, Jamie could share they see “Sun/Shade” on their tomato packet. Sun/shade is listed as “full sun.” Others investigate to see if they can find sun/shade requirements on their own seed packets.
- Continue in this way of sharing and go through the main information categories: how deeply to plant, plant spacing, when to plant, sunlight needs, time till germination and harvest. It can be rewarding for each group member to share what the specifics are on their seed packet.
- At the point at which germination time is mentioned, make sure everyone in the group understands what this word means. Germinate means to sprout or start to grow. Have the group line up in order of germination time, sometimes referred to as “time to emergence,” on their seed packets. Shortest germination time to longest germination time. Go down the line, have youth read their crop and its germination time, see how well everyone did! This can be done with other categories on the seed packet as well such as plant height, seed depth, and time to harvest.
Reflection Questions
- What is one thing you will take away from our time together today?
Extensions
- Explore the power of seeds through seed dissections. Every seed contains three basic parts—the embryo (baby plant), cotyledons (food source), and seed coat (protection). It can be relatively simple to dissect and find these parts in larger seeds such as beans.
- We interact with seeds numerous times a day and may not even know it! Most cooking and baking flours are ground up seeds (e.g. wheat, corn, oat, etc.). We use seeds to make oils for preparing foods. We eat seeds directly such as nuts and legumes. Conduct a seed scavenger hunt to see how many seeds you can find!
Learn More
- Contact your local Cooperative Extension office for garden and plant related questions: Cornell Cooperative Extension Offices (NY State) and USDA Land-Grant University Website Directory
- Information on Seed Packets Penn State Extension
- Seed and Seedling Biology Penn State Extension
- Understanding the Seed Packet University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension