Summer is nearly here, which means time to get growing!Here’s a fun experiment to try at home using minimum supplies. Learn how vegetables grow and care for your very own plant! If the plant grows for sometime, you can even try transplanting it into soil either in a garden space or container.

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Items Needed:

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·       Green Onions (can also grow romaine lettuce,celery, onions and garlic)

·       A small glass or small Mason Jar

·       Water

·       Knife and cutting board

·       An adult helper

·       Paper and pencil or pen

Steps:

1.     With an adult’s help, cut off the root end of a scallion. Tops can be used for cooking! If using lettuce or celery, keep about 2 inches of the bottom.

2.     Place the scallion or other vegetable into small glass and fill the bottom with just enough water to cover the roots.

3.     Place the jar in a sunny spot, like a window.

4.     Monitor the vegetable daily, pouring out the water daily and refilling with fresh water.

5.     Measure the growth of the vegetable –if using the scallion, the tops should be ready to harvest in about 5 days. How long did they grow? How many centimeters a day did they grow?

6.     If growing celery, it may take longer. Romaine will grow quite well in soil. Once vegetables have started to grow well, you can plant them in a pot of potting soil, or directly in the ground.  

7.     Expand on the project with multiple vegetables and document the differences in growth rate.

How Can a Vegetable Grow from a Scrap?

Plants are living things! They need water and light to grow. Scallions are easier to start to grow since they already have roots. Eventually, they will need to be in soil to garner the needed nutrients. They can continue to grow roots or shoots after harvesting from the soil. That’s why sometimes you might see an onion or garlic bulb shoot up a green shoot while in storage!

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