Tomatosphere (Virtual)

What To Do

Setting up the Seed Investigation

• Instruct students to add one peat pod to two paper cups and add water until the cup is almost full. This should be left to sit for about 40 minutes - the peat will soak up the water and expand.
• After 40 minutes, students will label one cup "N". 
• Have them open the envelope with the letter "N" and place two seeds far apart into the peat. Push them into the peat a bit so they are covered. Save the other seed in case these ones don't germinate.
• They will label the second cup "P".
• Have students open the envelope with the letter "P" and place two seeds far apart into the peat. Push them into the peat a bit so they are covered. 
• Tell students to water the seeds in both containers cups and ensure that the peat is damp when you touch it. We want the soil damp with no water floating on top of the peat.
• Tell students to check daily to see if the peat is damp. If it is not damp, add a little water. Water both cups the same amount.
• They will watch for signs of a green shoot (in 5-10 days).
• They can record which plants germinated first.
• If they want to grow the tomatoes to eat them, tell them to keep the plants in a sunny area in their home until they are about 5-10 cm tall. Then plant them in a larger part or in a garden. 

Observing and Recording Results

Here are some examples of things the students can observe/measure for differences between the plants.

• Record how many days it took for each seed to germinate. 
• Record how long the shoot/stem is after a week or two for each of the plants.
• Record the number of leaves on each plant after one or two weeks.
• Record the number of flowers and tomatoes if your plants grow to full size.