Lesson Plan: Plants and Spring Planting
Shortly after the Coronavirus quarantine started last year, my elementary-school 'pod' and I did a 4-days plants rotation:
Days 3 & 4: http://www.melissarooneywriting.com/blog/2020/04/elementary-plants-rotation-days-3-and-4-roots/
This month, my son's elementary school asked members of the school community and surrounding neighborhood to 'adopt a plot' in the relatively abandoned vegetable garden in front of the school. So today my ten-year-old son and I planted the seeds of several spring vegetables and, as requested, labeled them with homemade signs (so everyone knows where things have been planted and who is responsible for harvesting).
Before we left home, we wrote the names of the plants we were planting on squares of cardboard cut from old boxes and taped them to disposable chopsticks we'd collected from take-away restaurant orders. We surrounded the entire squares in clear packing tape to increase the signs' resistance to water damage.
Signs in hand, we walked to the school, where my 10YO read aloud the planting instructions on the back of each seed packet. Then we inserted the seeds into different plots of soil in the following order:
Cilantro: depth = 1/4 inch; spacing = 6 inches; time to plant = April to July (in NC)
Okra: depth = 3/4 inch; spacing = 3 feet between rows & 18 inches between plants; time to plant = April to June
Snow Peas: depth = 1.5 inches; spacing = 2.5 feet between rows and 2 inches between plants; time to plant = Feb-April and July
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All three types of seeds are large and beautifully round, like tiny marbles. Using a ruler, we compared their sizes and found that the larger seeds required deeper planting. We discussed why this may be the case: it seems natural that deeper planting would be required for larger seeds, which presumably carry larger plant embryos that will likely grow 1) longer stems, enabling them to grow through more soil before they reach the sun, and 2) larger root systems, which need more space in the soil to spread out. We researched things when we got home; and it turns out that, in general, seeds should be planted at a depth of two times the width, or diameter, of the seed: https://www.thespruce.com/how-deeply-should-seeds-be-planted-2539711.
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We marveled at the number of surprisingly fast earthworms that tilled the dark soil revealed as we cleared the clover-filled plot where we planted the cilantro. And we noted how much lighter, sandier, and less earthworm-y the soil was in the clover-less, slightly weedy plot where we planted the okra. This made sense, because clover is a *nitrogen-fixer*, meaning that, as it grows, it sucks nitrogen out of the air. This nitrogen is concentrated within the small nodules on the roots of the clover; and, when the roots die, nitrogen is released into the soil for other plants to use. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for plant growth, so increased nitrogen means better soil for plants. And, in general, the better the soil is for plant growth, the darker it is. In fact, farmers plant clover in the fields during non-planting seasons precisely for this reason. Here are a couple of good links regarding the nitrogen-fixing power of clover: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/much-nitrogen-clover-put-soil-78160.html and https://modernfarmer.com/2015/03/clover-comeback/.
Our favorite part was staking the plant label in the middle of each plot when we were done - like an official dedication.
As we walked home, my son, who was originally reluctant about the whole exercise, told me that he "actually had fun" and that he especially liked the fact that we did something not just for ourselves but for school staff, students, and passersby.
Biology, botany, ecology, chemistry, and community-building - I'd say that's a pretty good collection of takeaways for a single lesson :-) .
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Planting clover is also a great way to sustainably fertilize your lawn, as detailed in this article: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/durham-news/dn-opinion/article10101839.html.
If you missed my last post, you can find it here: http://www.melissarooneywriting.com/blog/2021/03/magnet-school-inequity-the-martinsville-seven-and-supporting-black-businesses/.
As always, thanks for caring and sharing!
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