Grow Basil from Space Seeds!
This 4-H club grew basil seeds that were in space and so can you…
The seeds are still available from NASA, as of this writing. Just go tothis webpage:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/plantgrowth/joinchallenge/index.html
Here’s how they did in Oneonta:
The Oneonta Junior Scientists 4-H Club sent away (over the internet) for basil seeds that were flown by the space shuttle in the summer of 2007. The seeds arrived in Oneonta in November and the club saved them until early spring. In March of 2008 the packet was opened at a club meeting and the number of seeds were counted. There were enough seeds to give each member 3 each, and the remaining six seeds were given to the 3rd grade science teacher at Greater Plains and a 4th grade teacher at Valleyview Elementary Schools in Oneonta. In all, about 20-25 seeds were in our packet.
Club members planted the seeds in growth chambers configured from 3-liter soda bottles, and the growing medium was a mix of perlite and vermiculite.
Each member was given a thermometer to use inside their chamber to monitor temperature. This was very important when the chamber was exposed to direct sunlight.
We used an organic fish and seaweed fertilizer as a nutrient. All of the seeds sprouted in the club members chambers. As time went by, some club members kept record of growth rates.
Two of the basil plant chambers were displayed at the Otsego County Fair this past summer. In fact, these two plants are still thriving, and each of them has produced seeds.
One of the club members who had one of these plants has already planted and began growing a second generation of basil, using these seeds!
And I hope your report how well these cultivars of basil did at Cornell Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners website: http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/
0 comments Lori Bushway | CCE County Programs, Campus News