Plant radish seeds and watch them grow fast

The part of the radish plant that we eat is the root.
Courtesy L.A. County Arboretum & Botanic Garden

When you see vegetables in the grocery store they are usually clean and shiny. It's hard to imagine that just recently they were part of a plant growing in the dirt!

A vegetable is the part of a plant that people eat. We eat the plant's stalk for celery, its leaf for lettuce, the root for carrots and the plant's flower (or flower bud) for broccoli. Some vegetables, such as avocados and cucumbers, are actually the fruit of the plant. Scientists call the part of any plant that holds the seed or seeds its fruit.

It is exciting to watch a plant grow and become something you can eat. Some vegetables grow as much as an inch a week. Just imagine if you grew that fast! One vegetable that is easy and fast to grow is the radish -- a root vegetable. Try this activity.

Get a clear 1-gallon plastic bottle to use as a container so you can see what happens. Ask an adult to cut off the top portion, leaving a container that is at least 7 to 8 inches tall. Poke holes in the bottom for drainage.

Fill the container with at least 6 inches of seed starting soil. Plant each radish seed 1/8 inch deep and about 1/2 inch away from the next seed. Keep the soil moist.

In 8 to 10 days the seedlings will be 1 to 2 inches tall. Thin them out by removing the smallest ones, leaving 2 inches between the remaining seedlings. In 15 to 20 days the roots will develop. That's the part you will eat. In about 25 days, the radishes will be mature and ready to enjoy!

The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden has a new vegetable garden where you can see all kinds of vegetables growing. You can learn more about planting and tending your very own garden at its Saturday Kids Gardening Club. For more information visit www.arboretum.org or call (626) 821-3222.

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