Dinner Seed Saver: Dry and Plant

What you need

• Soft veggies (peppers, cucumber), 1 pepper, tomato or melon
• Plate or tray, 1 (optional)
• Water, 1 cup
• Cutting board, 1
• Knife, 1, for a grown-up
• Clear cups, 1 small, for the seeds
• Strainer, 1 small, or a bowl
• Paper towels, 1
• Small pot, 1, or a cup
• Soil, about 2 cups
• Spoon, 1 (optional)

How to do it

Grown-up prep: You'll do the cutting of the pepper, tomato or melon. Seeds are small, so keep them away from kids who still mouth things. Check for any food allergies before little hands go digging. Wash hands well after handling seeds and soil.

1. A grown-up cuts open the pepper, tomato or melon. A grown-up does this
   Ask: What do you think we'll find hiding inside?
2. Pick the seeds out of the fruit.
3. Rinse the seeds with water.
4. Spread the seeds on a paper towel.
5. Let the seeds dry for a few days.
   Ask: What do you think will change about the seeds as they dry?
6. Fill the pot with soil.
7. Plant a few dried seeds in the soil.
8. Water the pot.
9. Set the pot in a sunny spot outside or on a sunny step.
10. Check your pot every day, water it when the soil feels dry, then show a friend your sprouts!
    Ask: How many sprouts will you grow, and who will you show first?

Play it again

• Two pot race: save seeds from two different fruits and see which one sprouts first.
• Seed detective: guess how many seeds are inside a new fruit, then count them to see who was closest.
• Share the garden: dry extra seeds and give them to a friend or neighbor to plant at home.