A couple of years ago I had an interesting conversation with my second and
third-grade class. We were having a conversation about edible plants and
some of the children were grossed out when they made the connection between
vegetables and the plants we eat. Carrots are roots? Gross!
Lettuce is a leaf? Gross! Celery is a stem? Gross! My
students truly did not know where their vegetables come from. They knew
that vegetables come from the grocery store, often in cans and freezer
bags. They knew they could find fresh vegetables in the produce
section... but most of them did not know anything more than that. To
help your students make the connection between plants and the foods they eat,
you can use their food scraps to grow veggies in the classroom. Keep
reading to find out how.
Growing Celery from Scraps
Growing celery from scraps is an easy way to show children that our vegetables
are plant parts. The entire plant is tasty and edible. We can eat
the leaves, stems, and roots. To grow celery from scraps you will needs:
- the cut end of a bundle of celery (the fresher, the better)
- a clear jar or drinking glass
- water
- potting soil
- flower pot
Step One
Place the cut end of the celery bundle into a jar. Add water to the jar,
but do not fill it all the way. Leave the top part of the celery poking
out of the water. If you cover all of the celery, it will drown.
Put the jar in a sunny window and wait. In a week or so, you should see
some roots growing. In a few days after that, you should see some leaves
growing too!
Step Two
Once the celery plant starts to grow roots and leaves, it is important to
transfer it to a flower pot. At this point, the plant needs the
nutrients that are found in soil. Keep the celery plant in a warm, sunny
window and water as necessary. Be careful to avoid overwatering.
Too much water will drown the plant. You can place the flower pot on a
plate or bowl to help drain the water if you accidentally water it too much.
Step Three
If you care for your celery plant properly, it will grow and grow and
grow! It may grow so much that you will need to transplant it into a
larger pot or decide to plant it in your garden. When celery is fully
mature, it can be 12 to 18 inches tall.
Step Four
Harvest and enjoy eating your celery! You do not need to harvest your
celery all at once; you can harvest as much as you need when you need
it. This plant has had numerous stalks picked from it and it is still
thriving.
Do you grow celery in your garden? Do you have any tips or suggestions
to help people grow their celery outdoors? If so, share them in the
comments below!
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