You are going to investigate the following things about the plants you selected and record your findings in the table you created. There are several places that can help you determine the answers you need about your plants. Your teacher can help you find resources on the internet. Here are a couple:

USDA Nutrients List for Common Foods - http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR15
wtrank/wt_rank.html

NC Cooperative Extension - Resources on Crops
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/resources/crops/

Whole Foods Market Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Info
http://wholefoodsmarket.com/healthinfo/list_library.html

Watch your Garden Grow - University of Illinois Extension
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/index.html

You can also ask people who work with plants, like farmers or horticulturalists at a plant nursery. Many times, packets of seeds can be found in grocery stores and home supply stores. These packets often will have information about how to grow the plant and the characteristics of a fully grown plant.

1. Size - How tall are the plants you selected when they are fully grown? How large is the plant in circumference?

When we are thinking about which crops to grow on the Moon, size is an important issue to consider. If we wanted to grow pine trees, our plant growth chamber would have to be very large! And, we would have to launch the spacecraft with all of the materials needed to build it. So, plants that are large when they are fully grown may not be the best choice for the first crops in space.

2. Time - If your plant is grown with seeds, how long does it take for the seeds to germinate? Does the plant have an annual, perennial or biennial growing season?

Do you think it would be most beneficial to take a plant that had a seed-to-seed cycle of a few months or to take a plant that grew for two years before making seeds?

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