- The 2nd session takes place about 3 weeks later (mid-late March). The tubers and seeds have sprouted.  The students take cuttings from the tubers which they will plant in individual pots to root. 

- The 3rd session takes place about 5 weeks later (mid-late April) The students  transplant the rooted cuttings into a special garden spot and transplant the seedling into larger containers to grow on a bit longer. We plant enough seeds so each of the students will be able to take a seedling home.

Seeds
Seeds are started during the first session toward the end of February in seed starting mix. Seeds are planted about 1 inch apart and inserted about 1/4" into the soil using tweezers.  Containers are watered as needed to keep the soil damp, but not soggy. Outside rows may need water more frequently than inside rows.  Seeds germinate in 7-21 days.  A heating mat can be used to speed up germination of the seeds. 

Allowing time for the class to get to and from the lab, we had about 35 minutes actual hands-on time.  Working with fourth graders, the process of putting the tubers in containers and planting the seeds did not take as much time as we anticipated (the containers were pre filled with soil.  A wise move for all grades.) It turned out to be a good thing that allowed us to expand the learning potential.  We used the extra time to have the recall and write the instructions as though they would be used by another class to complete the exercise,  zfter they did this as an individual and then small group exercise.  The teacher brought the group back together by writing the directions on the board at the direction of the kids.  I would keep this part of the exercise with the addition of telling the kids from the beginning that they will be writing instructions and should take notes.