Why not ask the teacher who came up with the assignment?

Half the class could have their project from 1 pomegranate because of the number of seeds.

You can buy one yard long bean from and Asian grocer and get a bunch of seeds, and one cucuzza from an Italian grocer.

I have grown from the grocery store ginger, peppers, chayotes, avocados, peanuts, citrus, horseradish, mango, papaya, pomergranate, and spices like fennel, anise, celery and poppy. Also a lot of non tropical plants.

Elmer... part of the project is researching what they want to grow.

Caflowerluver... never thought of SEED from spice rack?

Now I just have more stuff to think about!?!

I'm asking why YOU didn't ask the teacher, but if they're supposed to do it on their own, your question confuses me.

Snidely, the teacher is the one asking the question about what to do!

OK, my guess is that that most of the students don't really know about what is tropical and what is sub-tropical. A greenhouse (from many years of experience in the northern hemisphere) can create HOT conditions or not.

The biggest challenge is what can/will grow to a decent size in the given time. What will amaze the students? Grow big from itty-bitty? Or, what can happen to be a part of what might become their regular day-to-day diet?

I live in central Florida. It is already hot here. Next week into the 80s for several days. Difficult conditions for many in the northern hemisphere. However, I have some spicy peppers that are growing quickly from seeds that I harvested from peppers from the farmer's market last summer.

Tropical from the supermarket might be difficult in that many of the produce that is offered has been 'modified' so that you can only grow them from certified (read expensive) seeds from an approved source.

A short discussion of what is 'tropical' might help to solve the problem of what to grow. The students might think that anything from south of St. Louis might be considered tropical. If you are seriously considering growing tropical plants in the greenhouse, then a lesson about sun and temperature as it has to do with the northern hemisphere must be included. Anything grown in Cuba (or farther south) might not be able to be understood by the students.

I think the term "tropical" is merely a suggestion... sorta. Kids can't just buy seeds. They have to get the seeds (or cutting, as in ginger root) and find out how to propagate. I think I'll get a hunk of horseradish and check out Asian market tomorrow.

Tomato seeds. If you chop up potato, the pieces can grow (get organic, I think they sprout easier). Dry beans, soaked. I've had both avocados and mangoes sprout in my compost heap. Cantaloupe seeds.

When Tim was in Kindergarden he started a lemon tree for his teacher, a small goodby gift at the end of the year. It only took several days for the seed to sprout, directions are all over the net. Tims in 3rd grade now and the kindergsrden teacher still has her lemon tree. Its been transplanted several times to larger pots and is now 4 foot tall. Its kept indoors, still were in Pa not exactly citrus weather. Pineapples are fun but can take more than a month to grow roots long enough to plant.

Pineapple started from green top of plant can eventually grown the cutest little pineapple... but literally can take YEARS to happen!

Found this list of common tropical vegis that might help, I'm sure several of them can produce in time.

A-Z List Of Warm Climate And Tropical Vegetables

• Amaranth (use leaf amaranth like spinach)
• Arugula (rocket)
• Asian Greens
• Beans (try snake beans and winged beans in the tropics)
• Bell Peppers
• Cabbage
• Capsicum (that's the Australian name for peppers)
• Cassava (starchy tubers)
• Ceylon Spinach
• Chard (silverbeet, similar to spinach)
• Chinese Cabbages
• Chilli Peppers
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant (aubergine)
• Endive
• Kang Kong (water spinach)
• Lettuce
• Luffa (angled luffa is a great zucchini substitute)
• Okra
• Peppers
• Pumpkins
• Radish
• Rocket (arugula)
• Silverbeet (chard, similar to spinach)
• Squash
• Sweet Corn
• Sweet Potatoes (instead of normal potatoes)

• Tomatoes
• Water Chestnuts
• Zucchini

No, Jim, klselverd is a teacher's aide, not the teacher. The teacher must know what s/he had in mind for the assignment. Or maybe not? An aide is supposed to act at the direction of the teacher. If the aide doesn't have enough information to do that, they're not working effectively together as a team.

The plants have to be non hybrid to grow true to type. Also the spices (seeds) have to be organic so they are untreated or they won't grow. Use seeds that are for sprouting.

I am of no help, but think it is good for the kids to grow the plants for food. Sounds like a good school that has a place for things to grow.

Sue

Where's the teachers *guide instruction* its a written document on what to plant and what not to plant along with detailed instructions. Its really not up to the teacher even to make these decisions. This is planned for all schools from the dept of agriculture. At least it was in Pa up to a few years ago. Just like any other class, math, english ect...the teachers just don't decide what to teach, their told what to teach.

Everything I can think of has been mentioned and usually takes time or isn't tropical. I have several avocado trees I started from pits. I gave some to neighbors. I have have pineapple plants I started last year, but they are slow and I think the one from two years ago that I had planted in my flower bed died during those two nights we had in the 20's. It would have been better for me to have kept it potted.

I buy the the little green onions from the grocery store and use the green tops and stick the bulb part in the dirt and regrow tops. I currently have a pot of onions and leeks. You might be able to do the same with romaine lettuce and celery. I haven't actually tried that yet. I've seen some mention on Pinterest.

My basil died during the freeze. It's a very prolific plant that reseeds itself and ends up everywhere. I had so much that a few years back, I picked some and put it in a vase and added a few flowers. Danged if that stuff didn't reroot itself.

I have had cherry tomato plants for the last four years. The little tomatoes fall off and eventually conditions are right and the next year I have volunteers. I also find them in other flower beds because the birds eat the tomatoes with seeds and poop wherever.

I haven't had as much luck with propagating rosemary. I'd like to get some growing so I can get rid of the plant I have growing in the wrong place.

What about potatoes or sweet potatoes? Growing up we rooted sweet potatoes by sticking toothpicks in the bottom and then letting the green shoots grow. Then you root the shoots by picking them off and putting in water.

Regular potatoes start putting out eyes this time of year. Cut apart chunks with eyes and let them harden off. Plant after that.

Look up how to grow a banana tree from an overripe banana. I just did and they say you can get a sprout in a week or so. I may have to try that myself just to see if I can do it.

OK... I know my OP wasn't so confusing to merit some of these comments. I am the teacher aide, so have no FINAL say in anything. The teacher OBVIOUSLY knows his plant stuff. He wants the kids to DISCOVER on their OWN. They kinda tend to be clueless (or at least act that way) and expect somebody else to tell them what to do, or hand them all the information. They have an entire library permanently embedded in their hands and are allowed to USE it in class.

Adellabadella... will have to check out the banana thing!

The edible bananas at the grocery are seedless and come from sterile plants. They are all reproduced asexually by vegetative reproduction. Some stores sell edible plantains, some of which will produce seeds. Plantains are very different from the the sweet, soft yellow banana, however.

In HS, the students are learning about plant physiology and reproductive systems. Going to the grocery to select reproducible fruits and vegetables is a fun but very limited project.

Much of what we find in the produce section would not be able to be used in this experiment for a variety of reasons, including irradiation, storage practices, age of the produce, etc. (For example, ginger root is likely to be much too old to retain any viability.) However, it is very possible to grow roots or tops and very easy to germinate viable seeds and pits.

I'd expect that you'll see lots of assorted citrus, pome fruit, and avocado. Boring, but easy. I hope that the teacher brings up a little bit about how these fruits and vegetables are really produced commercially....

He wants the kids to DISCOVER on their OWN. They kinda tend to be clueless (or at least act that way) and expect somebody else to tell them what to do, or hand them all the information.

Kudos to you and that teacher. Encouraging them to learn on their own, how to make sense of all the input, factual and otherwise, that they will get in life, is a vital lesson.

Grow a potato plant. Potatoes are not grown from seed. These sprout from 'eyes' on the potato. One potato can generate several plants. Cut the eye from the potato taking a generous portion of the potato with it. This material supports the new plant until it sprouts its own roots. Plant the eye parcel in the soil with the eye facing up. Plant with about 1 to 1.5 inches of soil above the piece.

This plant will not produce any saleable material during one semester's time, but will from immature potatoes. The usual summer growth cycle: Plant at during last part of April; Tend all season; Plant dies in September with the shortening of daylight hours. Harvest anytime after the plant withers and before frost.

As a demonstration, put a whole potato in a glass and keep covered with water. Allow the top of the potato to peak above the water. Let it sit in sunlight each day. It will sprout, make a tangle of roots, and will send up shoots. When shoots appear, allow a bit more of the potato to stand above the water. It will grow until the parent potato is exhausted.

These days, some food crops may be hybrids and as such will not reproduce true, It might be fun to plant a hybrid seed to see what you may get.

I scrolled thru the posts quickly but didn't see taro. There is another that I can't think of right now that grows a taro like plant....think elephant ear..that is beautiful with a blue sheen to it. Dragon fruit sprout quickly...takes a long time to take their unusual form and lot longer to bloom from seed. When they germinate, they look like any other seed...two tiny leaves.