ACTIVITIES
Garden Science: 10 Easy Experiments You Can Do With Plants You’re Already Growing
Katie Rosa | October 24, 2026
Think of your garden as a tiny science laboratory for you and your kids. What kind of experiments could you do together? Whether you have a windowsill full of herbs, a garden bed overflowing with vegetables, or a few seedlings that are just starting to sprout in your mini hydroponic garden, you already have everything you need to start experimenting.
You don’t need fancy equipment, complicated formulas, or a crisp white lab coat. Just grab your notebook, a ruler, and some of your curiosity. Try these ten easy plant experiments and see what you and your kiddos discover!
1. Compare Germination
Choose three or four types of seeds that you already have, such as herbs, tomatoes, beans, or peas. Plant a few of each in separate but identical containers. Give them the same amount of water each day and keep them in the same location. Check on them once a day and record what you see.
A few questions to answer:
• Do different seeds sprout at different speeds?
• Which type of seed sprouted first?
• Which plant developed the longest roots?
• Which plant grew the tallest in the shortest amount of time?
You and your kids just conducted your first experiment – a seed germination comparison!
Pro Tip: Radishes are fast-growing plants that would work well for this experiment.
2. Investigate Soil Moisture
Everyone knows plants need moisture, but one of the tricky things to learn about plant care is how much moisture each one needs. More isn’t always better. You and your kids can investigate how soil moisture affects your plants by comparing how they fare with different moisture levels.
For this experiment, start by keeping one plant relatively dry. Water another one normally. Give the third plant slightly more water than the second. Give another plant too much water. Check the soil every day by touching the surface and record its color and texture.
Next, record how the plants look.
• Are the leaves droopy or firm?
• Are some of the leaves yellowing or dying?
• Is there a smell?
• Are the plants growing quickly or slowly?
Document what you see and experience. This experiment can help you understand how plants respond to varying amounts of water. All plants are different so, if possible, use the same plant type for this experiment.
Pro Tip: Use plants that you have in abundance. Losing a plant or two in this experiment is helpful for educational purposes, but you don’t want to use plants that are difficult or expensive to replace.
3. Testing Sunlight
Plants LOVE sunshine! But how much light do they need? This experiment helps you and your kids understand how sunlight affects plant growth.
If possible, choose the same plant type or very similar plants.
• Place one plant in the windowsill where it gets plenty of direct sunlight.
• Put another one where it only gets indirect light.
• Place another in a corner where very little light reaches.
• Put the last one in a dark closet.
Measure their growth over several days or weeks. Keep everything else as similar as possible, especially watering.
Watch for changes in leaf size, color, and the direction the plant grows. You may notice that some plants reach toward the light, while others seem just fine in a shadier environment.
Pro Tip: Use plants that you have in abundance. Losing a plant or two in this experiment is helpful for educational purposes, but you don’t want to use plants that are difficult or expensive to replace.
4. Measure Plant Growth
Measuring plants is an important experiment that helps you understand how quickly certain types of plants grow, and whether growing conditions speed up the process.
Choose a plant or seedling that you already have. You and your kids should measure its height every day. You can also count new leaves and measure the length of individual leaves.
Write your measurements in your garden laboratory journal and create a simple chart. After a few weeks, you’ll be able to see how quickly your plant is growing.
Does the plant’s growth speed up or slow down?
For a more challenging experiment, try measuring different plants under different growing conditions and compare the results.
5. Pollination Observation
Start with a question: How often do pollinators visit your plants?
Pollination is the process where plant pollen is moved from the male part of a flower to the female part. This results in fertilization of the plant so it can begin to produce seeds and reproduce (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).
Encourage your kids to become detectives and spy on the pollinators. Spend 10-15 minutes a day watching for pollinators. Look for bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, or other visitors.
• Which flowers do they visit the most
• How often?
• How long does each visitor stay?
• Do some of the types of pollinators appear at different times of day?
You don’t need to touch or disturb the pollinators—watch from a safe distance and keep notes.
Over several days or weeks, you and your kids will learn how active your garden truly is. It’s a garden party!
6. Seed Investigation
Ever wonder what the inside of a seed looks like? Seeds seem simple on the outside, but there’s a whole lot to explore hiding on the inside.
Soak a large seed, such as a bean, overnight. Carefully open the seed and examine its parts. Look for the outer seed coat. Help your kids find the embryo and the stored food that helps the young plantling get started.
If you have a few different types of seeds lying around at home, compare them. Look at their different sizes, shapes, colors, and textures.
This investigation is a study in wonder. Even giant plants started with something remarkably small.
7. See Transpiration in Action
Transpiration is the process in which plants bring water from the soil up through the stem and out through the leaves. Eventually, some of that water evaporates into the atmosphere (U.S. Geological Survey).
It’s a fascinating process, and you can see it in action if you look closely—you can even collect some of the water!
Choose a healthy leafy plant and loosely cover a group of leaves with a clear plastic bag. Secure the bag around the stem gently. Leave it for a few hours in a secure location.
Have your kids check the bag later. They should see tiny droplets of water inside.
These droplets came from the plant’s leaves. The water escapes the plant through tiny openings in the leaves. Pretty amazing experiment into something that happens all around us every day.
8. Expanded Transpiration Study – Use Colored Water
Once your kids understand how water moves through a plant, try this slightly more advanced experiment.
Place a white flower, such as a carnation, in a glass of water. Next, add a few drops of food coloring to the water and leave it for several hours or overnight.
Have your kids check the flower later. Can they see the color appearing in the petals?
The colored water has traveled upward through tiny tubes inside the stem. Cut the stem open carefully and you may even be able to see some of these pathways.
Help kids understand how plants carry water and nutrients to the different parts of the plant.
Pro Tip: Use different colors in different glasses and see which color gives the most noticeable result for your white carnation.
9. Study Plant Anatomy
Grab your magnifying glass and take a closer look at your plants!
Choose any of your favorite plants and examine its parts. Leaf, stem, root, or flower. See how many of the parts your kids can identify. Take a closer look at the veins in the leaves, the stem that supports the plant, the roots that anchor the plant, or the different parts of a flower.
Sketch what you see and label each of the parts.
Next, learn what each of the plant’s parts does for the plant.
10. Explore Leaf Texture
You may have never thought much about why leaves vary so much in texture, but nothing about a plant is random.
Plants have leaves with all different types of textures: smooth, thick, soft, rough, thin, fuzzy, or waxy.
Examine the leaves of the different plants you already have. Look closely and touch the leaves.
• Why are some of them smooth?
• Why are some of them rough?
• Why are some of them waxy or fuzzy?
Next, learn about the reasons why different plants have different textured leaves. For example, waxy leaves help plants hold onto water while leaves that have tiny white hairs help protect some plants.
These plants have developed these features based on their environment. If you want to make it really interesting, examine a few desert plants!
You'll Never See Your Garden the Same Way Again
Now that you’ve turned your garden into your very own laboratory, what other experiments can you come up with? Gardening is incredibly scientific, and there’s always something more to learn. Even the most experienced gardeners are always learning new ways to care for their plants, and they use scientific experimentation—often without even realizing it!
Everyday gardening can always be a hands-on science adventure. You just have to change your perspective and start asking questions!
