The first unit covered in 6th grade science class dealt with properties of soil. We examined different soils and learned about soil composition, texture, organic matter and nutrients. Our textbook was set up so we could examine a school garden and identify potential problems as to why the garden wouldn’t grow plants. One possible explanation was that the soil was the wrong type to grown the plants.
In the lessons, we learned that there are different types of soil in different areas of the country, and I know that certain crops can only be grown well in certain areas of the country. For example, corn and soybeans are grown in Illinois, while cotton is better grown in Mississippi. This got me to thinking about how soil type might affect whether or not plants would germinate or not. I decided to do this experiment in order to test if one type of soil would be better for growing pinto beans.