In Wyoming, everyone finds success with zucchini. It grows out of control and every neighbor drops by to surprise you with their generosity. They’re just trying to unload the excess! But there are other varieties, like cucumbers, that seem to be more challenging in a northern climate. Some gardeners struggle in early season to get viable plants started, others get hammered with the sudden heat waves mid-season, and there are usually those that make it to early fall without a single cuke.

There are challenges that threaten the harvest at every turn. Knowing what those threats are and how to handle or avoid them altogether will make you a better gardener.

Push the limits and create problems by manipulating the outside variables including water, light, and temperature. Have the students perform A/B tests to see if they can create some of the common problems. Overwatering, underwatering, providing too little or too much light, and high or low temps are all conditions that students can experiment within the Lab to create problems for their seedlings.

Photograph the A/B results and document the conditions that created each problem for future reference.