Hi everyone! Sounds like you are starting to think about what you might want to do, that is great. Keep in mind though that Science tends to be less about “doing”, and more about learning something new... so rather than asking about what you want to do, I will do my best to ask about what you want to learn from that doing. 

The best bits of advice I can give you is to think about what you're going to measure before getting started... and always consider your controls! The reason these two things are important is because if you're looking for differences in plant size / weight / height / colour / flowering time / tastiness at the end, then it is ONE measurement, if you are looking for different RATES of growth, you have to measure over regular intervals. Time is usually the most precious resource but if you plan ahead then you can get all the data you need. There is nothing worse than getting to the end of an experiment and thinking, “If I’d only measured…”. Secondly, always compare against something – a reference or control or untreated... so what would your control be? Decide which of your things is is the most “Normal” situation and then ask if you can you make it better (or worse).

So… with that in mind, what are you expecting and what are going to measure? Will the Millet in organic fertiliser grow faster or taller or greener or tastier than the inorganic or balanced fertiliser? What is your measurement and how many are you going to take? In short… set out your hypothesis.

When you get around to setting up your experiment, make sure you put out enough plants to make the counting count. Just one plant is never enough so measure at least 3 for a good average and more is usually better. Keep in mind that one or two of them might not germinate or establish or survive the experiment so to get three, start with a few extras.

I hope this is helpful as you get started! I might be a bit harder to contact next week as I am travelling for a conference so will be out of my normal routine. But I will do my best to check in. Good luck deciding what it is that you want to explore!!

• Dana