Since 1983, Park Seed Company and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have been working together to explore the effects of outer space conditions on living seeds and to involve students and teachers around the world in the excitement of scientific research.

We are delighted to continue that partnership by helping teachers and students in NASA’s Engineering Design Challenge learn how to garden from seed. In particular, step-by-step instructions on this page show you how to grow your Cinnamon Basil seeds. The same instructions work for the ones that flew in outer space and the ones that stayed on Earth. And if you have gardening-related questions, please click on Ask SwS. Our professional garden writer will be happy to give you a personal response. You don’t need to know anything about gardening to have success with your seeds!

Elsewhere on this site (see navigation bar at top), you may enjoy reading about Park Seed Company’s long history with Seeds in Space. Or you may want to read what other students and teachers had to say about their own Seeds in Space experience. A Celebration of Science contains stories and results from the Long Duration Exposure Facility project that ran from 1984-1992. Thanks for visiting our site and good luck with your Engineering Design Challenge and your Cinnamon Basil!

By the way, for lots more great information about integrating gardening into your classroom activities, visit KidsGardening.org. This site and its newsletter are chock full of curriculum ideas, how-tos, and gardening advice for teachers, parents, and kids. KidsGardening.org is a service of the National Gardening Association. Park Seed Company, Wayside Gardens, and Jackson & Perkins are all proud sponsors of the Kids Garden News, a monthly newsletter for educators and families.