The Autobiography of Raven Manalo

I'm Raven Manalo and I live here in San Jose, California with my mother, father, little brother and my tiny dog. Before I moved to San Jose, I lived in Pembroke Pines, Florida for about 5 years.

I haven't had much experience gardening or growing things in general, since I live in a condo. However, when I lived in Florida, I had a big backyard and I would plant things there. One of my teachers had a garden and she would give us different kinds of seeds to plant... Or eat. I always try and attempt to grow tomatoes, radishes and peppers, yet they would always die. The only plant I have grown successfully was a carrot. Even though it was small, about 5 inches long, I still felt proud of myself for planting and harvesting a plant successfully. I also visited my great uncle's pig farm, he showed us how they took care of the pigs and what they feed them. He also showed us his crop field, which he uses to grow food for the pigs and we spent about half of the day helping him watering corn plants. Overall, I think this experiment will be exciting and fun.

The Autobiography of Desiree Lara Neary

Hello, my name is Desiree Lara Neary.  I live with my parents and my younger brother here in San Jose, California.   Most of my family lives here in the Bay Area, as well as Colorado, Texas, and Mexico.

I haven't had much experience gardening, but in the past I've helped my grandma water and prune her plants in her garden.  At home my mother tends to our orange tree, lemon tree, and rose bushes.  Some of my neighbors have gardens and they have given vegetables that my family uses for salad, soup, salsa, and other food dishes.  The little experience I've had with gardening has taught me that there is a process to keeping up a garden or growing plants in general.  I am definitely looking forward to participate in this seed-growing experiment and further my knowledge of  the science behind  growing plans.    

The Autobiography of Morgan Tong

  Hello, my name is Morgan Tong. I was born here in San Jose, California, where I live with my younger brother and parents. My family members live throughout California, Texas, Illinois and China, as well as Alberta and British Columbia, located in Canada.

  Although I have not had a lot of actual experience in gardening, I know quite a bit about cooking and baking food from scratch. My mother, who takes care of our fairly small garden, cooks almost all of the meals made in our household. I like to watch and learn as she cooks and tends to the garden. We grow tomatoes, lemons, and persimmons, as well as roses, carnations, and aloe plants. Even though I am not that interested by the actual story of a seed in terms of gardening, I am extremely intrigued by the science behind it and am looking forward to the experiment and project.

The Autobiography of Taylor LeTourneau

         My name is Taylor LeTourneau. I was born and raised in San Jose. I live with my mom, dad and sister. We are currently at my grandparents house because our house is being remodeled.

         I don't garden much but it is a hobby that I like to participate in. I was introduced to gardening when I was about 5. My dad had a garden in our backyard where he planted tomatoes and beans. We also had a lemon tree in our backyard. My mom and my sister always made lemonade which was very tasty. Then when we had dinner, we would pick the beans and tomatoes to eat in salads, with lettuce and ranch dressing. Since we are living at my grandparents house now I have been more exposed to planting and watering plants. I have enjoyed it a lot and am excited for the seed experiment.

The Autobiography of Jacky Guan

Hello, my name is Jacky Guan. I was born here in San Jose, California. I currently live with my parents and my two younger siblings. My grandparents currently live in Hong Kong and we visit them every two years.

Ever since I was a little kid, I was fascinated by how just a tiny seed could grow into tree or other plants. The first time I wanted to grow something was when I was four years old. I wanted to grow a tomato plant from a seed. I knew I was going to be unsuccessful since I did not have any prior experience. Luckily, my grandma stepped in to help and taught me many things; from planting the first seeds and to harvesting the tomatoes at the end of the year. Today, my favorite things to grow are peppers, pomegranates, lemon, and of course the easy growing tomato. I recently learned how to grow watermelon straight from the seed.  My grandma is currently the best gardener and chef I know today. I love watching her cook many different types of food and our homegrown kabocha. I learned most of the procedures for cooking from her and she taught my mom many delicious recipes before she left for Hong Kong. Overall, she influenced my whole family's diet. I am looking forward to this experiment!

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