The science (joy) of gardening: observation studies vs double controlled trial

Our garden season began indoors in February.  The first step is germination of the seeds.  Katy put the seeds inside a sealed plastic bag with the seeds resting on a moist paper towel.  The trick is how wet/moist the paper towel should be.  This calls for experience.

台灣南瓜 planted on 2/29/15

Katy put ten (10) 台灣南瓜 seeds inside the plastic bag on February 22, by February 29 seven of them germinated and were planted into the paper cup with holes in the bottom for water drain; the paper cup then sits inside a plastic cup.

Katy said once the plastic bag was opened, those failed to germinate (three in this case) can never germinate, as if the “magic” had evaporated.  She said that is her experience and her observation.  If doesn't make sense if one thinks scientifically. A green thumb though Katy may be, and observation may not be entirely un-scientific, but it lacks scientific rigor and strength, as opposed to double-blind controlled study.

It is true that a re-sealed plastic bag may not be conducent to seed germination as it may have lost some of the moist, which is essential for seed germination.  However, there may be some alternate explanation: some of the seeds may not be healthy to begin with and will not germinate no matter what, or some of them may be just "slow growers" (大器晚成).

After planting the seven germinated 台灣南瓜 seeds, I put the three un-germinated seeds back into the plastic bag on February 29, and this is what I noticed on March 9: one seed germinated with roots running in all directions and in rampage; the "slow grower", so to speak.  Yet the other two seeds remained ungerminated (see photo left).

If you search vitamin D in internet you’ll find hundreds, if not thousands of reports saying vitamin D is good for all things and all organ systems.  However, the venerable Institute of Medicine issued a report in 2010, after reviewing more than 1,000 reports/studies and interviewing all sorts of experts, saying the evidence was mixed and inconclusive; current evidence supports the role vitamin D plays in bone health only.

Almost all the vitamin D studies are observational, lacking scientific strength and rigor.

germinating luffa seeds

If I keep writing garden post like this, then it will be the science of gardening, not the art or the joy of gardening.  But one derives joy from understanding and science is all about understanding.  It is still the joy of gardening after all.