Neil Desa, age 11, of North Vancouver, B.C., Canada, for his question:

WHAT IS A SEED MADE OF?

Most seeds have three important parts: an outer skin called the seed coat which serves as protection, an embryo and the endosperm. The embryo becomes the new plant while the endosperm, or food supply, nourishes the embryo with albumen and starch or oily matter as it develops during its early stages.

Some seeds, such as beans, have two coat structures: the hilum and the microplye. The hilum is a small scar where the seed was attached to a stalk, while the micropyle is the tiny hole where a pollen tube was attached which fertilized the seed.

In order to sprout, or germinate, seeds must have the right temperature, lots of air and moisture. Some seeds sprout in early spring while others need the sun warmed ground of early summer.