If you have been to The Land Pavilion in Epcot, you probably have taken the relaxing and educational boat ride Living with The Land. Have you ever wondered why you see guests wandering through the greenhouses? Those guests are on a tour called “Behind the Seeds”. If you enjoy the Living with the Land ride, you are going to love the Behind the Seeds tour that offers guests the chance to walk through the greenhouses and gain a whole new perspective on modern day growing and agriculture.
The Behind the Seeds tour begins in a backstage location where your tour guide, an informative intern, takes a small group of 10-15 and gives them a brief rundown of the rules. First, guests are encouraged to ask as many questions as they wish during their tour. Next, unlike other Disney tours that take guests behind the scenes, photography is not only allowed, it is really encouraged. And finally, the most important rule is issued – do not touch any of the plants. This rule is understandable as there are many exotic plants located in Epcot’s greenhouses. This rule is in place to not only protect the plants but also to protect Disney’s guests.
Everybody neat and pretty…..then on with the tour. Your first stop is the Biological Control area – we called it the “Bug Hub”. Here, we learned about the damaging bugs in the area and the way Disney releases “good” bugs in an effort to control the “bad” bugs. We learned about how Epcot uses natural alternatives to harmful pesticides by breeding beneficial wasps and insects that eat harmful pests. If bugs creep you out, this part of the tour is not going to be your favorite, but luckily it is short-lived. The best part is that you are given a vial of lady bugs to release later in the tour. The kids really enjoyed this part.
From the Biological Control area we moved on to the Biotechnology Lab. The tour doesn’t offer access to the area as it is very sterile, but you can take a peek into the lab during the lecture on how Disney propagates new plants from clippings. The room is loaded with small tubes full of plants that grow in a clear gel and this is also the place where all the small “Mickey Mini Gardens” that are for sale in various shops are grown.
The next stop on the tour is the Hydroponics area. This is where your tour becomes interactive and wildly interesting. Your tour guide will give you some very useful information regarding the benefits of hydroponics and describe how you can use these techniques at home. Seeing how I have the brownest thumb ever, I personally will not ever be trying this technique, but t was interesting nonetheless. For those interested in attempting the hydroponic method of growing, an informational handout is provided to help you create your own garden at home.
One of the most interesting plants we learned about was what we referred to as the “scardey fern”, which of course is not it’s scientific name. It’s scientific name is Mimosa Purdica but it is more commonly called the “sleeping plant” or the “touch me not.” It is delicate in size and when you touch it, the leaves fold inward and droop to protect itself. Touch one branch and it folds inward – shake the whole thing lightly and they all fold. Wow! The plant’s branches will reopen minutes later and return to it’s normal state.
We were given the opportunity to taste some of the wonderful vegetables grown with the hydroponic method. We were given a taste of a mickey-shaped hydroponic cucumber that was bursting with flavor. Not only was it delicious and a little sweeter than your grocery store cukes, it was cute too and it made me wonder how many more kids would eat their vegetables if they were shaped like Mickey! One interesting thing we learned was that the majority of the produce grown here in the greenhouses is served in various restaurants throughout Epcot, especially Sunshine Seasons and the Garden Grill. The hydroponic growing area is also where the kids were able to release their lady bugs.
After the hydroponics area, our tour moved on to the elevated growing area. This area is amazing and displays various techniques of vertical growing in an effort to maximize space. Here you will see massive tomato trees, cucumbers and various vegetables on strings and even those oversized Mickey shaped pumpkins. Do you ever wonder what Disney does with the huge vegetables? Much to my surprise, those oversized beauties are packed up and sent over to the Animal Kingdom for some of it’s residents to enjoy.
Next up on the tour is the Aquaculture area. This is another interesting and interactive area for the kids on the tour. Kids enjoyed seeing the alligators and the eels up close and personal and even got an opportunity to feed the fish. Many giggles were released as the fish were in a frenzy splashing about as they were being fed. It was also interesting to know that some of the fish that are raised here are actually served at the Coral Reef Restaurant located in The Seas pavilion.
The last leg of the tour takes you into the gigantic glass domed area where you will experience desert-like conditions and learn about exotic plants from all over the world. One of the highlighted plants was the Miracle Berry which makes everything have a sweet taste for hours after it is eaten. It was interesting to learn that this unique plant is being used to help cancer patients who are enduring chemotherapy to increase their desire to eat more.
While the Behind the Seeds tour generally is an hour long, our tour spilled over into almost an hour and a half but it never felt long or boring.
The Behind the Seeds tour is $20 for adults and $16 for children aged 3 through 9 and does require park admission. Discounts are available for Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members, Disney Chase Visa Cardholders and other groups and is one of the least expensive tours around the world. The Behind the Seeds tour runs every 45 minutes from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm daily and reservations can be made up to year in advance or can be made the same day at the sign-in desk located at the Soarin’ entrance.
Visit www.capturing-the-magic.com for a preview of the stunning coffee table book, Capturing the Magic and purchase your copy today.
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