The Nitty-Gritty Gardening Book. Fun Projects for All Seasons PDF
Preview The Nitty-Gritty Gardening Book. Fun Projects for All Seasons
THE GGGaaarrrdddeeennniiinnnggg BBBooooookkk FUN PROJECTS for ALL SEASONS Kari Cornell PHOTOGRAPHS BY Jennifer S. Larson THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK THE Gardening Book FUN PROJECTS for ALL SEASONS Kari Cornell PHOTOGRAPHS BY Jennifer S. Larson j Millbrook Press . Minneapolis For Brian, Will, and Theo, my favorite gardening ccoommppaanniioonnss –K.C. For Isaiah and Grace, who love to garden –J.S.L. T P Aoehfl lxot rthti ogcisogh bprtaosy proriehkgss hme ctro av©pye yd2br.0ei Ig1 nr5het tebp r©yrno Ka2dat0uir1oci5 enC dabo,lyr sc nJtoeeoplnrlyenrdiifg eihnrt Sa s. e rLecautrrrsieeodvna. lN soy sptaermt , T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without 44 IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. S P R I N G Millbrook Press A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North 12 Start Your Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA Own Seeds For reading levels and more information, look up this title 14 Build a Sweet at www.lernerbooks.com. Pea or Pole Additional images are used with the permission of: © iStockphoto.com/AntiMartina (sunflower seeds and Bean Tent pumpkin seeds); USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2012. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. 16 Grow a Sack Accessed from http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov, p. 8; of Potatoes © Alexey Antipov/Dreamstime.com, p. 41 (bottom left). Illustrations © Laura Westlund/Independent Picture Service. Main body text set in Frutiger LT Pro 11/15. Typeface provided by Linotype AG. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cornell, Kari A. The nitty-gritty gardening book: fun projects for all seasons / Kari Cornell ; photography by Jennifer S. Larson. pages cm Includes index. ISBN 978-1-4677-2647-4 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4677-6301-1 (EB pdf) 1. Gardening—Juvenile literature. 2. Gardening for children. I. Larson, Jennifer S., 1967– , photographer. II. Title. SB457.C66 2015 635.083—dc23 2014009384 Manufactured in the United States of America 1 – CG – 12/31/2014 AU T U M N 32 Force a Pot of Daffodils 34 Create WINTER SUMMER an Herb 40 Build a 22 Plant a Window Box Terrarium Strawberry 36 Make a in a Jar Basket Compost Bin 42 Grow an 24 aMnadk eB eae Bsi rds fArvoomca Sdeoe dPlant Garden 44 Grow your 28 Create a own Mini Hanging Salad Garden 45 Glossary 46 Gardening Resources 47 Where to Find Supplies 48 Index Introduction Why Garden? If you’ve ever eaten a just-picked cherry tomato, the local ecosystem—the plants, the soil, the still warm from the sun, you know one of the insects, and the birds in an area that all support answers to this question. Fresh fruits and one another. An ecosystem is like a jigsaw puzzle. vegetables taste amazing. Snap peas, carrots, When one or more of the pieces are missing or out and radishes are crunchy and crisp. Tomatoes and of place, it affects the other pieces of the puzzle strawberries are loaded with sweet flavor. Lettuce as well. is delicate and delicious. In the garden, insects such as honeybees, When you grow your own food, you know butterflies, and ladybugs are key pieces of the exactly what those plants, fruits, and vegetables ecosystem puzzle. Bees spread pollen from one have been through during the growing season. You flower to the next. This is called pollination, and know, for example, that the plants were grown in the flowers that bloom on fruit and vegetable good, healthy soil. You know that you gave them plants rely on it. The female part of the plant takes enough water and treated the plants with care. in the pollen to make the seeds that will eventually Best of all, you know that you helped grow them. grow into a berry, a squash, a tomato, or another How cool is that? tasty treat. Butterflies also spread pollen as they travel from flower to flower. And ladybugs help by Gardening for the Earth eating insects such as aphids that can harm plants. Of course there’s more to gardening than growing So by planting a garden in your yard or vegetables. Colorful flowers in bloom help make growing a few plants in pots on your patio, you’re your home or yard a more inviting place to play being good to the planet! And when you’re and relax. And if you fill your yard with flowering tending to plants outside, remember that most plants that are native to your area, you’re helping insects you see are doing good work. Watch your 4 plants carefully, and you will begin to see how Planting your own garden in a corner of the yard everything within an ecosystem works together— is great, but if you only have space on a balcony the sun, the rain, the wildlife, and even the soil. or even a windowsill, you can still have fun with gardening and do many of the projects in this book. If you do decide to plant in your yard, ask an Gardening Basics adult to help you dig. Always call the local diggers Ready to get started? First, you’ll need to gather hotline before you dig. Someone will come to your information about your space and do some yard and mark all buried utility lines (power, water, planning. Then make sure you have the tools and sewer, gas, cable) so you can avoid them while the supplies you’ll need. digging. Also, be sure to test your soil by following the instructions here. Evaluate Your Garden Space Do you have room to plant a garden in your yard? Test Your Soil Or would it be better to grow plants in pots? Talk For some projects in this book—including the to an adult about what works best for your space. Birds and Bees Garden and the Sweet Pea or Pole Bean Tent —you will grow plants in the ground around your home. Anytime you plant in the NATIVE PLANTS ground, test your soil first. Soil pH is a measure of chemicals that make up the soil. The chemicals Some of the projects in this book let you in the soil affect how easily plants can take in pick from several types of plants or seeds. nutrients from the earth. Knowing the pH of your Here’s a way to choose: Are some of the soil helps you select plants that will grow well in it. plants native to your area? Those would be Some plants, such as blueberries, strawberries, great options. hydrangea, and bleeding heart, grow best in acidic Native plants are used to the soil, amount soil (pH of 4.0 to 6.5). Sunflowers, peonies, and of rain, and climate (average weather other plants do well in alkaline soil (pH of 7.0 to 7.5). conditions) where you live. They usually Many vegetables, such as lettuce, peas, cucumbers, don’t need as much water as nonnative and carrots, prefer a pH somewhere in the middle plants do. And that means you can use (pH of 6.0 to 7.0). That’s called neutral soil. less water on your garden during the hot Easy-to-use soil testing kits can be found summer months. at your local garden or hardware store. Have an adult help you follow the directions on the Native plants are also used to the insects, package to test a small sample of your soil. What the wildlife, and other plants that thrive in if the test results show that your soil is too acidic your part of the world. They’re good for your or too alkaline for what you plan to grow? Talk neighborhood and for the globe! to workers at a garden center to find out how to 5 make the soil more or less acidic by adding things garden are in the sun. Select one of the photos, like cocoa hulls, compost, or peat moss. This is and on each area of the garden, write down the called amending the soil. number of hours that spot is in the sun. Knowing how much sun each area receives will Map the Sunlight make it easier to choose plants for your garden. If Many plants, especially those that produce fruits you try to grow a sun-loving plant in an area that and vegetables, need lots of sunshine. Whether only receives a couple of hours of morning sun, the you are starting seeds or planting s eedlings from a plant may not flower or produce fruit. garden store, be sure to check the seed packet or ppllaanntt ttaagg ttoo sseeee hhooww many hours per day of sunlight the plant will need to grow. To see just how much sunlight yyoouurr ppllaannttss rreecceeiivvee,, wwaattcchh oovveerr yyoouurr garden for a day. If you discover you love to garden, you may even want to track the sun in different seasons. On a sunny day, take a ppiiccttuurree ooff yyoouurr ggaarrddeenn ((oorr wwhheerreevveerr you plan to put container plants) at different times throughout the day. Snap a picture of your space at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. Look at the photos and notice where the sunniest spots are in your garden. Are some areas in the sshhaaddee iinn tthhee mmoorrnniinngg bbuutt iinn ffuullll ssuunn by afternoon? Do all parts of the ggaarrddeenn rreecceeiivvee tthhee ssaammee aammoouunntt ooff sun? If not, divide the garden into sseeccttiioonnss aaccccoorrddiinngg ttoo tthhee aammoouunntt ooff sunlight received. Print your photos and line them up in the order that you took them. Count the number ooff hhoouurrss tthhaatt ddiiffffeerreenntt ppaarrttss ooff yyoouurr 6 DRAW A SUN MAP Know Your Zone! Did you know that there are many different You can create a sun map of your garden growing zones in the United States? Each plant without a camera as well. You’ll need a piece hardiness zone has different growing conditions, of paper, a pencil, and six colored pencils. which include the amount of rain that falls in a Draw a picture of your garden area. Include year and how warm or cold it gets. Together, these fences, buildings, pathways and other items conditions are called climate. Look at the zone that help defi ne your garden space. Check map on page 8 and find the zone in which you live. your garden at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 p.m., When planning a garden and buying plants, look 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. Notice the spots for plants that are able to grow in your particular that remain in the sun and those that are zone. For example, if you live in zone 4 but you shady at different times of the day. Each buy plants that grow well in zone 8, your plants time you check it, use a different colored will likely die unless you bring them inside during pencil to lightly color in the sunny areas of the colder months. Paying close attention to zone your garden. Count the number of hours the will make your first attempts at gardening happier different parts of your garden receive sun. for you and your plants. Write these numbers down on your map. Watering and Feeding Your Plants FFuullll Your plants need water and “food,” just like you. mmoorrnniinngg//aafftteerrnnoooonn Be sure to water inside plants once or twice each ssuunn SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSShhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddddddddddddddddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee week. If your garden is outside, water plants using a watering can or hose every day that it doesn’t rain. MMoorrnniinngg sssssuuuuunnnnn/////wwwwwiiiiinnnnnddddd Use good detective work to see which plants ppppprrrrrooooottttteeeeeccccctttttiiiiiooooonnnnn need water. First, check the soil. Stick your finger about an inch into the soil to see if it is moist. If eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd it is dry, give the plants some water. Second, look aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh at the plants. Some plants will wilt when they ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuussssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee are thirsty. Give them a drink! Keep in mind that DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee plants in the ground won’t dry out as quickly as AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffftttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn////////////////////////////////////// plants that are in pots or planters. This is because eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggggggggg sssssssssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddddddddddddddddddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee the roots of plants in a garden can pull moisture from surrounding soil. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuullllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggggggggggg Plants need food too. Some of the projects in ssssssssssssssuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnn this book call for compost. Compost is a mixture of decayed food scraps, plants, and soil that 7 125°W 120°W 115°W 110°W 105°W 100°W 95°W 90°W 85°W 80°W 75°W 70°W 65°W Average Annual Extreme Low Temperature PLANT HARDINESS ZONE MAP 1976-2005 Temp (F) Zone Temp (C) -60 to -55 1a -51.1 to -48.3 45°N 45°N-55 to -50 1b -48.3 to -45.6 -50 to -45 2a -45.6 to -42.8 -45 to -40 2b -42.8 to -40 -40 to -35 3a -40 to -37.2 -35 to -30 3b -37.2 to -34.4 40°N 40°N-30 to -25 4a -34.4 to -31.7 -25 to -20 4b -31.7 to -28.9 -20 to -15 5a -28.9 to -26.1 -15 to -10 5b -26.1 to -23.3 -10 to -5 6a -23.3 to -20.6 -5 to 0 6b -20.6 to -17.8 35°N 35°N 0 to 5 7a -17.8 to -15 5 to 10 7b -15 to -12.2 10 to 15 8a -12.2 to -9.4 15 to 20 8b -9.4 to -6.7 Puerto Rico 20 to 25 9a -6.7 to -3.9 30°N 30°N 25 to 30 9b -3.9 to -1.1 30 to 35 10a -1.1 to 1.7 Alaska 01020 40Miles Kilometers 35 to 40 10b 1.7 to 4.4 01530 60 40 to 45 11a 4.4 to 7.2 Hawaii 45 to 50 11b 7.2 to 10 25°N 25°N 50 to 55 12a 10 to 12.8 0050401008020K0ilo1m6eM0teilerss 0 75 150 30M0iles 02550 100MKileilosmeters Mapping by the PRISM Climate Group, 5650 ttoo 6605 1123ba 1125..86 ttoo 1158..63 0 100 200 40K0ilometers 04590 180 Ohtrtepg:/o/pnr iSsmta.toer eUgnoivnesrtsaittey.,e du, 2012 65 to 70 13b 18.3 to 21.1 115°W 110°W 105°W 100°W 95°W 90°W 85°W 80°W 75°W Tools and Supplies adds nutrients and helps new plants to grow. It’s available in bags at garden stores, or you can make What do you need to get started? A few of the it yourself by following the directions to Make a basic tools and supplies you will need to do any Compost Bin on page 36. It’s always a good idea kind of gardening project are shown on page 9. to work some compost into the soil when you are Most of the projects in this book require at least a planting a new garden. Mixing a little compost in few of these items. Be sure to check out the You with potting soil is also good for potted plants. Will Need list for each project before you begin. If you have trouble finding a tool or an item, see the Tending the Garden list of Where to Find Supplies on page 47. As your garden grows, be sure to visit your plants each day. Do they look healthy? Do they Before You Begin need water? Does a tomato plant or an unruly vine need to be tied to a stake for support? Clip Talk to your mom, dad, or another adult at home off any flower blooms that have turned dry and about the project you plan to do and make brown, snip off any brown leaves, and keep your sure they approve of your plan. It would be garden tidy. disappointing to start a project only to discover 8
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