Part 2 — Answer key

Compare your answers after you have finished Part 1.

1. Most vegetables and flowers grow best in locations that receive at least six hours of direct sunlight per day.
   True
2. Which sign usually tells you that loose-leaf lettuce is ready to harvest for salads?
   Outer leaves are large, tender, and still taste mild
3. You want a flower border that comes back year after year without replanting. Which type of plant should you focus on choosing?
   Perennials
4. Watering a garden lightly every day encourages plants to develop deep, drought-resistant roots.
   False
5. Last year you grew tomatoes in one raised bed and had some disease issues. To practice simple crop rotation this year, what is a better crop to plant in that same bed?
   Bush beans
6. You want to remove spent rose blooms cleanly to encourage more flowers. Which hand tool is best suited to this task?
   Hand pruners
7. Many beneficial insects, such as lady beetles and lacewings, help control aphids in vegetable and flower gardens.
   True
8. You started tomato seeds indoors and the seedlings look healthy. A week before planting them outside, what is the best next step to help them thrive in the garden?
   Gradually expose the seedlings to outdoor conditions for a few hours each day
9. Your garden soil is heavy clay, and after rain, water sits on the surface for a long time. What is the best long-term way to improve drainage?
   Incorporate plenty of organic matter such as compost
10. Most root crops such as carrots and radishes grow best in loose, stone-free soil.
    True
11. You are designing a flower bed to support pollinators from spring through fall. Which planting strategy will best provide continuous food for them?
    Combine plants with staggered bloom times across the seasons
12. You discover small green caterpillars chewing holes in your cabbage leaves. You prefer an organic control that targets caterpillars without harming most beneficial insects. What should you use?
    Apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to the affected plants
13. Arrange these steps in the best order for creating a new in-ground garden bed from an existing patch of lawn.
    Correct order: Choose a suitable garden site → Assess soil and light conditions → Remove existing grass and weeds → Add and mix in compost or other amendments → Plant and water the new bed
14. A soil test shows your garden soil has a pH of 7.8, but you want to grow blueberries that prefer acidic conditions. What is the most appropriate strategy?
    Amend the planting area with elemental sulfur to lower the pH
15. You installed drip irrigation for your tomato bed in a hot, dry climate. Which watering schedule will usually give the best balance of plant health and water efficiency?
    Water deeply every few days in the early morning
16. You direct-seeded carrots in a hot, dry climate, but very few seeds sprouted. Next time, what practice is most likely to improve germination?
    Cover the seed row with a board or fabric to keep the surface moist until sprouting
17. A container gardener notices that when she waters, water runs down the sides of the pot and out the bottom while the center potting mix stays dry and pulled away from the pot. What is the most effective first step to re-wet this hydrophobic soil?
    Submerge the entire pot in a tub of water until bubbles stop
18. All hydrangea varieties can have their flower color changed from pink to blue simply by adding aluminum sulfate to the soil.
    False