A Garden in Small Boxes

Key words

• balcony — a small outdoor space on the side of a building
• seed — a small thing you put in the ground to grow a plant
• soil — the brown earth where plants grow

Tip: Read the questions first. Then look for words in the text that help you find each answer.

Read

Maya lives in a flat with her grandfather. They have no garden, but their balcony gets lots of sun. One Saturday, Grandfather brings home three old wooden boxes. “Let's grow our lunch!” he says. They fill the boxes with soil. In two boxes, they plant tomato seeds. In the third, they plant carrots. Maya makes little signs with pictures of the vegetables. Every morning, Maya checks the soil. When it is dry, she waters the plants. After several weeks, she sees small green tomatoes. “Can we eat them now?” she asks. “Not yet. Let's wait until they're red,” Grandfather answers. Maya smiles. She already has a plan for their first tomato salad.

Questions

1. 1. Where do Maya and her grandfather grow their vegetables?

   At Maya's schoolInside their kitchenIn a large gardenOn their balcony

2. 2. What do they plant in the third box?

   FlowersPotatoesTomatoesCarrots

3. 3. When does Maya water the plants?

   Every evening after dinnerWhen the tomatoes are redWhen the soil is dryOnly on Saturdays

4. 4. Why must Maya wait before eating the tomatoes?

   Grandfather wants to sell them.They are still green.She has no time to make a salad.They belong to a neighbour.