Vegie Patch Planner

Spring had come to the farm. "Time to plant the vegie patch!" said Suzy.

Little Thunder carried a tray of seedlings. "Where do they go?"

"In neat rows," said Spike. "That way every plant gets sun and water."

They planted four rows of lettuce, with three lettuces in each row.

Little Thunder counted. "Three, six, nine, twelve. Twelve lettuces!"

"That's called an array," said Suzy. "Rows and columns, all lined up."

Next came the carrots: two rows of five. "Ten carrots," said Spike.

But the beetroot seeds had sprouted far too close together. They were squashed like sardines.

"They can't grow if they're crowded," said Suzy. "We need to thin them out."

Little Thunder carefully pulled out every second tiny beetroot. "Now each one has room to grow big and round."

They watered every row. The tomatoes climbed up their stakes, and a bee buzzed by.

"In a few weeks," said Spike, "we'll have a salad."

Little Thunder licked his lips. "I'll bring the bowl!"