Spring Sprouts (5 page)

“Just take one small bite next time,” said Mrs. Duff, washing the radishes. She put them in a glass of cold water. “Water makes them crisp,” she said.

“I hate radishes!” cried Molly. “They’re dumb!”

Mrs. Duff looked surprised as Molly ran out of the kitchen.

“W
hat vegetable has vitamin A and is good for your eyes?” asked Roger at the Pee Wee Scout meeting on Tuesday.

“Broccoli,” said Mary Beth.

“Beans?” said Kenny.

Roger shook his head. “Give up?”

“Peaches?” said Tim.

“Ho, ho,” said Roger.

“Peaches are fruit,” said Rachel.

“Give up? Give up?” Roger jumped up and down.

The Pee Wees gave up.

“Carrots!” blurted out Roger proudly. “You never saw Bugs Bunny with glasses on, did you?”

The Scouts groaned.

“That’s a good nutrition joke, Roger,” said Mrs. Peters, laughing.

“Thank you,” said Roger.

All the Pee Wees were wearing their new EAT RIGHT badges.

All except Molly.

“Any good deeds to report this week?” asked Mrs. Peters.

Hands went up.

“How come you don’t have your badge yet?” whispered Lisa to Molly.

“I don’t want one,” Molly lied.

“You do too,” said Mary Beth. “You
must have radishes by now. Did you pull them up and look?”

“Pull them up?” repeated Molly.

Mary Beth nodded. “Pull them up and see how big they are,” she said. “Knock the dirt off. Some of mine are real little, but some are big. I had to pull up all of them to find the biggest one.”

“No kidding?” said Molly. She stood up and said, “I’ll be right back,” to Mrs. Peters.

Then she ran outside and down the street as fast as she could. She ran to her backyard. To her garden. Then she did what Mary Beth had told her to do.

She yanked a plant out of the soft dirt. On the bottom of the plant, with lots of dirt still on it, was a giant red radish.

“Rat’s knees!” Molly said out loud. “No one told me radishes were under the
ground! I thought they grew on the branches like little apples!”

Molly went into the house and washed her radish. She popped it into a plastic bag and ran back to Mrs. Peters’s house. She was all out of breath when she got there.

The Scouts had finished talking about good deeds. Now they were drawing and cutting something out of paper.

Molly waved her plastic bag. “Look!” She handed the radish to Mrs. Peters.

“Oh, Molly! I wondered why you ran off so fast,” Mrs. Peters said.

“It looks like she got a call from her garden,” said Roger, with a laugh. “An emergency call. Dr. Duff to the rescue!”

Molly frowned at Roger. She would never let Roger know about her big mistake. That she had radishes all the time and never knew it!

Mrs. Peters took the radish out of the bag. “Molly, this is the biggest radish I ever saw.”

Kevin gave a long, low whistle. “It’s a monster!” he said.

“It’s not fair,” said Tracy. “Molly’s radish was in the ground longer. It had more time to grow.”

“Well,” said Mrs. Peters, “that was very clever of Molly to let her radishes grow longer. It is the biggest radish in our troop. It may even be a winner at the fair this year. Molly, you have a real green thumb.”

Molly beamed. She felt good. Mrs.
Peters pinned her badge on her Pee Wee Scout kerchief.

“Molly’s radish was the last one,” said Mrs. Peters. “But it turned out to be the best one.”

Molly sat down beside Mary Beth.

“I wish I’d waited longer to pull mine up,” said Mary Beth.

“Please don’t tell my secret,” said Molly.

“You can always trust a Pee Wee Scout,” said Mary Beth, with a smile.

Roger walked over to the girls. “What’s the best thing you can put in a pumpkin pie?”

“Pumpkin?” said Mary Beth.

“Your teeth!” said Roger. Then he laughed at his own joke.

Molly didn’t mind, though. She was glad to have her new badge.

And she was glad to have friends who were Pee Wee Scouts.

In
Spring Sprouts
, the Pee Wee Scouts discover that they have “green thumbs.” That means they are good at taking care of plants.

Do you have a green thumb, too? Here are some activities to help you find out!

Start a container vegetable garden.

Most plants only need four things: sunlight, water, soil, and tender care. You don’t even need a backyard to grow plants of your own. Instead, use a box or another container that you can leave on a porch or windowsill.

You can buy a container or make one. Almost anything that holds soil will work. It’s a great way to reuse old soda bottles or milk cartons!

Ask an adult to cut or drill a few holes
near the bottom of the container so that extra water can flow out. Then visit a gardening store to buy some seeds.

Your parents can help you decide which plants will work best for your garden, but plum tomatoes, radishes, zucchini, onions, lettuce, and short types of carrots are good choices. These plants usually grow fast, and they are small enough for most containers. Best of all, your family might be able to make a meal using food you’ve grown all by yourself!

Press your favorite flowers.

You can plant flowers in your garden, too. But they may only bloom for a short time.
Fortunately, there is a way to enjoy your favorite flowers all year long.

All you need are a sheet of paper, some heavy books, and a cut flower. If you want to use a flower from someone else’s yard, make sure you ask first!

Once you have a flower, lay it flat on a sheet of paper. Newspaper works well. Fold the paper over so the flower is totally covered on both the top and the bottom. Now place the covered flower in the middle of a large book such as a dictionary or a phone book. Close the book gently. Then add a few more heavy books on top.

In only three or four days, you’ll have a dried flower that won’t wilt or lose its color. You can keep it forever. Even better, you can give it as a gift.

Bug your neighbors!

Even if you like bugs more than plants, you can still make the world a greener place.