2. Mrs. Weems’ 3 rd Grade Class

3. The Sun Over the Garden By Haley Wurst The sun is shining brightly Calling the plants to grow Taking care of them Like a mother Shinning until a cloud comes by Or the moon shoots into the sky. Fruit By Haley Wurst F oods that are healthy R oots growing under them U nder the sun, sprouting, growing I nsects like bees pollinate them T hriving from both sun and rain

4. Is for agriculture which means cultivating the soil and producing crops. These are just some of the fruits and vegetables we grow in Michigan: apples, tomatoes, corn, green beans, and asparagus. Agriculture is not just about growing crops but also about preparing the soil, planting, watering, spraying, harvesting, and weeding. By Tommy

5. Grown in the summer, blueberries are sweet, juicy, and really tasty. Michigan farmers grow one third of all blueberries in the United States. That’s 64 million pounds of blueberries a year! Blueberries are very healthy and contain fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants which helps to protect the body against disease. By Robert and Nathan

7. D is for having diversity in your garden and your diet. It is important to plant and eat many different types of fruits and vegetables. You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health and no single food can supply them all. Make sure that you eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. By: Tre’ and Emmett

8. The Environment is the place around us. We need to take care of the Environment or else the Earth will become polluted. We can help protect our environment by recycling, composting, and not dumping chemicals into the ground, water, or air. Our Environment determines what types of fruits and vegetables we can grow in our backyard. By Morgan and Payten

9. Most plants produce flowers. Pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, squash, peppers, and melons all make flowers. Some of these flowers are edible. The flower is the part of the plant that makes seeds. By Reese

10. The green bean was first found in prehistoric times. The green bean emerges from a white blossom. The green bean plant will grow a second bloom were the first one was. The green bean hangs down underneath its leaves because it’s so heavy. G is for Green Bean By Joseph

11. H is for Harvest To harvest means to gather crops when they are ripe and ready to eat. Some crops in Michigan are ready to harvested in mid spring like asparagus and some lettuces. Strawberries are harvested closer to Father’s Day in June. Michigan blueberries are harvested in the summer and Michigan apples and pumpkins are harvested in the fall. By Joey

12. Gardens are very important because they are nutritious. I love gardens because they are helpful to us and they make our bodies healthy. Gardens can be great for the environment. By Reese and Lauren

13. By Emmett, Tre’, and Ajay

14. Kale is a relative of cabbage. It can be green or purple. Kale is considered to be the most nutritious vegetable in the universe with extremely powerful antioxidant properties. Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, and rich in calcium. beta carotenevitamin Kvitamin Cluteincalcium By Megan and Mrs. Weems

15. Red Romaine lettuce By Payten and Morgan

16. M is for Minerals M is for minerals that are found in food. Just like vitamins, minerals help your body grow, develop, and stay healthy. Small amounts of some minerals are found in foods. Minerals includes iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride, selenium, calcium, and potassium. By Emmett

17. Nectarines are very nutritious and are a good source of fiber and vitamin C. When nectarines are ripe you can use them in salad or eat them alone. Nectarines are red and a bit yellow and taste somewhat like peaches. By Lauren

19. Pesticides are what we spray on our plants to get rid of bugs and other pests. Did you know that pesticides can be harmful to our bodies? Pesticides are linked to diseases like cancer. Pesticides P ests E at Crops S prayed on T omato plants Insecticides C an harm good Insects and cause D iseases and Even S ickness Pesticides are chemicals that are sprayed on plants to get rid of insects like tomato bugs and Japanese bugs. By: Ashley Galli Megan and Amanda Pesticides can be good and bad for farmers to use. They get rid of the bugs that eat their plants and crops however if ingested by humans they can cause health issues.

20. Most people think quinoa is a grain, but it is actually a protein rich seed and is a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. It is considered “The Gold of the Incas.” By: Teddy, Grant and Diego

21. By Nathan, Robert, and Diego

22. By: Dani, Katelyn, and Elli By Elli, Dani, and Katelyn

23. T is for tomato T omatoes can be yellow, red, pink, orange, and green. Most people think a tomato is a vegetable bet it really is a fruit. You should plant your tomatoes seeds in late spring in full sun. You can make soup, sauces, and ketchup out of Tomatoes. By Ashley Gilbert

25. There are eight different groups of vegetables such as leaf, bulb, flower bud, root, tuber, stem, fruit, and seed. Vegetables come in many different shapes and sizes. Did you know that some potatoes can be blue and some string beans are purple. About one third of the vegetables grown in the United States come from California. By Reese and Lizzie

26. Worms are great for gardens. You can make a compost bin with worms in it to get rich soil for your garden. You need some worms (you can get them online, in a catalog, or at a bait shop), a plastic bin, a sprinkling can, soil, and table scraps(don’t use meat, eggs, colored newspaper, or fish). First put some soil in the bottom of the bin. Next, add the worms. Once the worms are in the bin, add a little more soil, then put in the table scraps. Every day or so, sprinkle some water in the bin with the watering can. In a couple of days, you will have very rich soil. Add some in your garden, it is good for the plants. By Lizzie

27. X is for Xeriscaping which helps save water. It referes to landscaping and gardening in a way to reduce or eliminate the need to use extra water. By Diego, Grant, and Teddy

28. Y is for Yams Yams originated in Mexico. Over the years, yams began to show up in South America and Polynesia. Several varieties of yams are common: red, yellow, white and brown. Today in the South Pacific and Asia yams are an important source of food because the roots are high in vitamins. Many people in New Guinea eat yams as their main meal. By Katelyn, Elli, and Dani

29. Z is for zucchini. Zucchini grows on a ground vine that has large leaves. Its stems are thicker and its leaves are larger than those of the cucumber. The zucchini grows from the zucchini flower. By Austin

30. My Garden By Haley Wurst In my garden I have, Fruits and Veggies, Flowers and Grains, And trees and bushes. To grow them, I water and weed, I weed and water, And finally… I harvest and eat. Sleeping Sunflowers By Haley Wurst It’s night and the sunflowers are sleeping In the morning they will follow the sun But now it’s night and the sunflowers are sleeping, I n the morning, they will stand tall on big stems, But now it’s night and the sunflowers are sleeping Hanging under the moon.