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About This Quiz
Formally referred to as horticulture, gardening is the practice of growing and caring for plants from flowers to crop. Gardens may be grown on a commercial as well a recreational scale. Due to its relaxing nature, many individuals consider gardening to be more of a hobby than a job. Gardens may be grown at home or in separate dedicated areas.
Gardens grown on a larger scale are often for commercial purposes. Be it for the production of food, retail of flowers, sale of herbal medicines or simply for the use of a trail or touring site, large gardens can be very profitable to their owners.
Smaller home gardens are usually for the occupation of homeowners. Some individuals enjoy gardening for its fulfilling characteristics and others garden to beautify their landscapes and home exteriors. And still, some do it for the economical benefits of having homegrown food. In these cases, easy-to-care-for crops such as vegetables are often grown.
Homegrown gardens or residential gardens may be grown in several locations near or around the home. The question we're trying to answer is how much you know about the art of gardening. Will your flowers bloom flawlessly? Or will they wilt away with your hopes of passing this test?
Which of these is probably most critical to the success of your garden?
Fertilizer quality
Time spent
Money spent
Understanding your region
Many factors go into a successful garden. But if you plant the wrong things for your region, and the plants die in a frost or fail to thrive because the soil doesn't suit them, all your efforts are going to come to very little fruition.
What is the opposite of an annual plant?
Bimonthly
Eternal
Longevis
Perennial
A perennial plant will return and bloom year after year, if it's healthy. The opposite is an annual plant, which only matures and blooms once.
In what plant family are tomatoes?
Convolvulaceae
Iridaceae
Lamiaceae
Solanaceae
Solanaceae plants are often a tasty addition to Italian and Mediterranean dishes. Look to this family for your eggplants, peppers and potatoes, as well as the tomato.
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The Solanaceae family also contains which dangerous plants?
Belladonna
Henbane
Oleander
Both #1 and #2
The large Solanaceae family contains both these poisonous plants. Don't forget, too, the less-known but still dangerous Thorn Apple, and the tobacco plant -- which contains enough nicotine to be deadly if eaten instead of smoked.
True or false: Is home gardening a good way to save money on grocery bills?
True
False
Eh, maybe, but only if you're a veteran with a big garden
This is a common misconception about gardening: That it's a surefire way to save money on food. When you consider supplies and the cost of your time, the salads and veggie dishes you're able to make are likely to have been cheaper if you'd just bought the produce for them. The exception is someone with a large garden who has already acquired all the tools he or she will need and is experienced enough to garden in a time-efficient way.
Container and vertical gardening are ideal for the _______ gardener.
Cheap
Inexperienced
Hot-climate dwelling
Yard-less
No land? No problem! Just put some pots or barrels out on your balcony or the charming ten-by-ten concrete area many apartment dwellers have, and you're in business. If you've got the money, garden stores sell more complex structures for "vertical gardening."
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What other issue is greatly helped by vertical gardening?
Fruit/vegetable rot
Vertical gardening keeps fruit (like tomatoes or eggplants) from touching the ground and getting damp and rotten. In fact, tomatoes require structures to keep the bushes upright and the fruit off the ground. Some inventive gardeners even grow tomato bushes upside down in hanging pots.
Aphid infestation
Frost damage
Low yields
Which of these is NOT commonly thought of as a beneficial insect?
Ladybug
Praying mantis
Spider
Tomato hornworm
If you're a veggie gardener, it's likely you've seen one of these fat green guys on a leaf. They like tomatoes and its close cousins, like potatoes and eggplants.
Growing complementary vegetables together, like potatoes and corn, is called ________.
Crop rotation
Companion planting
One main reason for companion planting is that certain plants can attract beneficial insects the other plant needs. Other times, a plant will thrive in the shade a taller companion provides.
Inventive planting
Switching out
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A pH test will tell you if your soil is more acidic or _______.
Alkaline
The pH scale goes from 0 to 14. Many plants thrive in the 5.0 - 7.5 range. Testing kits can be found at home and garden stores.
Pyridic
Polymeric
Sulfuric
True or false: Homegrown vegetables are healthier than ones bought at a store.
True
False
The nutritional quality of your garden produce will depend on a variety of factors, especially the quality of the soil you grow them in. But in general, it's hard for a home gardener to compete with the expertise and resources that professional farmers bring to their work. The average farmer has a four-year degree in agricultural science and knows a great deal about soil enrichment, crop rotation, fertilization, and so on.
The brassicas are what family of plants?
Beans
Cabbages
The brassica family are cabbages. It includes turnips, broccoli, and some flowers, like alyssum.
Citrus
Roses
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Which of these is essential for photosynthesis?
Albumin
Magnesium
Nitrogen
To make energy from sunlight, plants need nitrogen. Delayed blooming and yellowing leaves are a sign of nitrogen-depleted soil.
Sodium Bicarbonate
What do you call the little white or brown bugs often found on the underside of leaves?
Aphids
Aphids are one of the most common garden pests. But they can be hard to miss if you're not looking for them, as aphids are quite small and hang out of the underside of leaves. Fortunately, they hang out together -- so if you turn a leaf over, it's easy to spot the mass of them there.
Boomslangs
Lacewings
Slugs
Which of these is a natural enemy of the aphid?
Deer
Ladybugs
By "natural enemy" we mean uses them for food. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, a ladybug larva can eat up to 40 aphids an hour.
Dogs
Tomato Hornworms
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Which of these flowers attracts aphids?
Bird-of-paradise
Calla lily
Nasturtiums
Though aphids will settle on a variety of plants, they're known for liking the nasturtium. For this reason, planting nasturtiums among your vegetables will draw aphids away -- and provide a splash of color to your garden.
Jasmine
What makes a beneficial insect beneficial?
It eats harmful insects
It pollinates garden plants
It fertilizes the garden with its waste
Both #1 and #2
Of course, insects don't create enough waste to make a dent in your garden fertilizing. But they do pollinate plants, and the hunters will eat bugs that might harm your garden plants. Don't look at all bugs as enemies!
Which of these is a true root vegetable?
Carrot
Gardeners and cooks tend to define "root vegetable" broadly. But of the above, only the carrot is a true root vegetable. Taro root is a "corm," while ginger is a rhizome.
Ginger
Taro root
Both #1 and #2
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Where is the humble carrot believed to have originated?
Central Europe
The Middle East
It's thought that the carrot originated in the region of Afghanistan. That's one reason it's easy to grow. Something that will grow in that harsh desert climate isn't difficult to make thrive elsewhere.
Lower South America
Upper North America
Which of these is an example of a legume?
Crabapple
Jerusalem artichoke
Snow pea
Beans and peas are a large part of the legume family. They're also fairly easy for an inexperienced gardener to grow, making them a favorite.
Sunflower
The Lamiaceae (or Labiaceae) family contains which plants?
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
All of these
All but #1
Yes, it's true: Simon & Garfunkel just missed singing about the Lamiaceae family by one herb. Parsley is part of the Apiaceae family.
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What is "hardening off"?
Toughening up indoor seedlings before planting them outdoors
Seedlings can die when abruptly transferred to outdoor conditions. Giving them several hours a day outdoors, fertilizing less, and withholding water are all ways to prepare them for the transition.
Making a barrier of rocks against snails and slugs
Pruning plants using the edge of a spade
I don't talk about that in polite company
What is "vernalizing"?
Keeping your garden going all winter
Letting bulbs get cold so they'll bloom in the spring
Flowers that grow from bulbs won't bloom if they don't go through a cold, winter-like period first. Gardeners in warm climates chill them in refrigerators. It's not nice to fool Mother Nature, but sometimes you have to!
Planting at the first sign of spring
Using "Old Vern's" pesticide spray
Turning kitchen scraps into soil amendment is called ________.
Composting
Many gardeners keep compost bins in the kitchen, where they throw fruit and vegetable peelings. Over time, kitchen waste can become a valuable addition to garden soil.
Fertilizing
Emending
Spatchcocking
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Good compost is a mix of what two "colors"?
"Reds" and "blues"
"Blacks" and "whites"
"Browns" and "greens"
"Brown compost" and "green compost" don't always refer to colors. "Green" compost is organic/food material like plant clippings, vegetable and fruit peelings, and coffee grounds. "Brown" is inorganic, like newspaper and old cardboard. A good compost is a balance of these two categories.
"Grays" and "creams"
If you see spreading white spots on a leaf, you have probably have ______.
A poorly-fertilized plant
Too much shade overhead
Powdery mildew
Powdery mildew occurs most often in hot, humid climates. You might be able to fight it with a solution of baking soda and water, but a fungicide might be necessary.
Water damage
Pinching off the remnants of dead flowers is called _______.
Deadheading
Plants like roses need frequent deadheading to encourage new growth. The practice is akin to, but less invasive than, pruning.
Culling
Shearing
Tracking
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Which of these likes to eat roses?
Children
Deer
Deer are the enemy of many a rose garden, and the thorns don't necessarily deter them. Be prepared for city-dwelling visitors to say, "Ohh, they're so beautiful! Don't scare them away!"
Dogs
Cats
Which of these is NOT a good deterrent to deer?
Fences
Foul-tasting sprays on plants, nets over them, and noisemakers in the garden all can keep deer away. Fences rarely do: Deer are world-class jumpers.
Netting
Noisemakers
Sprays like Tabasco-and-water mixes
What is mulch?
An inorganic fertilizer
An organic pesticide
A decorative moss
A substance laid over soil to retain moisture and prevent weeds
If you have a lawn, you're probably familiar with mulching. Often, but not always, mulch is an organic material like grass or leaves, so that as it breaks down, it enriches the soil.
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What is greywater?
Water from local streams and lakes
Water enriched with nitrogen
Water conserved from household use
Gardeners in areas where water is scarce often use greywater in the garden. If you try it, be careful not to use water that's been used in preparing meat or dairy foods, as this can be harmful to plants.
A kind of plant food
Why do people use coffee grounds in gardening?
It feeds earthworms
It repels slugs and snails
It adds nitrogen to the soil
All of these
Just #1 and #2
This was a tricky one. Coffee doesn't automatically add nitrogen to soil, though it can help as part of a well-balanced compost.
What is a common mistake gardeners make when planting poppies?
Burying them under the soil
Poppies do not usually bloom if they are planted in a traditional way, with soil covering them. They need to rest on the surface of the soil. This is why they're known for growing on battlefields. The fighting disturbed the earth and turned up dormant poppy seeds, which then grew and blossomed.
Overwatering
Overfertilizing
Thinning them too soon
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Which of these insecticides is made from plants in the Chrysanthemum family?
Copper Sulfate
Anabasine
Pyrethrum
Pyrethrum or pyrethrin is made from flowers in this family, many of which resemble daisies. Though considered one of the least ecologically harmful insecticides, this does not make it automatically harmless to humans. Care should always be exercised when handling pesticides.
Rotenone
How much did the largest pumpkin on record weigh?
47 pounds
423 pounds
1,515 pounds
2,624 pounds
We mention this pumpkin as a way of reminding you that while pumpkins are fun to grow, they are a resource-intensive crop. They need plenty of fertilizer and water to get to a pleasingly large size and bright orange color.
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