Reading comprehension worksheet for Grade 4 students on growing food at home, featuring questions about container gardens and plant propagation.

Let’s go through each question one by one, using the text to find the answers.

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Question 1: What is a container garden?

Look at the first paragraph. It says:
> “Many popular produce items can be easily and inexpensively grown at home, either right in the ground or in a container garden (plants in pots).”

So, a container garden means growing plants in pots — not directly in the ground.

✔ Answer: A container garden is when you grow plants in pots instead of in the ground.

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Question 2: What are the two different ways you can get vegetable plants to grow in your back yard?

Read the second part of the paragraph:
> “So do any kinds of beans, as well as cucumbers and both summer and winter squash. Many backyard gardeners purchase transplants of things that take longer to mature... Transplants means that the seeds are planted in small containers during the later winter months... The young plants are then shipped to garden centers where they can be purchased...”

Also earlier it says:
> “plant the seeds directly into the soil.”

So the two ways are:
1. Planting seeds directly in the soil.
2. Buying transplants (young plants already started) from garden centers.

✔ Answer: You can either plant seeds directly in the soil OR buy transplants (young plants) from garden centers.

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Question 3: Circle which vegetable(s) are easy to grow from seed.

The text says:
> “Greens like lettuce, arugula, and spinach grow very well when you plant the seeds directly into the soil. So do any kinds of beans, as well as cucumbers and both summer and winter squash.”

So these are easy to grow from seed: lettuce, arugula, spinach, beans, cucumbers, squashes.

Now look at the options given:
- lettuce → YES (mentioned)
- tomatoes → NO (it says tomatoes are bought as transplants)
- squashes → YES (summer and winter squash are mentioned)

✔ Circle: lettuce and squashes

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Question 4: Circle the vegetable(s) often bought as transplants.

Text says:
> “Many backyard gardeners purchase transplants of things that take longer to mature and produce fruit, such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.”

So tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are bought as transplants.

Options given:
- arugula → NO (easy from seed)
- eggplant → YES (listed as transplant)
- beans → NO (easy from seed)

✔ Circle: eggplant

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Final Answer:

1. A container garden is when you grow plants in pots instead of in the ground.
2. You can either plant seeds directly in the soil OR buy transplants (young plants) from garden centers.
3. Circle: lettuce, squashes
4. Circle: eggplant