Science & Nature
EasyGardening Crossword: In the Garden
Category: Science & NatureDifficulty: Easy14 × 12
Tuesday, September 1
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Enter one letter per square. Answers run Across or Down. Omit spaces and accents; any special spelling convention is stated in the clue. This is a freeform themed grid, so some letters are not crossed.
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About This Theme
You do not need a large garden to recognize the answers in this puzzle. A windowsill plant, a packet of seeds or a little experience with a watering can will help. The grid combines plant parts with common gardening tools and materials. Watch whether the clue describes something a plant grows or something a gardener uses. Those everyday distinctions create useful starting points, especially when a longer answer crosses one of the simpler words.
Clues
Across
- 2Decomposed organic material used to improve soil (7)
- 5Long-handled tool used to gather fallen leaves (4)
- 6One of a flower’s often colorful parts (5)
- 7Plant organs that usually do most photosynthesis (6)
- 8Plant structure that supports leaves and flowers (4)
- 10Young plant that has recently grown from a seed (8)
Down
- 1Plant parts that commonly anchor it in soil (5)
- 3Powdery material transferred in plant pollination (6)
- 4Small hand tool used for digging planting holes (6)
- 6Trim a plant by removing selected growth (5)
- 8Plant structure containing an embryo (4)
- 9Material spread over soil as a protective covering (5)
Answers and Explanations
After Your Solve
The theme follows a plant from its beginnings through its care. SEED and SEEDLING describe different stages, while ROOTS, STEM and LEAVES describe parts with different jobs. MULCH and COMPOST can both be used in a garden but are not interchangeable terms: one describes a protective covering, while the other describes decomposed organic material. That distinction helps explain why the clue wording matters. A correct answer should fit the function described, not simply belong to the general subject of gardening.
- 2 acrossCOMPOST
Compost is made through decomposition.
- 5 acrossRAKE
A rake’s teeth gather or level loose material.
- 6 acrossPETAL
Petals are distinct from the flower’s reproductive organs.
- 7 acrossLEAVES
Leaves commonly capture light for photosynthesis.
- 8 acrossSTEM
A stem connects and supports aboveground growth in many plants.
- 10 acrossSEEDLING
A seedling is a growth stage rather than a plant species.
- 1 downROOTS
Roots also take up water and nutrients.
- 3 downPOLLEN
Pollen carries the male reproductive cells of seed plants.
- 4 downTROWEL
A trowel is useful for close, small-scale work.
- 6 downPRUNE
Pruning is selective cutting.
- 8 downSEED
A seed can develop into a new plant under suitable conditions.
- 9 downMULCH
Mulch describes a covering rather than a single ingredient.
Further Reading
- Theme referenceextension.umn.edu
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