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Gardening word search

Sixteen words from the potting bench and the raised bed: trowel, pruners, kneeler, compost, mulch, seedlings, perennials, tulips and zinnias.

Words read only across and down, on an 11 by 11 grid, so it suits a first try at large print puzzles or a quick one with coffee.

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Prints on US letter paper: the puzzle page, then the answer key on its own page (2 pages in all). In the print window, choose your printer, or Save as PDF to keep a copy.

Solving tips

Look for the rare letters first: a Z, Q, J, X or K is easy to spot in big print. Then circle the long words, which cross more of the grid. Every letter belongs to a word or to the hidden saying, so the uncircled letters left at the end are the saying, in order.

In this grid, 9 words read across, 7 words down and 0 words diagonally, and none read backward. The longest is Perennials and the shortest is Hoe, which hides best: look for it last.

About the words

During both world wars, Americans were encouraged to plant “victory gardens” in yards, vacant lots and parks, to grow vegetables and ease pressure on the food supply. Millions of households took part, and many kept gardening after the war ended.

Basil: Basil is an herb in the mint family, native to tropical Asia. Its fragrant leaves are the main ingredient in pesto, and it grows best in warm, sunny weather.
Compost: Compost is made when kitchen scraps, leaves and grass clippings break down over months into dark, crumbly material. Gardeners mix it into soil to feed plants.
Gloves: Garden gloves protect hands from thorns, splinters and dirt. They come in leather, cotton and coated fabric, and a snug fit makes it easier to handle small tools.
Hoe: The hoe is one of the oldest farm tools. A flat blade on a long handle is pushed or pulled just below the surface to cut weeds and loosen the soil.
Hose: A garden hose carries water from the spigot to the beds. Many gardeners attach a spray nozzle that can switch between a gentle shower and a stronger jet.
Kneeler: A garden kneeler is a padded pad or a bench that flips over to become a seat. It spares knees during long stretches of planting and weeding.
Mulch: Mulch is a layer of bark, straw, shredded leaves or wood chips spread over bare soil. It holds in moisture, evens out soil temperature and keeps many weeds from sprouting.
Perennials: Perennials live for several years, dying back in winter and returning in spring from the same roots. Annuals, in contrast, complete their life in a single season.
Pruners: Hand pruners, also called secateurs, snip stems and small branches. Bypass pruners work like scissors, with two blades sliding past each other for a clean cut.
Raised bed: A raised bed is a box or frame filled with soil above ground level. The soil warms sooner in spring, drains well, and the plants are closer to hand.
Seedlings: A seedling is a young plant that has recently sprouted. Gardeners often start them indoors and then gradually accustom them to the outdoors before planting them in the garden.
Trellis: A trellis is a frame of wood, wire or lattice that supports climbing plants such as peas, pole beans, clematis and sweet peas, lifting them off the ground.
Trowel: A trowel is a small hand shovel with a pointed blade, made for digging planting holes, lifting seedlings and moving small amounts of soil.
Tulips: Tulips are native to central Asia and were prized in the Ottoman Empire. In the 1630s, Dutch buyers drove bulb prices to extraordinary heights in an episode called tulip mania.
Weeding: A weed is simply a plant growing where it is not wanted. Pulling them after rain, when the soil is soft, makes it easier to get the whole root.
Zinnias: Zinnias are bright, easy annuals native to Mexico and the southwestern United States, named for German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn. In 2016, astronauts grew them aboard the International Space Station.

The hidden saying (no peeking until you have found every word): The proverb means that you get out what you put in. The idea is ancient, and a close version appears in the New Testament letter to the Galatians, which says that whatever one sows, one will also reap.

Prefer a screen? Cottage Word Search is the same kind of puzzle to play free in your browser, with hints and saved progress.

Gardening word search