Can you believe it’s officially winter? The weather has cooled off leaving lots of time for inside family fun. What do you like to do as a family, besides eat delicious treats this time of year? My family loves to play games together!

Speaking of games, did you know True Leaf Market carries several garden themed games? What are you waiting for? These games have been hand-picked for the vegetable and garden, game-lovers in your life. Whether it be the fast paced action of Abandon All Artichokes, the skillful play of Umbra Via, the thinking and engaging creativity of Miyabi, or the strategizing of Cellulose, these games are sure to give you and your loved ones hours of fun during these too-cold-and-dreary-to-garden winter months.

In the meantime, let’s have some fun and see how much you know about gardening, produce, pests, plant anatomy, microgreens, sprouts, and how to make them grow. At the end of this post you will find the correct answers along with more information on each topic.

Answer 0-5 correct: You’re a Beginner Gardener

Answer 6-10 correct: You’re a Proficient Gardener

Answer 11-15 correct: You’re an Expert Gardener

Garden Trivia Quiz

1. Which of the following is not an accurate level of sun exposure for plants?

• A - Full Sun
• B - Part Sun/Part Shade
• C - Full Shade
• D - Dark

2. What comes first, a true leaf or cotyledon?

3. What does the P on NPK of fertilizer stand for?

• A - Potassium
• B - Phosphorous
• C - Photosynthesis
• D - Pre-packed

4. Which of the following insects are often considered to be pests as they cause damage and feed on garden plants?

• A - Bees
• B - Mosquitoes
• C - Aphids
• D - Lady Beetles

5. Do seeds expire? Yes or No.

6. Which of the following is not a winter vegetable?

• A - Tomato
• B - Brussel Sprouts
• C - Kale
• D - Carrots

7. True or False: To avoid blossom end rot (black bottomed tomatoes), maintain a consistent watering plan.

8. Which of the following increases germination rates for spring planting?

• A - Cold Stratification
• B - Heat Stratification
• C - Scarification
• D - Inoculation
• E - All of the above

9. Which of the following would be considered a good cover crop?

• A - Alfalfa
• B - Hairy Vetch
• C - Rye
• D - All of the above

10. True or False: Sprouts are less nutritious than their mature plants.

11. True or False: The types of weeds growing in your soil can teach you about your soil health.

12. Which type of tomato plant produces vines continuously until the frost kills the plant?

• A - Determinate
• B - Indeterminate

13. Which of the following is NOT a cause of bolting?

• A - Over Watering
• B - Overexposure to Sunlight
• C - Poor Soil and Root Disturbance
• D - Warm Soil

14. True or False: Having a lot of worms in your soil is an indication of poor soil health.

15. Which variety of microgreens are known to boasts 4 times the cancer-fighting antioxidants as found at maturity?

• A - Radish
• B - Arugula
• C - Kale
• D - Broccoli

Garden Themed Family Games

Abandon All Artichokes: 2-4 Players; 15 Minutes; Prune your deck by harvesting fresh vegetables, each with a special power that lets you swap, discard, or compost cards. You’ll need luck, strategy, and a green thumb to grow a winning hand!

Cellulose: 1-5 Players; 45-90 Minutes; compete over limited resources in order to undergo photosynthesis, produce carbohydrates, and build the cell wall to score points.

Umbra Via: 2-4 Players; 30-45 Minutes; compete to control and complete the most cunning paths. Reach into your bag to select the wooden flowers, then place them on your secret board in the order of the paths you most want.

Miyabi: 2-4 Players; 60 Minutes; Skillfully design your Japanese garden by placing pagodas, ponds, trees, bushes, stones and other garden decor. The player with the most objects in their garden wins. A straight forward game that is easy to learn and play, and is suitable for younger children of age 8 and up.

Verdant: 1-5 Players; 45 Minutes; Collect, care for and arrange house plants to create the most verdant home. A competitive spatial puzzle game where you earn points by providing your house plants with their ideal conditions and coordinating with furiture, pets and more.

Garden Trivia Quiz Answers

1. 1. D. Dark. Knowing the sun exposure in your growing space is an important part of planning your garden. Planting according to your plant’s sun needs can help ensure its growing success. You may want to consider creating a sun map for your garden space to guide you in what and where to plant.
2. 2. Cotyledons are the seed leaves of plants, the first leaves to emerge after germination. These leaves develop from the stored energy in seeds.This is why sprouts are so beneficial and nutrient-dense compared to mature plants. True leaves are the foliage leaves of plants and come after cotyledons. There should be 3-4 true leaves developed before transplanting seedlings.
3. 3. B. Phosphorus. These three bold numbers found on fertilizer labeling represent how much N-P-K (always listed in that order) is in the fertilizer. N is Nitrogen, P is Phosphorus, and K is Potassium. Each major ingredient has a different effect on plants. Nitrogen encourages leaf growth. Phosphorus helps with flower, fruit growth, and root development. Potassium increases the overall quality of the plant, increases yields, and improves its ability to fight disease.
4. 4. C. Aphids. Aphids are a common pest to gardens and can be naturally controlled by introducing ladybugs to your plants. Learn more about garden pests and how to control them on our Pest Guide.
5. 5. No. Seeds do not expire. If they are stored properly they can last for many years. There are actually seed banks around the world to preserve plant species by storing their seeds. Learn more about the lifespan of seeds and how to save them to make the most of your seeds.
6. 6. A. Tomato. Check out some ideas of winter vegetables to grow in your garden.
7. 7. True. Blossom end rot is caused by a calcium imbalance in the plant and can be corrected by removing affected fruit and sticking to a consistent watering plan. To learn about other common issues facing tomato plants and what to do about them check out our article, "How to Identify, Control, Treat, or Troubleshoot Tomato Plant Problems".
8. 8. E. All of the above. Learning more about stratification and the benefits of this process can help you see better germination rates.
9. 9. D. All of the above. Cover crops are an excellent way to regenerate soil health, restoring necessary nutrients to the soil. Good soil reduces erosion, improves nutrient cycling, maximizes water efficiency, and ultimately helps plants to thrive. Check out our complete selection of cover crop seeds to get started.
10. 10. False. There are more nutrients found in the seed sprouts of many plants than in the mature vegetables of the same plant. Learn more about specific nutrients and health benefits common to sprouts and microgreens.
11. 11. True. Believe it or not, weeds can be beneficial because they tell you about your soil and overall garden health. But that doesn’t mean you should let weeds stick around. Check out this post about weeding for a better garden.
12. 12. B. Indeterminate. Indeterminate plants are larger and require staking. The vines of indeterminate plants produce fruit throughout the growing season. Determinate plants are smaller and produce their fruit all at once making them more desirable for canning in large batches. Their vines stop growing once flowers develop. Indeterminate tomato plants are preferred by farmers markets and those who want a harvest throughout the growing season. Your desired use may determine which variety of tomato plant you want to plant in your garden. We have many varieties of each to choose from.
13. 13. A. Overwatering. Bolting is when plants with temperature sensitive roots like broccoli, cabbage, leafy greens, onions, peas, and herbs become stressed setting flowers and going to seed early. Heat is the most common reason for this, though cool temperatures may also trigger this response in some plants. The plant becomes more concerned with its longevity than surviving through the temperatures. To prevent bolting, we recommend direct sowing your seeds at the correct time for the season and in an area with blotted shade. Cover your soil in mulch to keep it from getting too hot. Water regularly, especially during high heat. Look for bolt-resistant varieties of seeds. Once your plant begins to bolt, unfortunately there’s not much you can do to stop it.
14. 14. False. Worms are the unsung heroes of soil health. Worms help increase the amount of water and air that gets into the soil and help break down organic matter. One simple way to test the health of your soil is through counting the worms in it. Simply dig a one foot square hole in your soil, then look through the soil you’ve dug out. If you find 10 earthworms or more, you have healthy soil. If not, something may be missing for more productive plant growth and development.
15. 15. D. Broccoli. Broccoli microgreens are a true superfood with the science behind them to prove it. Learn more about the wealth of beneficial nutrients and the research done by the Agricultural Research Service’s Food Quality Laboratory in our article, "USDA Recommends Broccoli Microgreens For Key Health Benefits". New to microgreens? No worries. We will walk you through in our step by step microgreens grow guide.