Jack and the Beanstalk
A Garden Activity Story by Steve Hess with illustrations by Paula Hayek
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Jack. His mom and dad were master gardeners with green thumbs thanks to a magic watering can. They even had their own gardening show on TV and were quite famous. One night a greedy giant destroyed their entire garden and ran off with the magic watering can, just like that!
Now, they were very poor. They had to sell tomatoes at the farmers market. One morning, Jack’s mom asked him to take the last of the tomatoes to the market and sell them. On the way, he met a strange man who offered him magic bean seeds that would bring good luck. Jack thought this was a great idea and traded the last of the tomatoes for the seeds. But when Jack’s dad saw the beans he was very angry and threw them into the garden.
The next morning, Jack looked out of his window. There in place of the magic beans stood a giant beanstalk. It was really awesome and Jack could not resist. Up he climbed into the sky, through the clouds and found himself in a beautiful garden.
All at once a loud voice boomed, “Fee, fie, foe, fun. I smell a master gardener’s son! Jack quickly hid inside a garden shed.
An enormous giant stomped into the garden and sat down.
There on the bench next to him was the magic watering can! “Water!” roared the giant. The magic watering can poured water on the garden, which grew and grew right before his eyes. Jack jumped out of the shed, snatched the watering can and ran out of the garden.
The giant tore after him shouting, “Fee, fie, foe, fun. I’ll get you, you master gardener’s son!”
Jack hurried down the beanstalk with the giant close behind. He jumped to the ground, and yelled, “Mom, Dad, help me out here! Jack’s dad grabbed a hatchet and chopped down the beanstalk, just like that. The giant crashed to the ground and expired. Jack’s mom quickly gathered the beanstalk and what was left of the giant into a big compost pile.
With the help of the magic watering can, Jack and his parents could once again grow a beautiful garden. Together they hosted a new garden show on TV and lived happily ever after.
This story was just for fun but you can plant your own giant beanstalk. It is done by planting two different types of bean seeds together. Castor Bean and Hyacinth Bean Vine, which can be found at most garden stores or online. The Castor Bean grows high and tall with big leaves and the Hyacinth Bean Vine grows up around it with beautiful flowers and colorful bean pods. Be sure to watch out for giants and have a great time in the garden!
