Once there was a careful gardener who took care of a garden. He watered all the beds regularly, pulled the weeds, and as far as the eye could see, the grass grew green and colourful flowers bloomed. Yet it happened that the vegetables became unhappy.
“It seems to me that we would be better off in another garden,” a carrot said. “I don’t like it here at all.”
“I don’t like it here either,” agreed the celery. “The gardener waters us with too cold water. It just gives me the creeps. And the leek sneezed the other day, I’m sure it gave him a cold.”
“I’m telling you, we’d be better off with another gardener,” the carrot went on.
“Oh yes,” agreed the apples on the apple tree that grew beside the bed. “We don’t like this gardener. His beard is too big.”
“And I’d like a gardener who watered from a red watering can instead of this plain green one,” celery remarked.
And so the greens and apples got up, plucked themselves from their beds, and jumped out of the garden.
Carrots jumped in the lead, looking to see which garden would be greener, which gardener more beautiful and careful. All of a sudden they hopped to a house where an old lady lived. Her garden was small, but beautiful and carefully tended.
“It looks nice here,” said Carrot, planting herself in the dirt beside the cottage.
The other vegetables did the same. But the apples could only roll; they couldn’t take the tree with them. So they rolled into the shade where the grass was softest.
“It’s growing nicely,” the old lady rejoiced, and took the red watering can that had been standing in the sun and began to water.
“Well, that’s nice,” rejoiced the leek. “Warm water at last.”
“And the color of the watering can, it’s absolutely breathtaking,” celery joined in.
“The grass is greener here, the flowers are more fragrant, and the old lady’s been very good to us,” the carrot concluded, getting comfortably rooted.
When evening came, Carrot heard something she didn’t like at all.
“I’m in the mood for an apple and carrot salad,” the old lady said to herself as she looked for something in the cupboard of dishes. “Where’s that sharp grater to grate the carrots?”
Carrot was horrified.
“Help! She wants to grate us on the grater,” cried the carrot, jumping out of the bed and running away. The other vegetables, with apples in the lead, followed her.
The carrot jumped again, looking for a garden that was greener and prettier than the previous two.
“It looks nice here,” said the carrot, jumping into the big plump bed. But what?
“Ow, ow, ow, what’s poking me in the roots?” Carrot wondered.
A potato peeked out of the bed and rolled its little eyes.
“What are you getting in my bed for?” the potatoes cooed with their mouth full of dirt.
“I wanted to live here. The grass is greener here than in my garden, the dirt is softer, the water is cleaner, and I’m sure your gardener will be very nice, too.”
“Gardener?” wondered the potato. “You’re in the field here, you silly carrot, there’s just farmers riding a tractor.”
The carrot and the other vegetables were startled. The tractor could run them over easily. The carrots jumped out of the dirt and kept running. The other vegetables followed. Only the apples couldn’t keep up with them. Unable to roll up the hill any more, they rolled back down the hill and landed right in the field full of horses. The horses saw the good apples and immediately dug in them with delight. Yum, they were good, but a little bruised. After all, they were bouncing all the way up and down.
The carrots kept jumping until they found another bed. There they dug in, and the leeks and celery did the same. The surroundings here were pretty, the grass was green, and those little gardeners running around with their little colored pots were so cute!
“Kids, it’s time to make lunch. Who knows what vegetables we’ll put in the soup?” The big gardener echoed. The little gardeners immediately headed for the carrots, celery and leeks.
Before the vegetables pulled themselves together, they were bathing in a pot of water.
“We wish we had stayed in our garden,” grumbled the carrots. “Whose idea was it to run away?”
“Yours,” said Celery. “You didn’t like the gardener.”
“Really? And who didn’t like the color of the watering can?” Carrot grumbled.
“It was the leek, it was the cold water that bothered him,” said the celery.
Both Carrot and Celery looked at the leeks. The leek was happily floating in the water in the pot.
“I like this water, it’s nice and warm,” he rejoiced.
“Oh, what a fool,” said the carrot. “Why didn’t we notice before that we were doing so well? Instead, we looked for a garden that was nicer and better, yet we had one.”
“Shut up and soften up,” said the leek to the carrot. “The children are already looking forward to us. They’re very hungry.”
When the soup was cooked, the little gardeners enjoyed it. Then, in the afternoon, they went out into the garden to sow more good vegetables. And if they take good care of it, it will grow and they will be able to make delicious food again. Hopefully, their carrots will be more sensible and won’t run away from the bed.
