“Good morning, Pip!”  Mia the blue jay chirps, landing near Pip’s hollow in their cypress tree.  “Ready to check the garden?  It’s our turn.”

“Absolutely, Mia!” Pip the deer mouse pops out and scurries down the tree.  “Let’s go!”

Pip and Mia head out to the community garden in the Watercolor Woods.

“Look at the beautiful colors!  And, the aroma of the flowers, vegetables, fruit, and herbs fill the air with a sweet scent.”  Pip smiles sniffing the air with twitching whiskers.

“Let’s inspect each plant, row by row,”  Mia suggests.

“I will start on this row,” Pip says, checking each plant to see how it’s doing.

She suddenly stops and points, “Look, Mia! These are droopy and sick.”

Mia lands near Pip for a closer look, “You’re right, Pip.”

“It might be the soil in this spot.  Let’s ask the others for ideas,” Pip suggests while scratching her head in thought.

Pip and Mia visit their friends and invite them to meet in the garden.  Everyone is eager to help.

“We could try adding compost to the soil,” suggests Jasper the opossum.  “It adds healthy nutrients to the soil for the plants.”

“I have a compost heap we can use,” Rosemary the rabbit interjects.  “I can bring some over.”

Jasper nods, “That might do the trick!  Compost is made from decomposed organic matter like vegetable scraps and leaves.”

Pip’s eyes widen with wonder, “How does it work?”

Rosemary explains, “Composting recycles waste and turns it into healthy, valuable nutrients for the soil.”

“Wow.  I didn’t know compost was so important.”  Mia exclaims.

“I can help spread it after Rosemary brings it here,” offers Earl the Squirrel.

“Let’s do it!” Pip is eager to see how this works.

Josie and Walter the twin turtles volunteer, “We can help Rosemary bring it to the garden.”

“I will help Earl spread it around the plants,” offers Oliver the bullfrog.

“With the compost spread out, all we can do now is wait.”  Mia sighs.  “Pip and I will check the garden again in a few days to see if the compost helps.”

A few days later at sunrise, Pip is eager to see the plants, “Mia, let’s go!”

As they reach the section of plants with the compost, Mia jumps up and down flapping her wings. “Look, Pip!  The plants have perked up!  They are healthy and happy again.”

Pip smiles, “The compost did the trick!”  It’s amazing what this community can do together.”

Admiring the flowers, vegetables, fruit, and herbs, Mia smiles.  “It is flourishing.”

The members of the Watercolor Woods Community continue to visit the garden daily, tending the plants and watering the soil.

“I love our garden!”  Pip remarks as she and Mia walk home.

Mia adds, “We will have a wonderful harvest this fall!”