Chapter 15, "Willow John" Summary

Little Tree learns more about planting. Anything that grows above ground, like corn and beans, must be planted in the light of the moon; and anything that grows below ground should be planted in the dark of the moon. Granpa also looks for signs in the sky and from the weather, declaring when it is time to plant certain things. Granma suspects that, at times, signs not to plant might be tied to Granpa's desire to fish. Among other small crops, they plant watermelon. The watermelons grow slower than the other crops; though Little Tree checks them a lot, as he's never tasted one. Several times he tells Granpa that the watermelons look ready, but Granpa finds they're still green. One evening, Little Tree says he's sure he's found a ripe watermelon. The next morning they go to check...