Final answer:
Without the exact dimensions of the garden, we cannot definitively determine the number of pieces of sod needed. However, the options provided correspond to the squares of whole numbers, where the sod pieces can be arranged in configurations of 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, or 4x4 based on the selection of 1, 4, 9, or 16 pieces respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question at hand involves calculating the number of square pieces of sod needed to cover a garden area before digging areas for the plants. Each square piece of sod has side lengths of 50 inches. The question does not specify the total area of the garden; however, if we assume that the garden needs to be covered entirely without any specific shape given, we can only select from the provided options a) 1, b) 4, c) 9, or d) 16 pieces. Without additional information, we can't determine an exact answer, but we can understand that the options represent the squares of whole numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively, where each square represents the area that can be covered by that many pieces of sod. For example, if we selected option b) 4, this would mean we are using four pieces of 50-inch sided sod in a 2 by 2 arrangement, covering a total area of 100 inches by 100 inches. Similarly, option c) 9 would cover a 3 by 3 arrangement, and so on. The gardener would need to measure the actual garden dimensions and then purchase a sufficient number of pieces to cover the area completely, perhaps along the lines of these options if the garden's area happens to fit these perfect squares.