VOA健康报道2022--New Year’s Resolutions for Gardeners

 

The end of the year can be a busy time for the gardeners who face cold winters were they live.

There is the harvest when they collect the season's crops.

Then comes the hard work of gathering¹ fallen leaves and work to clean up flower beds and plant garlic before the ground gets too hard. Some gardeners might even have to mow² the grass one last time before the snow and cold weather.

But after a short winter break, many gardeners start to think in January about what comes next. They let go of what they did last year and start to plan their next moves for the new year.

While it might be snowing outside, gardeners in some northern parts of the world can be found staying warm inside. They might even look through advertisements for flowers or seeds that they can plant when the weather gets warm again.

For these gardeners, it seems that they have forgotten about the painful hands and hard work from 2021.

New Year's gardening advice

The new gardening writer for the Associated Press is Jeff Lowenfels. He shared some ideas for gardeners in 2022. He calls them New Year's Resolutions.

He asked, "Why not set a high bar for yourself?"

So, here are some of his ideas.

This year, he suggested, is a good time to stop using gas-powered garden tools. For example, if you have a lawn³ mower⁴ powered by gasoline⁵ fuel, consider replacing it with a manual⁶ one. If you cannot do that, Lowenfels suggests spacing out how often you use the gas-powered tools. If you used to mow two times a month, see what happens if you mow just once a month.

His next idea is to plant things in your garden that help your neighbors more than yourself. For example, Lowenfels said you can plant things in your garden that help bees, butterflies and birds. Not everything you plant has to be something you can eat or something that is pretty.

Lowenfels also noted⁷ that there are so many gardeners that people can plant food, harvest it, and donate it to local organizations. Those groups can then give it to people who do not have enough food to eat. Plant a row of plants for the hungry, he said.

One way to reduce the amount of grass you need to cut each week is to grow different plants on your land instead of grass. For example, he suggests joining the "less lawn" movement, which includes planting tall grasses that grow together as a way of taking up space. They are easy to take care of and make your lawn smaller.

Another way to reduce the size of your lawn is to make outdoor space for social gatherings⁸. Many people want to spend less time indoors⁹ because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, Lowenfels asked, why not make your yard a large gathering area?

Add a place where you can safely make a fire or put up a structure that can keep you out of the sun or rain. If you can, he said, extend¹⁰ your wireless¹¹ internet connection so you can listen to gardening podcasts while you are working in the yard.

If you are thinking about all of that, Lowenfels said, you may be ready for 2022. This year's gardening season has already begun, he reminded readers.

Words in This Story

mow – v. to cut (something, such as grass) with a machine or a blade¹²

set a high/low bar – v. to establish a level of quality that is desired that is either high or low

manual – adj. operated by using a person's hands, not using a machine

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 mow   

v.割（草、麦等），扫射，皱眉；n.草堆，谷物堆

参考例句：

• He hired a man to mow the lawn.他雇人割草。
• We shall have to mow down the tall grass in the big field.我们得把大田里的高草割掉。

3 lawn   

n.草地，草坪，上等细麻布

参考例句：

• The lawn was crawling with ants.草坪上爬满了蚂蚁。
• They are lying on a grassy lawn.他们躺在绿草如茵的草坪上。

4 mower   

n.割草机

参考例句：

• We need a lawn mower to cut the grass.我们需要一台草坪修剪机来割草。
• Your big lawn mower is just the job for the high grass.割高草时正需要你的大割草机。

5 gasoline   

n.(美)汽油

参考例句：

• This car runs 5 miles on a gallon of gasoline.这部汽车一加仑汽油可以行驶五英里。
• There is still some gasoline left in the tank.油箱里还剩下一些汽油。

6 manual   

adj.手工的，体力的；n.手册，指南，键盘

参考例句：

• The majority of men there earn their living by manual labour.那里绝大多数人靠体力劳动谋生。
• The school offers manual training to the pupils.该校为学生开设手工课。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

9 indoors   

adv.(在)室内，(在)户内

参考例句：

• Because of the coldness of the weather we stayed indoors.我们因天气寒冷呆在家里。
• It is very cold outside,you'd better come indoors across the board.外面很冷，你们所有人最好都进屋。

10 extend   

v.伸开；展开，伸展；扩大；加大

参考例句：

• Can you extend your visit for a few days more?你能把你的访问再延长几天吗？
• The examinations extend over two weeks.考试持续两个星期。

11 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

12 blade   

n.刀刃，刀片；叶片

参考例句：

• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。
• He is a good blade.他剑术高明。