Home Gardens, Part 1

By Mario Ritter
Broadcast: September 9, 2003
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
For many people, growing crops on a small piece of land is not a business. For them, a home garden may be an important part of a family's food supply. Or it is simply an enjoyable activity. This week, we will look at ways to grow and improve home gardens.
Sunlight is a garden's most basic need. A garden with unblocked sun from the south is best.
A good place for a garden must have at least six hours of sunlight a day. Eight to ten hours is best. If the garden does not receive at least six hours of light during the growing season, it will not produce a good crop.
The garden should not be near the base of a hill or near a wall. These will block sunlight. They also block fresh air that helps raise the temperature of the soil early in the growing season.
Even if the soil of your garden is not too good, it can be improved. Excellent 1)fertilizer¹ can be made by using the method of 2)composting. Composted food waste and other organic² material can make poor soil dark and rich.
Good garden soil must drain³ well. That means water does not build up and leave the soil too wet to support plants. Turning the soil and adding composted material helps with 3)drainage⁴ and permits air to enter the soil.
A garden must receive a good amount of water every week. Too little can, of course, be as harmful as too much. So the garden must be close to water pipes or a natural supply of water.
After choosing the best place, and improving the soil by turning it and adding compost, you can prepare to plant.
In the northern half of the world, planting season starts in March. In the southern half, it begins in November.
Planting season is also a good time to add fertilizer to the soil. This will help the growth of seeds or young plants. Compost is itself a fertilizer. Experts at the North Carolina State University Cooperative⁵ Extension⁶ say fertilizer should be turned into the soil to a depth of eight to ten centimeters. This tilling permits rooting seeds or plants to use the 4)nutrients immediately.
Next week, we will look at how to plant seeds and how to aid the growth and development of crops.
Is there an agricultural subject you would like to hear about? Tell us. Write to [email protected] or VOA Special English, Washington D.C. 20237 USA.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Steve Ember.

注释：
1) fertilizer [5fE:ti7laizE] n.肥料
2) compost [5kCmpCst] n.混合肥料，堆肥
3) drainage [5dreinidV] n.排水
4) nutrient⁷ [5nju:triEnt]n.营养物

1 fertilizer   

n.肥料，化肥

参考例句：

• Fertilizer enriches the soil.肥料使土壤肥沃。
• Get some more fertilizer for the garden.给花园再多施些肥料。

2 organic   

adj.有机的，有机物的；有组织的

参考例句：

• Organic farming is expanding everywhere.有机农业正在各地迅速发展起来。
• The organic fertilizer shall keep the soil in good heart.这有机肥一定会使土壤保持肥沃。

3 drain   

n.排水沟，阴沟；消耗，负担；v.排去，放干

参考例句：

• Drain off the rest of the wine from this barrel.把桶里剩余的酒排出去。
• First,you have to drain the container of all the old oil.首先，你得从油箱中把所有的陈油都抽去。

4 drainage   

n.排水系统，下水道，排水，放水

参考例句：

• This is a drainage area.这里是排水区。
• Bad drainage caused the land to be flooded.排水不利容易使土地淹水。

5 cooperative   

adj.有合作意向的，合作的；n.合作社（企业）等

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• We decided to set up a cooperative.我们决定开办一家合作社。

6 extension   

n.伸长，扩大，伸展；延长，延期；延长部分，扩大部分；电话分机

参考例句：

• The pupils disliked the extension of the term.小学生们不愿延长学期。
• Our extension is nearly finished.我们的扩建部分已接近完工。

7 nutrient   

adj.营养的，滋养的；n.营养物，营养品

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The roots transmit moisture and nutrient to the trunk and branches.根将水分和养料输送到干和枝。