[ti:How to Transplant Your Garden] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. [00:07.68]If you have never grown your own transplants for your garden, [00:12.36]perhaps this is the year to try. [00:16.88]First, what is a "transplant?" [00:20.12]In gardening, transplant is the process of planting seeds inside [00:27.24]and then moving the new growth, or sprout, outside. [00:33.72]Transplanting is easy and often costs less. [00:38.80]You get to watch the new growth happen up close. [00:42.76]It also lets you grow different kinds of fruits and vegetables [00:47.64]that may have trouble growing from seed outside. [00:52.72]If you are new to this type of gardening, do not worry. [00:57.64]A garden expert and writer for the Associated Press, [01:01.88]Lee Reich, recently shared this advice. [01:06.28]Reich suggests starting with flowers or vegetables [01:11.40]that are easy to grow from seed. [01:14.68]Flowers such as zinnia, calendula, and cosmos are some of the easiest. [01:21.56]Good choices for vegetables (depending on where you live) [01:25.36]are lettuce, kale, cabbage, and the ever-popular tomato. [01:31.16]However, Reich and other experts warn [01:34.52]that some vegetables should not be grown as transplants. [01:39.20]Root vegetables -- such as carrots, beets, and parsnips [01:42.80]-- do not transplant easily. [01:44.68]The process can hurt the roots. [01:48.04]Vegetables such as corn, squash, cucumbers, melons, beans, and peas [01:53.04]do not like to be transplanted. [01:56.08]They can be transplanted with care, [01:58.96]but you are better off planting them directly in the ground. [02:04.60]To get started with transplants, [02:07.12]you will need a container and soil. [02:11.92]The container should be between 5 to 10 centimeters deep. [02:17.48]Some seeds need deeper dirt than others. [02:21.48]You can use containers you may have around your house, like egg cartons. [02:28.80]Most important is that any container [02:31.88]have one or more holes in the bottom. [02:35.40]This is so some water can drain out. [02:39.96]Garden soil, even good garden soil, says Riech, will not work. [02:46.36]It does not drain quickly enough in a container. [02:50.92]Our expert suggests using a special mix called potting soil. [02:57.56]Potting soil has additional material such as perlite, [03:02.08]vermiculite, or sand to improve drainage. [03:07.80]Fill the containers with the potting soil [03:10.68]and push it down – but not too much. [03:14.20]Then plant seeds, three or four in each container. [03:19.28]Do this by making a small hole into the mix and put in the seed. [03:24.60]Cover the seed with the potting soil and press gently again. [03:29.72]Place the containers in a pan, or any flat, open, [03:32.92]and larger container that could hold some water. [03:37.56]Put water into the pan until the water [03:39.88]reaches halfway up the containers with the seeds. [03:43.80]After a few hours, remove them from the water. [03:47.40]Seeds need warmth to germinate. [03:52.56]The amount of warmth needed is different from plant to plant. [03:57.96]Here, the word "germinate" means to cause a seed to begin to grow. [04:04.60]A good average temperature for just about all seeds is about 24° C. [04:13.56]If the temperature is colder or warmer, [04:16.84]seeds will still germinate – just more slowly. [04:22.28]Most seeds do not need light to germinate. [04:26.16]So, you can place them anywhere in your home. [04:31.52]To keep moisture from drying up from the containers, [04:35.60]cover them with clear glass or plastic. [04:40.80]Now for the exciting part -- waiting to see little, green sprouts! [04:47.36]Remove all but the strongest sprout from each container. [04:50.92]Just be careful not to hurt the roots of the sprout that remains. [04:56.80]Your goal now is to grow strong transplants [04:59.60]that can survive a move to the outside garden. [05:03.36]For this, you need lots of light and cooler temperatures. [05:07.32]Even tomatoes, a summer vegetable, [05:09.96]grow best as transplants with temperatures between 16 to 20° C. [05:16.76]Do not worry if you do not have perfect growing conditions. [05:21.64]A sunny, south-facing window works well, [05:25.64]especially if the room is cool. [05:29.20]Turn the plants daily so they grow in one direction toward the light. [05:35.48]You can also use a grow-light, either fluorescent or LED. [05:40.56]Put the light close to the plants. [05:43.24]Although these lights look bright, they do not compare with sun light. [05:48.44]So, use both! [05:50.92]Be careful not to overwater or underwater. [05:55.80]For strong growth, plants should be slightly underwatered. [06:01.16]In four to six weeks, most transplants [06:04.16]should be two to three times the height of their containers. [06:08.36]They should be strong and ready [06:10.16]to be transplanted outside -- or almost ready. [06:14.80]Get them used to their future environment [06:18.28]with a week of just being outside in the containers. [06:22.68]Protect them from full sun, wind, and cold. [06:28.36]Now ... they are ready to go into the garden! [06:32.32]And that's the Health and Lifestyle report. [06:35.72]I'm Anna Matteo. [06:37.60]And I'm Jill Robbins.更多听力请访问51VOA.COM