How to Transplant Your Garden
2021-04-13
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1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
2If you have never grown your own transplants for your garden, perhaps this is the year to try.
3First, what is a "transplant?"
4In gardening, transplant is the process of planting seeds inside and then moving the new growth, or sprout, outside.
5Transplanting is easy and often costs less.
6You get to watch the new growth happen up close.
7It also lets you grow different kinds of fruits and vegetables that may have trouble growing from seed outside.
8If you are new to this type of gardening, do not worry.
9A garden expert and writer for the Associated Press, Lee Reich, recently shared this advice.
10Reich suggests starting with flowers or vegetables that are easy to grow from seed.
11Flowers such as zinnia, calendula, and cosmos are some of the easiest.
12Good choices for vegetables (depending on where you live) are lettuce, kale, cabbage, and the ever-popular tomato.
13However, Reich and other experts warn that some vegetables should not be grown as transplants.
14Root vegetables -- such as carrots, beets, and parsnips -- do not transplant easily.
15The process can hurt the roots.
16Vegetables such as corn, squash, cucumbers, melons, beans, and peas do not like to be transplanted.
17They can be transplanted with care, but you are better off planting them directly in the ground.
18To get started with transplants, you will need a container and soil.
19The container should be between 5 to 10 centimeters deep.
20Some seeds need deeper dirt than others.
21You can use containers you may have around your house, like egg cartons.
22Most important is that any container have one or more holes in the bottom.
23This is so some water can drain out.
24Garden soil, even good garden soil, says Riech, will not work.
25It does not drain quickly enough in a container.
26Our expert suggests using a special mix called potting soil.
27Potting soil has additional material such as perlite, vermiculite, or sand to improve drainage.
28Fill the containers with the potting soil and push it down - but not too much.
29Then plant seeds, three or four in each container.
30Do this by making a small hole into the mix and put in the seed.
31Cover the seed with the potting soil and press gently again.
32Place the containers in a pan, or any flat, open, and larger container that could hold some water.
33Put water into the pan until the water reaches halfway up the containers with the seeds.
34After a few hours, remove them from the water.
35Seeds need warmth to germinate.
36The amount of warmth needed is different from plant to plant.
37(Here, the word "germinate" means to cause a seed to begin to grow.)
38A good average temperature for just about all seeds is about 24° C.
39If the temperature is colder or warmer, seeds will still germinate - just more slowly.
40Most seeds do not need light to germinate.
41So, you can place them anywhere in your home.
42To keep moisture from drying up from the containers, cover them with clear glass or plastic.
43Now for the exciting part -- waiting to see little, green sprouts!
44Remove all but the strongest sprout from each container.
45Just be careful not to hurt the roots of the sprout that remains.
46Your goal now is to grow strong transplants that can survive a move to the outside garden.
47For this, you need lots of light and cooler temperatures.
48Even tomatoes, a summer vegetable, grow best as transplants with temperatures between 16 to 20° C.
49Do not worry if you do not have perfect growing conditions.
50A sunny, south-facing window works well, especially if the room is cool.
51Turn the plants daily so they grow in one direction toward the light.
52You can also use a grow-light, either fluorescent or LED.
53Put the light close to the plants.
54Although these lights look bright, they do not compare with sun light. So, use both!
55Be careful not to overwater or underwater.
56For strong growth, plants should be slightly underwatered.
57In four to six weeks, most transplants should be two to three times the height of their containers.
58They should be strong and ready to be transplanted outside -- or almost ready.
59Get them used to their future environment with a week of just being outside in the containers.
60Protect them from full sun, wind, and cold.
61Now ... they are ready to go into the garden!
62And that's the Health and Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
63And I'm Jill Robbins.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. 2If you have never grown your own transplants for your garden, perhaps this is the year to try. 3First, what is a "transplant?" In gardening, transplant is the process of planting seeds inside and then moving the new growth, or sprout, outside. 4Transplanting is easy and often costs less. You get to watch the new growth happen up close. It also lets you grow different kinds of fruits and vegetables that may have trouble growing from seed outside. 5If you are new to this type of gardening, do not worry. A garden expert and writer for the Associated Press, Lee Reich, recently shared this advice. 6Reich suggests starting with flowers or vegetables that are easy to grow from seed. Flowers such as zinnia, calendula, and cosmos are some of the easiest. Good choices for vegetables (depending on where you live) are lettuce, kale, cabbage, and the ever-popular tomato. 7However, Reich and other experts warn that some vegetables should not be grown as transplants. Root vegetables -- such as carrots, beets, and parsnips -- do not transplant easily. The process can hurt the roots. 8Vegetables such as corn, squash, cucumbers, melons, beans, and peas do not like to be transplanted. They can be transplanted with care, but you are better off planting them directly in the ground. 9Container and soil 10To get started with transplants, you will need a container and soil. The container should be between 5 to 10 centimeters deep. Some seeds need deeper dirt than others. You can use containers you may have around your house, like egg cartons. 11Most important is that any container have one or more holes in the bottom. This is so some water can drain out. 12Garden soil, even good garden soil, says Riech, will not work. It does not drain quickly enough in a container. Our expert suggests using a special mix called potting soil. Potting soil has additional material such as perlite, vermiculite, or sand to improve drainage. 13Fill the containers with the potting soil and push it down - but not too much. 14Plant the seeds 15Then plant seeds, three or four in each container. Do this by making a small hole into the mix and put in the seed. Cover the seed with the potting soil and press gently again. 16Place the containers in a pan, or any flat, open, and larger container that could hold some water. Put water into the pan until the water reaches halfway up the containers with the seeds. After a few hours, remove them from the water. 17Germinate the seeds 18Seeds need warmth to germinate. The amount of warmth needed is different from plant to plant. (Here, the word "germinate" means to cause a seed to begin to grow.) A good average temperature for just about all seeds is about 24° C. 19If the temperature is colder or warmer, seeds will still germinate - just more slowly. Most seeds do not need light to germinate. So, you can place them anywhere in your home. 20To keep moisture from drying up from the containers, cover them with clear glass or plastic. 21The excitement begins! 22Now for the exciting part -- waiting to see little, green sprouts! Remove all but the strongest sprout from each container. Just be careful not to hurt the roots of the sprout that remains. 23Your goal now is to grow strong transplants that can survive a move to the outside garden. For this, you need lots of light and cooler temperatures. Even tomatoes, a summer vegetable, grow best as transplants with temperatures between 16 to 20° C. 24Do not worry if you do not have perfect growing conditions. 25A sunny, south-facing window works well, especially if the room is cool. Turn the plants daily so they grow in one direction toward the light. 26You can also use a grow-light, either fluorescent or LED. Put the light close to the plants. Although these lights look bright, they do not compare with sun light. So, use both! 27Be careful not to overwater or underwater. For strong growth, plants should be slightly underwatered. 28In four to six weeks, most transplants should be two to three times the height of their containers. They should be strong and ready to be transplanted outside -- or almost ready. 29Get them used to their future environment with a week of just being outside in the containers. Protect them from full sun, wind, and cold. 30Now ... they are ready to go into the garden! 31And that's the Health and Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo. 32And I'm Jill Robbins. 33Lee Reich reported this story for The Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 34_______________________________________________________________ 35Words in This Story 36garden -n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown 37sprout -v. to send out new growth 38carton -n. a light box or container usually made of cardboard or plastic 39drain -v. to remove (liquid) from something by letting it flow away or out 40potting soil -n. a mixture of dirt and other substances that people use when placing plants in pots 41pan -n. a shallow open tray or container 42germinate -v. to cause to sprout or develop