This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English AgricultureReport.
Today we finish our series on homegardens.
One of the hardest parts can be caring for young plants early inthe growing season. If the weather gets unusually cold, cover thegarden at night to avoid damage.
Vegetable gardens need at least two-and-a-half centimeters ofwater each week. If the soil feels dry to a depth of about four orfive centimeters, your garden needs water. Water early in the day.Use enough water to go deep in the soil. Soil with a lot of sand mayneed water more often.
People love fresh vegetables. So do insects and animals. You cansurround a small garden with wire fence material. This may not keepout birds or some digging animals, but it can reduce unwantedvisitors.
You can remove harmful insects by hand. If you want to usepoisons, be extremely careful. Follow all the safety directions.
There is another way to fight insects. Avoid planting a crop inthe same place every year. Insects lay eggs in the soil, so theyreappear yearly. Moving a crop from place to place in the garden cankeep insects away from the plants they like to eat.
To reduce garden work, spread eight to ten centimeters of mulchunder and around vegetables. Mulch can be made of tree bark oralmost any vegetable material — even pages of newspaper. Mulch willhelp limit the growth of weeds and hold water in the soil. Mulchalso provides fertilizer as it breaks down. You can talk to anagricultural adviser about other fertilizers to add to the soil.
Harvest vegetables during the cool part of the morning ifpossible. Here is advice for some popular kinds:
Harvest beans and peas when they have grown full, bright andgreen. Do not wait too long.
Heads of broccoli should be harvested before any yellow flowersappear. More growth will develop later, for a continuous harvest.
Some greens like collards, mustard and spinach produce moreleaves after a first harvest. They will continue to grow all season.
Pick green onions when they reach the desired size. Pick otheronions when their top leaves turn yellow.
A home garden can be hard work for several months. But a goodcrop is the best reward.
This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by MarioRitter. Thanks again to Larry Bass from the North Carolina StateUniversity Extension Service for his advice. And you can find allour reports on our Web site, voaspecialenglish dot com. This isSteve Ember.