[00:00.00]UNIT3
[00:15.09]Gardening
[00:17.29]One of the quiet joys
[00:18.71]of life in the southern part
[00:20.57]of Ontario, Canada, is gardening.
[00:23.31]Whether pursued as a hobby
[00:25.71]or solely to improve
[00:27.25]the esthetic value of one's home,
[00:28.89]the pleasure derived is only exceeded
[00:31.19]by the therapeutic benefit.
[00:33.38]The exercise involved in working
[00:35.78]in a garden is helpful in
[00:37.42]keeping people in good physical condition.
[00:40.59]It has become a ritual
[00:42.45]for homeowners to spend
[00:43.66]late winter weekends browsing
[00:45.29]through seed catalogues while
[00:47.48]sitting on their couch.
[00:48.80]They make lists of items
[00:50.87]they wish to purchase
[00:52.19]and often make notations right
[00:54.05]on the catalogue as they make
[00:55.91]decisions about this year's garden.
[00:57.77]If they order early,
[01:00.51]there is usually a discount coupon,
[01:02.26]allowing a percentage of
[01:04.44]the cost to be
[01:05.75]deducted from the price.
[01:06.96]Often the coupon needs to
[01:09.15]be detached from the catalogue
[01:11.34]and mailed to the company
[01:13.31]along with the order.
[01:14.84]This is an extra bonus
[01:16.37]for the consumer. The investment cost
[01:18.89]required is nominal when the amount
[01:20.96]of pleasure generated is considered.
[01:23.59]The seed companies will
[01:25.67]usually warrant the plants,
[01:26.98]and often a refund is offered
[01:29.06]if the plants do not thrive.
[01:31.58]The shipment from the
[01:33.44]seed company's warehouse is awaited
[01:35.07]with eager anticipation.
[01:37.48]Its appearance means that
[01:39.13]spring will soon arrive.
[01:40.88]The glossy pages of the catalogues
[01:44.05]provide a preview of the visual
[01:45.91]delights that can be grown.
[01:47.55]Pictures show an array of
[01:50.17]flowers that dazzle the eye.
[01:52.03]There are monochromatic displays
[01:53.78]as well as others that
[01:55.53]are a fusion of the complete
[01:57.17]spectrum of the rainbow's colors.
[01:58.93]Also included in the publication
[02:02.65]are pictures and descriptions
[02:04.72]of vegetables, shrubs, and trees.
[02:07.46]Avid gardeners subscribe to magazines
[02:11.84]that specialize in articles
[02:13.70]and ads about this enjoyable pastime
[02:16.43]and people literally read
[02:18.18]each issue from cover to cover.
[02:21.79]Descriptions of plants include
[02:24.64]implicit instructions on whether
[02:26.71]to plant them in sun or shade.
[02:29.45]Specification as to the amount
[02:31.53]of irrigation required is also stated.
[02:34.59]Elaborate irrigation systems are sometimes
[02:37.66]installed or a trench for
[02:39.84]improving the water flow is used.
[02:41.70]Controls are needed on
[02:43.56]irrigation systems because if
[02:45.10]the ground becomes too saturated
[02:46.96]the soil in the garden
[02:49.03]will be too muddy to
[02:50.45]allow anyone to work in it
[02:51.99]until it dries out.
[02:53.85]If there is too much
[02:55.38]water constantly, the garden
[02:57.13]will become a swamp
[02:58.55]and impossible to cultivate.
[03:00.52](Many people like to preserve
[03:02.71]the natural habitat of birds
[03:04.46]and wildlife in a marsh.
[03:06.10]These areas are usually protected
[03:08.84]by the government and
[03:10.26]although important to our environment,
[03:12.77]are not considered gardens.)
[03:14.74]Geographic location is important for plants.
[03:18.68]Certain plants are only suitable
[03:20.76]for propagation close to the equator.
[03:22.73]Others need to be several degrees
[03:25.25]of latitude away from the equator.
[03:27.32]Longitude is also a factor
[03:29.62]and most companies clearly state
[03:31.70]the conditions that will
[03:33.34]provide the optimum chances
[03:35.20]for the plants survival.
[03:36.74]Canadians grow tulips imported
[03:39.03]from Holland and they do well
[03:41.33]in the Southern Ontario climate.
[03:43.62]Because it is late spring
[03:45.70]before plants can survive
[03:47.02]outdoors in Southern Ontario,
[03:48.99]it is common for people to
[03:50.85]start their plants indoors.
[03:52.93]Seeds are planted in small containers
[03:55.44]and continue to grow indoors
[03:57.19]until the appropriate size
[03:59.60]is achieved. Sometimes ultraviolet light
[04:03.87]is used to encourage plant growth.
[04:06.06]When the mercury rises and
[04:08.46]the danger of frost is past,
[04:10.54]the plants are then transplanted
[04:12.95]to the garden or to a flowerbed.
[04:15.24]Plants are nourished from
[04:18.52]the soil, but to provide
[04:20.50]optimum food, fertilizer can be
[04:22.80]applied to encourage vigorous growth.
[04:25.53]Sometimes fertilizer is diluted
[04:28.26]with water while other kinds
[04:30.23]are dispersed with a spreader that
[04:31.87]flings the fertilizer granules in a
[04:34.28]small radius around the plants.
[04:36.91]The water soluble fertilizer will
[04:39.43]then be absorbed into the soil
[04:41.17]the next time it rains.
[04:43.14]Just as people need minerals,
[04:46.10]such as calcium and zinc,
[04:47.63]to be healthy, plants also need
[04:49.82]minerals but phosphorous and nitrogen
[04:52.77]are better food for them |