VOA慢速英语2009-Agriculture Report - Do-It-Yourself: Growing Tom

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Today we talk about tomatoes.

Tomatoes are generally easy to grow. Experts at the University of Illinois Extension suggest you start seeds indoors if the ground is still cold. For best results with the least risk, they say, plant when the soil is warm, soon after the frost-free date for your area.

Be prepared to cover early plantings during the night if there is still a risk of freeze. Black plastic mulch can help keep them warm. Better to wait until the soil is warm to use organic mulch.

When transplanting¹, use starter fertilizer.

Small plants called dwarfs² may be placed a third of a meter apart in rows. If you grow staked plants, set the sticks in the ground about half a meter apart. Some larger varieties of tomatoes may need about a meter between plants and at least a meter and a half between rows. The idea is to leave enough space for harvesting.

Work the soil to remove weeds. But do not work the soil too deeply or you could damage the tomato plants.

Water the plants regularly during long dry periods. Give them plenty of water. Plants in containers may need water daily or even more than once a day.

Some gardeners train tomato plants to grow on cages or trellises. Whatever you choose, make sure the supports are tall enough. Most modern tomato plants grow about a meter tall. Others reach almost two meters.

Experts at Purdue University Extension in Indiana say tomatoes started from seed take forty-five to ninety days till harvest. The average air temperature should be about twenty-four degrees Celsius³. In that case, you can pick the tomatoes when they are firm and fully⁴ colored. But if the weather is very hot, pick the tomatoes every day or two. Let them soften⁵ and develop their full color indoors.

There was a time when people thought tomatoes were poisonous. In fact, they are just the opposite. Tomatoes are good for you. But are they a fruit or a vegetable?

Technically⁶, a tomato is a fruit -- the fruit of the tomato plant. As the experts at AskOxford.com explain: "True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant (though cultivated forms may be seedless)." But some fruits, including tomatoes, may be called "vegetables" because they are used in savory⁷ foods instead of sweet cooking. Got that?

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. For more advice about growing vegetables, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Bob Doughty⁸.

1 transplanting   

栽植，移植

参考例句：

• She is a good hand at transplanting rice. 她是插秧能手。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Antitranspirants are often used in transplanting certain trees and shrubs. 抗蒸腾剂是某些树木和灌木移植时常用的药剂。 来自辞典例句

2 dwarfs   

n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Shakespeare dwarfs other dramatists. 莎士比亚使其他剧作家相形见绌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The new building dwarfs all the other buildings in the town. 新大楼使城里所有其他建筑物都显得矮小了。 来自辞典例句

3 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

6 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

7 savory   

adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的

参考例句：

• She placed a huge dish before him of savory steaming meat.她将一大盘热气腾腾、美味可口的肉放在他面前。
• He doesn't have a very savory reputation.他的名誉不太好。

8 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。