Final Thoughts from a Garden Expert
2022-01-11
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1Gardening expert Lee Reich wrote about planting flowers, vegetables and more on his land for 30 years.
2In his final story, he wanted to leave his readers with some advice.
3Over the years, he wrote about tomatoes,
4how to cut flowers and the worries about household pets eating indoor plants.
5He said he was happy to write about working in the garden for gardeners of all levels.
6He decided to offer eight pieces of information to help people who grow plants at home,
7whether they do it on a large piece of land or just two or three containers inside.
8Reich said items that were once alive are good to mix into the soil you use to grow plants.
9This includes leftover foods, green clippings, and leaves that fall from trees.
10They help keep water in the soil and feed microorganisms that help plants.
11Yes, Reich, said, some insects can hurt plants.
12But it is normal for insects and fungi and other organisms to hurt your garden.
13He said people who work with plants need to learn how to accept a little damage.
14When plants get hurt, he said, they come back in other ways, like growing stronger where they are not injured.
15He said it is a good idea to be thoughtful and find a natural way to fight insects before using a chemical treatment.
16Reich said "Mother Nature" has been helping the Earth develop food and plants for a long time.
17Gardeners, he said, should not be too worried about ground cover that grows naturally.
18Some people call these weeds.
19Reich also noted that it is important to think carefully about the soil you plant in.
20Do not put plants that are best in dry parts of the world where it is very wet.
21Do not put plants that do best in wet conditions where it is very dry.
22Each year, he said, it is a good idea to take photos of your garden and write down what you planted, and when you did the work.
23That way, you can learn from what worked well and what did not.
24The next year, you can decide what to plant based on your past experience.
25Former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson once wrote: "Though an old man, I am a young gardener."
26His archives show good notes about his gardens.
27Example 1: Some people think pulling weeds from the garden is not fun.
28But Reich says that is not the right way to think of the job.
29A good idea is to look at your garden and take the weeds out every three or four days.
30That way, the work never takes too long. When you change the way you think, he said, a job once seen as difficult can become enjoyable.
31One other warning? Do not turn over the soil too much.
32That work often turns over weed seeds that would not grow otherwise.
33Example 2: Reich said you should mix and match plants and flowers.
34There is no reason you cannot plant eggplant, peppers and other vegetables with your flowers.
35Those plants look nice and the flowers will bring helpful insects like bees to the garden.
36Example 3: You can plant fruit trees wherever you want.
37You do not need an orchard.
38Many fruit trees look nice by themselves along with producing food that tastes good.
39Reich wrote about plants for 30 years, but sometimes he has questions.
40In those cases, he searches on the internet, but he centers his searches on information from educational institutions and government agencies.
41Even if the sources are not right 100 percent of the time, most of the time they have good information.
42It is hard to see the difference, sometimes, between good information and bad when it comes from sources you do not know well.
43Sometimes bad weather can hurt plants.
44Other times, disease can hurt them.
45If you plant vegetables that are ready to eat at different times of the year,
46you can make sure that even if there is a problem in August or September,
47you picked something good to eat earlier in the year.
48In Reich's experience, one year in the northeastern United States, a sickness late in the summer hurt many tomato plants.
49But that year, he already picked peppers, corn, kale and other vegetables.
50You may get advertisements. You may go past a plant store that looks good.
51Even warm weather early in the year might make you excited to start planting.
52But Reich says it is better to have a small garden than a large one.
53When he has friends come over, they admire all his fruits and vegetables.
54However, he warns, "don't do this at home!"
55In the end, Reich said, he may not be writing as much.
56However, he will never stop working in his garden.
57He will plant some new items and remove old ones in the next year.
58For example, he wants to plant rhododendrons and winterberry.
59He will build another stone wall he can use to support lingonberry and dwarf sweet box.
60The work never ends.
61Even if he is not writing as often, Reich plans to keep writing on his own website - leereich.com.
62You can visit him there if you want to keep up with his work, and perhaps see photos of his new projects.
63He will be working hard, even on the cold days of winter.
64I'm Dan Friedell.
1Gardening expert Lee Reich wrote about planting flowers, vegetables and more on his land for 30 years. 2In his final story, he wanted to leave his readers with some advice. 3Over the years, he wrote about tomatoes, how to cut flowers and the worries about household pets eating indoor plants. 4He said he was happy to write about working in the garden for gardeners of all levels. 5He decided to offer eight pieces of information to help people who grow plants at home, whether they do it on a large piece of land or just two or three containers inside. 6Organic matter 7Reich said items that were once alive are good to mix into the soil you use to grow plants. This includes leftover foods, green clippings, and leaves that fall from trees. They help keep water in the soil and feed microorganisms that help plants. 8Do not panic about pests 9Yes, Reich, said, some insects can hurt plants. But it is normal for insects and fungi and other organisms to hurt your garden. He said people who work with plants need to learn how to accept a little damage. When plants get hurt, he said, they come back in other ways, like growing stronger where they are not injured. He said it is a good idea to be thoughtful and find a natural way to fight insects before using a chemical treatment. 10Trust nature 11Reich said "Mother Nature" has been helping the Earth develop food and plants for a long time. Gardeners, he said, should not be too worried about ground cover that grows naturally. Some people call these weeds. 12Reich also noted that it is important to think carefully about the soil you plant in. Do not put plants that are best in dry parts of the world where it is very wet. Do not put plants that do best in wet conditions where it is very dry. 13Take photos and write notes 14Each year, he said, it is a good idea to take photos of your garden and write down what you planted, and when you did the work. That way, you can learn from what worked well and what did not. The next year, you can decide what to plant based on your past experience. 15Former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson once wrote: "Though an old man, I am a young gardener." His archives show good notes about his gardens. 16Do not think like everyone else 17Example 1: Some people think pulling weeds from the garden is not fun. But Reich says that is not the right way to think of the job. A good idea is to look at your garden and take the weeds out every three or four days. That way, the work never takes too long. When you change the way you think, he said, a job once seen as difficult can become enjoyable. One other warning? Do not turn over the soil too much. That work often turns over weed seeds that would not grow otherwise. 18Example 2: Reich said you should mix and match plants and flowers. There is no reason you cannot plant eggplant, peppers and other vegetables with your flowers. Those plants look nice and the flowers will bring helpful insects like bees to the garden. 19Example 3: You can plant fruit trees wherever you want. You do not need an orchard. Many fruit trees look nice by themselves along with producing food that tastes good. 20Get help from trusted sources 21Reich wrote about plants for 30 years, but sometimes he has questions. In those cases, he searches on the internet, but he centers his searches on information from educational institutions and government agencies. Even if the sources are not right 100 percent of the time, most of the time they have good information. It is hard to see the difference, sometimes, between good information and bad when it comes from sources you do not know well. 22Grow various plants, especially ones you can eat 23Sometimes bad weather can hurt plants. Other times, disease can hurt them. If you plant vegetables that are ready to eat at different times of the year, you can make sure that even if there is a problem in August or September, you picked something good to eat earlier in the year. In Reich's experience, one year in the northeastern United States, a sickness late in the summer hurt many tomato plants. But that year, he already picked peppers, corn, kale and other vegetables. 24Do not plant too much 25You may get advertisements. You may go past a plant store that looks good. Even warm weather early in the year might make you excited to start planting. But Reich says it is better to have a small garden than a large one. When he has friends come over, they admire all his fruits and vegetables. However, he warns, "don't do this at home!" 26In the end, Reich said, he may not be writing as much. However, he will never stop working in his garden. He will plant some new items and remove old ones in the next year. For example, he wants to plant rhododendrons and winterberry. He will build another stone wall he can use to support lingonberry and dwarf sweet box. The work never ends. 27Even if he is not writing as often, Reich plans to keep writing on his own website - leereich.com. You can visit him there if you want to keep up with his work, and perhaps see photos of his new projects. 28He will be working hard, even on the cold days of winter. 29I'm Dan Friedell. 30Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a story by Lee Reich of the Associated Press. 31What have you learned from Lee Reich that you have put to use in your garden? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 32____________________________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34advice - n. an opinion or suggestion about what someone should do 35microorganism - n. an extremely small living thing that can only be seen with a microscope 36fungi - n. any one of a group of living things (such as molds, mushrooms, or yeasts) that often look like plants but have no flowers and that live on dead or decaying things; the plural of fungus 37archives - n. a place in which public records or historical materials (such as documents) are kept 38mix and match - v. to put different things (such as pieces of clothing) together in different ways 39weed - n. a plant that grows very quickly where it is not wanted and covers or kills more desirable plants 40orchard - n. a place where people grow fruit trees 41admire - v. to look at (something or someone) with enjoyment