New Year's Resolutions for Gardeners
2022-01-26
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The end of the year can be a busy time for the gardeners who face cold winters were they live.
2There is the harvest when they collect the season's crops.
3Then comes the hard work of gathering fallen leaves and work to clean up flower beds and plant garlic before the ground gets too hard.
4Some gardeners might even have to mow the grass one last time before the snow and cold weather.
5But after a short winter break, many gardeners start to think in January about what comes next.
6They let go of what they did last year and start to plan their next moves for the new year.
7While it might be snowing outside, gardeners in some northern parts of the world can be found staying warm inside.
8They might even look through advertisements for flowers or seeds that they can plant when the weather gets warm again.
9For these gardeners, it seems that they have forgotten about the painful hands and hard work from 2021.
10The new gardening writer for the Associated Press is Jeff Lowenfels.
11He shared some ideas for gardeners in 2022.
12He calls them New Year's Resolutions.
13He asked, "Why not set a high bar for yourself?"
14So, here are some of his ideas.
15This year, he suggested, is a good time to stop using gas-powered garden tools.
16For example, if you have a lawn mower powered by gasoline fuel, consider replacing it with a manual one.
17If you cannot do that, Lowenfels suggests spacing out how often you use the gas-powered tools.
18If you used to mow two times a month, see what happens if you mow just once a month.
19His next idea is to plant things in your garden that help your neighbors more than yourself.
20For example, Lowenfels said you can plant things in your garden that help bees, butterflies and birds.
21Not everything you plant has to be something you can eat or something that is pretty.
22Lowenfels also noted that there are so many gardeners that people can plant food, harvest it, and donate it to local organizations.
23Those groups can then give it to people who do not have enough food to eat.
24 Plant a row of plants for the hungry, he said.
25One way to reduce the amount of grass you need to cut each week is to grow different plants on your land instead of grass.
26For example, he suggests joining the "less lawn" movement, which includes planting tall grasses that grow together as a way of taking up space.
27They are easy to take care of and make your lawn smaller.
28Another way to reduce the size of your lawn is to make outdoor space for social gatherings.
29Many people want to spend less time indoors because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
30So, Lowenfels asked, why not make your yard a large gathering area?
31Add a place where you can safely make a fire or put up a structure that can keep you out of the sun or rain.
32If you can, he said, extend your wireless internet connection so you can listen to gardening podcasts while you are working in the yard.
33If you are thinking about all of that, Lowenfels said, you may be ready for 2022.
34This year's gardening season has already begun, he reminded readers.
35I'm Dan Friedell.
1The end of the year can be a busy time for the gardeners who face cold winters were they live. 2There is the harvest when they collect the season's crops. 3Then comes the hard work of gathering fallen leaves and work to clean up flower beds and plant garlic before the ground gets too hard. Some gardeners might even have to mow the grass one last time before the snow and cold weather. 4But after a short winter break, many gardeners start to think in January about what comes next. They let go of what they did last year and start to plan their next moves for the new year. 5While it might be snowing outside, gardeners in some northern parts of the world can be found staying warm inside. They might even look through advertisements for flowers or seeds that they can plant when the weather gets warm again. 6For these gardeners, it seems that they have forgotten about the painful hands and hard work from 2021. 7New Year's gardening advice 8The new gardening writer for the Associated Press is Jeff Lowenfels. He shared some ideas for gardeners in 2022. He calls them New Year's Resolutions. 9He asked, "Why not set a high bar for yourself?" 10So, here are some of his ideas. 11This year, he suggested, is a good time to stop using gas-powered garden tools. For example, if you have a lawn mower powered by gasoline fuel, consider replacing it with a manual one. If you cannot do that, Lowenfels suggests spacing out how often you use the gas-powered tools. If you used to mow two times a month, see what happens if you mow just once a month. 12His next idea is to plant things in your garden that help your neighbors more than yourself. For example, Lowenfels said you can plant things in your garden that help bees, butterflies and birds. Not everything you plant has to be something you can eat or something that is pretty. 13Lowenfels also noted that there are so many gardeners that people can plant food, harvest it, and donate it to local organizations. Those groups can then give it to people who do not have enough food to eat. Plant a row of plants for the hungry, he said. 14One way to reduce the amount of grass you need to cut each week is to grow different plants on your land instead of grass. For example, he suggests joining the "less lawn" movement, which includes planting tall grasses that grow together as a way of taking up space. They are easy to take care of and make your lawn smaller. 15Another way to reduce the size of your lawn is to make outdoor space for social gatherings. Many people want to spend less time indoors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, Lowenfels asked, why not make your yard a large gathering area? 16Add a place where you can safely make a fire or put up a structure that can keep you out of the sun or rain. If you can, he said, extend your wireless internet connection so you can listen to gardening podcasts while you are working in the yard. 17If you are thinking about all of that, Lowenfels said, you may be ready for 2022. This year's gardening season has already begun, he reminded readers. 18I'm Dan Friedell. 19Jeff Lowenfels wrote this story for the Associated Press. Dan Friedell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20What is your gardening New Year's Resolution? Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 21_________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23mow - v. to cut (something, such as grass) with a machine or a blade 24set a high/low bar - v. to establish a level of quality that is desired that is either high or low 25manual - adj. operated by using a person's hands, not using a machine