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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
February marks the halfway1 point of winter in the northern part of the world.
2月是北半球冬季的中期。
With spring arriving soon, many people are dreaming of working in their gardens on warm, sunny days.
春天马上就要到了，许多人都梦想着在温暖、阳光明媚的日子里在花园里劳作。
Some gardeners like to start the growing season early.
一些园丁喜欢提早开始种植季节。
They can do this by growing plants from seed inside their home.
他们可以通过在室内播种植物种子来做到这一点。
It is important to know when to start growing your seeds indoors.
知道何时开始在室内播种很重要。
The answer depends on where you live.
答案取决于你所在的位置。
Gardeners use the average last frost date in their area to help them know when to begin growing seeds.
园丁利用他们所在地区的平均终霜日来帮助他们知道何时开始播种。
Frost is a thin layer of ice that forms on the ground when the air is cold.
霜是空气寒冷时在地面上形成的一层薄冰。
Some places have special groups that can provide such information.
有些地方有专门的组织可以提供这类信息。
But there are also good online calculators that can tell you about frost dates, too.
但也有一些好的在线计算工具可以告诉你霜冻日期。
The small packets that seeds come in usually advise you to start seeds a given number of weeks before the last frost.
种子的小包装袋上通常会有说明书建议你在终霜日前多少周开始播种。
The recommendation will differ depending on the seed type.
根据种子类型的不同，给出的建议会有所不同。
After finding your start date, it is important to respect it.
在找到了你的开始日期后，尊重它是很重要的。
If you start too soon, plants likely will grow weak and struggle to do well.
如果你开始得太早，植物很可能会长得比较弱，很难长好。
If you start too late, your harvest will be delayed.
如果你开始得太晚，你的收成就会延迟。
While you are waiting, find and prepare your growing containers.
在你等待的时候，找到并准备好你的种植容器。
You can use things like recycled yogurt or egg containers.
你可以使用诸如回收的酸奶或鸡蛋盒之类的东西。
Each container should have a hole in the bottom for water to flow through.
每个容器的底部都应该有一个孔，以让水排出。
If you still have containers you used last year, make sure to disinfect them with a strong cleaning solution.
如果你还有去年用过的容器，一定要用强效清洁剂消毒。
Fill each container with a clean, moist, soilless seed-starting mix.
在每个容器中装满干净、潮湿、无土的种子起始混合物。
Place one to four seeds in each cell, depending on the seed kind and size.
根据种子的种类和大小，在每个容器中放置1到4粒种子。
Water the seeds as needed to keep the mix from drying out.
按需给种子浇水，以防止混合物变干。
Cover the seed containers tightly.
把种子容器盖紧。
Put them in a warm place out of direct sunlight.
把它们放在温暖的地方，避免阳光直射。
Heating mats placed under the trays will help the seeds develop more quickly.
在托盘下面放置加热垫可以帮助种子生长得更快。
Be on the lookout2 for "damping off," a fungal disease that happens in cool, wet, dark areas.
要警惕“立枯病”，这是一种发生在阴凉、潮湿、阴暗区域的真菌疾病。
If you see a white layer on the soil's surface, remove it carefully and let the soil dry completely between watering again.
如果你看到土壤表面有一层白色，小心地清除它，让土壤完全干燥后再浇水。
One way to help avoid damping off is to direct the wind of a small fan toward the soil.
避免立枯病的一种方法是用小风扇把风吹向土壤。
The wind from the fan can help train young seedlings4 to withstand wind outside.
风扇吹来的风可以帮助训练幼苗抵御室外的风。
The seedlings will become stronger as a result.
这样幼苗就会变得更强壮。
When seedlings first appear, remove the covering and put containers by a sunny window.
当幼苗第一次出苗时，去掉盖子，把容器放在阳光充足的窗户旁边。
You can also put them under special lighting5 devices called grow lamps for 14 hours a day.
你也可以把它们放在一种叫做生长灯的特殊照明设备下，每天照14小时。
Costly6 lamps are not necessary.
不需要昂贵的灯。
Ordinary lights will work.
普通的灯就可以了。
Keep the light source no more than 5 to 10 centimeters above the plants, changing its height as the seedlings grow.
保持光源在植物上方5到10厘米，随着幼苗的生长而改变其高度。
If several seedlings sprout7 in each container, cut the weakest at the soil line using small scissors.
如果每个容器里有几株幼苗发芽，用小剪刀剪掉土壤线上最弱的幼苗。
The aim is to keep only one strong-looking plant per container section.
这样做的目的是在每个容器中只培育强壮的植株。
If you let more than one seedling3 remain, the roots may become mixed together.
如果你留下一株以上的幼苗，它们的根可能会缠在一起。
The young plants might not survive.
这些幼苗可能就都无法存活了。
A week before the last frost date, begin to "harden off" plants by placing them outside for longer periods of time each day.
在晚霜日的前一周，每天把植物放在室外更长时间，开始让它们更耐寒。
Place them in a shady area protected from wind.
把它们放在避风的阴凉处。
Leave them there for one hour and then bring them back inside.
把它们放在那里一个小时，然后把它们搬到屋里。
Repeat the next day, but leave them out for two hours.
第二天重复这一步骤，但要放两个小时。
Continue adding one hour of outdoor time each day for one week.
每天增加一小时的室外时间，持续一周。
By the end of the week, your plants will be prepared to survive and grow in your garden outside.
到周末，你的植物就准备好在室外的花园里生长了。
收听单词发音 |
1
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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2
lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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3
seedling
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| n.秧苗，树苗 | |
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4
seedlings
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| n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 ) | |
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5
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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6
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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7
sprout
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| n.芽，萌芽；vt.使发芽，摘去芽；vi.长芽，抽条 | |
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