歌词
This is the VOA Special English
Agriculture Report.
Some people say
eating hot chili peppers
can help you breathe easier
if you have a cold.
Others believe that chilies
give you more energy.
All we know is that people
have been growing chilies
for centuries.
And there are plenty
of different kinds
of chili peppers to choose from,
along with different levels of heat.
Want to spice up your meals
with homegrown chilies?
They need a warm climate.
If you plant the seeds outside
when the weather is cool,
place a glass over them.
That will add warmth
from the sun and
protect them from wind.
You can also start the seeds
in your home or a greenhouse.
If you plant chili peppers
inside, fill an eight-centimeter
pot with soil.
The pot should have holes
in the bottom
so water can run out.
Tap the sides of the pot
to settle the soil.
Drop several seeds
over the surface of the pot
and cover with a thin layer
of vermiculite.
Vermiculite is a material
that can hold air,
water and nutrients.
Then cover the top of the pot
with a see-through plastic bag.
Hold the bag in place
with a rubber band.
Place the pot in a warm area.
When the chilies start growing,
take off the bag.
When the plants have reached
about two centimeters high,
place each one carefully
in its own eight-centimeter pot.
When the roots show
through the holes
in the bottom of the pot,
transplant each seedling
into a twelve-centimeter pot.
When the plants are
twenty centimeters high,
tie the plants to a stick placed
in the pot to support them.
When the chili peppers
are thirty centimeters high,
pinch the tops off
with your fingers.
That should get
new branches to grow.
When the first flowers show,
give the plants
some potash fertilizer.
When the weather is warm,
put them into five-liter pots
and place them outside.
Make sure they get
a good amount of light and water.
Some people like mild chilies,
others like plenty of heat.
Some like to harvest the plants
when the chilies are green.
Others like their chilies red.
Either way can give color
and taste to many different foods.
And that's the VOA Special English
Agriculture Report,
written by Jerilyn Watson.