DK step by step veg patch A foolproof guide to every stage of growing fruit and veg家庭园艺蔬菜种植指南

WHY GROW YOUR OWN FOOD?

为什么要自己种食物？

Anyone who has ever picked fresh strawberries will know how unlikely it is that the first harvest will reach the kitchen. The urge to eat them there and then beats all but the strongest wills – the taste is incomparable.

任何采摘过新鲜草莓的人都会知道，第一次收获到厨房是多么不可能。除了最强烈的意志外，在那里吃它们的冲动压倒了一切——味道无与伦比。

That’s one of the main reasons why I grow my own food. Freshness equates to flavour and has health benefits too; I harvest crops from my veg patch when they are at their best and packed with vitamins.

这是我自己种食物的主要原因之一。新鲜等同于味道，对健康也有好处；我从我的蔬菜地收获庄稼，当它们处于最佳状态，富含维生素时。

Compare shop-bought broad beans to home-grown and I promise you’ll never buy them again. But that’s not all, there are so many other reasons to grow your own: to boost your fitness, to improve your environment, or just for the sheer pleasure of it.

把商店买的蚕豆和自家种的比较一下，我保证你们再也不会买了。但这并不是全部，还有很多其他的理由让你自己成长：增强你的健康，改善你的环境，或者仅仅为了快乐。

FRESH AND HEALTHY We are all well aware that the route to good health is through eating more fruits and vegetables, but you may not have considered the direct benefits of growing them yourself. Vitamin and antioxidant levels are at their highest when crops are first picked, with the levels falling by half after a week or so.
新鲜和健康我们都很清楚，获得健康的途径是多吃水果和蔬菜，但你可能没有考虑到自己种植水果和蔬菜的直接好处。第一次采摘作物时，维生素和抗氧化剂的含量最高，一周左右后含量下降了一半。
In shops, you can rarely tell how long ago “fresh” produce was picked or how well it has been stored, especially if it is imported or kept in refrigeration. When you have your own wigwam of runner beans, or a big pot of tomatoes on your patio, you can harvest and eat them within hours, or even minutes.
在商店里，你几乎看不出“新鲜”农产品是在多久前被采摘的，或者储存得有多好，特别是如果它是进口的或冷藏的。当你有自己的豆角，或者院子里有一大盆西红柿时，你可以在几个小时甚至几分钟内收获并吃掉它们。

CROPS IN SMALL SPACES
小空间种植作物
There’s no denying that having less space limits the amount of fruit and vegetables you can grow, but by thinking laterally you can still produce enough to supplement your needs, even if you can’t supply everything. Instead of planting vegetables that take up lots of space but are
不可否认，空间少限制了你可以种植的水果和蔬菜的数量，但从侧面考虑，你仍然可以生产足够的水果和蔬菜来补充你的需求，即使你不能提供所有的东西。而不是种植占用大量空间的蔬菜

GROWING IN CONTAINERS
在容器中生长
Growing crops in pots is second nature to many gardeners. As well as providing extra growing space, it offers many benefits, such as easier weeding and the option to move your crops under cover for protection or to extend their cropping season. It can also give you a wider choice of crops to grow because you are not limited to growing
盆里种庄稼是许多园丁的第二天性。除了提供额外的生长空间外，它还提供了许多好处，例如更容易除草，可以选择将作物移动到覆盖下进行保护或延长其种植季节。它还可以为你提供更广泛的作物选择，因为你不局限于种植