Mark Hoffman and his wife own a bed-and-breakfast guesthouse in rural Kempton, Illinois. They often serve their guests fresh products from the garden.
The Hoffmans have been growing food and flowers for twenty-five years. For almost ten of those years, Mr. Hoffman has been experimenting(做实验) and working with shade plantings. He says, “The bottom line here is that most plants will produce more in full sun. But if you do not have full sun, there are other choices.”
For example, he grows tomatoes near oak trees. Oak trees(橡树) can produce a lot of shade. But Mr. Hoffman says his tomato plants grow as long as they get five hours’ direct sunshine a day, especially morning sun. Not only does this go against the traditional advice that tomatoes need six, eight, even twelve hours’ full sun a day, it also shows how plants and tree roots(树根) can share nutrients(养分) and water. Mr. Hoffman also planted asparagus(芦笋) around a tree. When it rains, all the rain from the leaves of the tree drops down right on the asparagus.
Mr. Hoffman says plants with wider leaves seem to do better in shady environments. He also found that his potatoes did better partly in shade than in full sun.
Moving them out of the sun helped control an insect problem with leaf hoppers. Mr. Hoffman does not use pesticide(杀虫剂). Instead, he planted the potatoes in the shade, especially on the east side of the tree. The potatoes get morning sun, but they are shaded during the hottest part of the day. Leaf hoppers dislike shade, and the hottest part day is when they do the worst of their damage(破坏).
Time of day, brightness of the sun, shadows from trees, walls and buildings all influence how much sunlight falls or does not fall on plants. People who are interested in shade planting should also consider different conditions which planting vegetables in the shade.
【小题1】What can we infer from the second paragraph?| A．Food and flowers produce more in the shade. |
| B．Food and flowers can’t grow without full sun. |
| C．Planting food in the shade is the best choice. |
| D．Sun can influence the production of some plant. |
| A．how plants and trees share water | B．vegetables grow better in the shade |
| C．how leaves get sunshine under the tree | D．asparagus prefers to grow in the shade |
| A．plants | B．insects | C．pesticides | D．potatoes |
| A．To introduce Mark Hoffman and his family. |
| B．To recommend a method of managing a website. |
| C．To show vegetables can be planted in the shade. |
| D．To show vegetable must be planted in the shade. |
| A．Environment | B．Travelling | C．Agriculture | D．Lifestyle |
