| [00:00.100] |
This is the VOA Special English |
| [00:03.190] |
Agriculture Report. |
| [00:05.190] |
Some people say |
| [00:06.930] |
eating hot chili peppers |
| [00:09.370] |
can help you breathe easier |
| [00:11.960] |
if you have a cold. |
| [00:13.800] |
Others believe that chilies |
| [00:16.490] |
give you more energy. |
| [00:18.630] |
All we know is that people |
| [00:21.630] |
have been growing chilies |
| [00:23.330] |
for centuries. |
| [00:25.220] |
And there are plenty |
| [00:26.810] |
of different kinds |
| [00:27.760] |
of chili peppers to choose from, |
| [00:30.760] |
along with different levels of heat. |
| [00:34.170] |
Want to spice up your meals |
| [00:36.850] |
with homegrown chilies? |
| [00:38.940] |
They need a warm climate. |
| [00:41.330] |
If you plant the seeds outside |
| [00:44.530] |
when the weather is cool, |
| [00:46.420] |
place a glass over them. |
| [00:48.870] |
That will add warmth |
| [00:51.370] |
from the sun and |
| [00:53.990] |
protect them from wind. |
| [00:56.450] |
You can also start the seeds |
| [00:59.300] |
in your home or a greenhouse. |
| [01:02.950] |
If you plant chili peppers |
| [01:05.790] |
inside, fill an eight-centimeter |
| [01:09.240] |
pot with soil. |
| [01:10.680] |
The pot should have holes |
| [01:13.370] |
in the bottom |
| [01:14.520] |
so water can run out. |
| [01:17.080] |
Tap the sides of the pot |
| [01:19.820] |
to settle the soil. |
| [01:21.510] |
Drop several seeds |
| [01:23.950] |
over the surface of the pot |
| [01:26.190] |
and cover with a thin layer |
| [01:28.840] |
of vermiculite. |
| [01:30.680] |
Vermiculite is a material |
| [01:33.120] |
that can hold air, |
| [01:34.960] |
water and nutrients. |
| [01:37.910] |
Then cover the top of the pot |
| [01:40.990] |
with a see-through plastic bag. |
| [01:43.830] |
Hold the bag in place |
| [01:46.120] |
with a rubber band. |
| [01:47.760] |
Place the pot in a warm area. |
| [01:50.750] |
When the chilies start growing, |
| [01:54.040] |
take off the bag. |
| [01:55.430] |
When the plants have reached |
| [01:57.920] |
about two centimeters high, |
| [02:00.060] |
place each one carefully |
| [02:02.260] |
in its own eight-centimeter pot. |
| [02:05.400] |
When the roots show |
| [02:07.590] |
through the holes |
| [02:08.830] |
in the bottom of the pot, |
| [02:10.930] |
transplant each seedling |
| [02:13.120] |
into a twelve-centimeter pot. |
| [02:16.500] |
When the plants are |
| [02:18.650] |
twenty centimeters high, |
| [02:20.640] |
tie the plants to a stick placed |
| [02:23.630] |
in the pot to support them. |
| [02:26.070] |
When the chili peppers |
| [02:28.260] |
are thirty centimeters high, |
| [02:30.830] |
pinch the tops off |
| [02:32.520] |
with your fingers. |
| [02:33.760] |
That should get |
| [02:35.720] |
new branches to grow. |
| [02:37.510] |
When the first flowers show, |
| [02:40.360] |
give the plants |
| [02:42.100] |
some potash fertilizer. |
| [02:44.100] |
When the weather is warm, |
| [02:46.490] |
put them into five-liter pots |
| [02:49.680] |
and place them outside. |
| [02:51.630] |
Make sure they get |
| [02:53.980] |
a good amount of light and water. |
| [02:56.960] |
Some people like mild chilies, |
| [03:00.620] |
others like plenty of heat. |
| [03:03.550] |
Some like to harvest the plants |
| [03:06.010] |
when the chilies are green. |
| [03:07.810] |
Others like their chilies red. |
| [03:10.650] |
Either way can give color |
| [03:13.490] |
and taste to many different foods. |
| [03:17.230] |
And that's the VOA Special English |
| [03:21.360] |
Agriculture Report, |
| [03:23.330] |
written by Jerilyn Watson. |
