Phrases for talking about gardening in English

Do you like to garden? Here are some words and phrases for talking about gardening in English:

There are a few different types of gardens:

• vegetable gardens, in which you grow vegetables and fruits to eat
• flower gardens, which have pretty flowers
• ornamental gardens, which contain a variety of flowers, grasses, bushes, and trees

Before you start to plant things in a garden, you might till the soil. This means mixing the soil up using a machine like a plow (a big machine that you drive around) or a tiller (a machine that you push), or with a hand-held tool called a hoe. At this stage, you can mix in things to improve the soil, like manure (waste from animals) or compost (decomposed food and plants).

Once the soil is tilled, you might shape it into raised beds or rows. This improves the drainage of the soil, so that when it rains, the water drains out. This keeps the plants' roots from rotting.

Sowing a crop means planting a bunch of vegetables or fruits. Some seeds need to be planted in the ground at a specific depth. Others can be scattered (lightly thrown) on the ground.

After you plant your seeds, they will hopefully take root (start growing roots) and sprout (start growing leaves). Some crops will need to be thinned (selectively picked) so that each plant will have enough water and nutrients to grow.

You will probably deal with weeds (wild plants that compete with yours). You can weed your garden, but make sure to pull the weeds up by their roots so that they don't grow back. You will also deal with pests, including insects and rodents (mice, rabbits, etc.) Some gardeners spray pesticides to kill insects, but others like to keep their garden chemical-free and organic.

If you're growing a vegetable garden, you can start to harvest your crops when they're ready. We call a fruit that is ready "ripe". A vegetable that is ready to pick can be called "mature".