英语播客 A Cup of English A growing garden.

One thing that I do in the morning, is to drive my children to school. It doesn't take very long, perhaps five minutes. Parents can pull up into a parking area that is near the school playing field to drop their kids off. Something caught my eye, the first day of school, which I hadn't seen before. A school garden has appeared, and is full to the brim with all kinds of plants. I had completely forgotten that it existed. Because I was out of town for most of the Summer, I hadn't seen the progress that this new garden had made. It was designed and planted this year, so it is new. After the funds had been raised for this project, some volunteers got together and sectioned off a piece of the school property that is right next to the road. A fence was built, and the grass was removed. Then, good quality soil was added, paths were made, and tiny plants were planted. It seemed like nothing at first. Mostly what you could see was the bark that was put on top of the soil which keeps the weeds away. By the time school finished in June, there were quite a few perennial flowers and some vegetables. But that was all that I got to see. My goodness, what a difference now! I had a good look at the garden the other day, and was very impressed at what I saw. There are several, large pumpkins which will be huge by the time it is Halloween. Tomato plants, vines, and a mix of vegetable friendly flowers are also there, you know the kind, like Marigolds which keep certain insects away, and encourage others. It's a jumble of healthy plants, which is what I like to see, - not too neat and tidy. I'm sure the teachers have some lessons planned that will include the garden and its produce. It's a great example of 'hands-on' learning.

Grammar notes.

Common expressions: full to the brim, to section off, hands-on, -friendly.

1. The bucket was full to the brim of blackberries by the time we had finished picking.

2. The workmen sectionned off the ground for excavation.

3. This museum is very hands-on; you can actually touch the exhibits.

4. That shop is very customer-friendly; they are so helpful. I bought a computer there which is very user- friendly, not difficult to use at all.