Planting 23 



crop Is not as large. Fall planting is too expensive and 

 uncertain to be generally useful in the North. It is a 

 special practice, used successfully only in a few market- 

 gardens and home gardens. 



From the Delaware-Maryland peninsula southward 

 along the coast to South Carolina, if the ground is pre- 

 pared in the fall, plants can be set any time during the 

 winter when it is not freezing. The plants become estab- 

 lished in the soil so that they start off quickly in the spring. 

 It is a distinct advantage to have such a long period during 

 which planting can be done successfully. 



In the coast region of North Carolina, most of the 

 planting is done in October and November. Florida 

 growers can plant any month of the year, but most of 

 the commercial fields are set from August to October. 

 September and October are the safest months, but if the 

 weather is favorable, August planting gives a better crop. 

 In south Florida, plants are set from June to November. 

 Strong plants set in November will begin to bear in 

 January and keep on fruiting more or less until May; 

 sometimes November plantings yield as heavily as those 

 set earlier. 



Most of the commercial fields in the Gulf states are 

 planted from September to March. August and Sep- 

 tember plantings are liable to suffer from drought except 

 along the coast. In the southern part of Alabama, Georgia, 

 Mississippi and Louisiana, plants set in November and 

 December make considerable growth during the winter 

 and bear one-half to two-thirds of a crop in the spring, 

 but not as heavily as August and September plantings. 

 In the central and northern parts of these states, plants 

 make but little winter growth and must be set in Aug- 

 ust or September in order to get a crop the next spring. 



