112 THE BEGINNER'S GARDEN BOOK 



We can vary this if we please; the greenhouseman, with 

 his sunlight and special heat, may do with plants almost 

 whatever he wishes. But generally it is troublesome to 

 grow large plants in the house, so that we seldom wish to 



keep them in the 

 house more than a 

 month or six weeks 

 after sowing. 



The next period 

 is one during 

 which we can start 

 plants out of doors, 

 but under glass 

 protectors called 

 frames. These 

 protect the plants 

 from the * killing 

 frosts. 



Then comes the 

 time when it is 

 safe to sow hardy 

 plants out of doors. 

 They will prob- 

 ably do well. 



FIG. 62. Sweet pea, a hardy annual. T^,. ,, 



Finally comes 



summer, when tender plants may be sown without risk. Of 

 course a freakish season may give a summer frost, but this is 

 very rare. 



It is hard to set dates for these periods. The farther 

 south, or the nearer the ocean, the earlier they come. One 

 year may vary from another by a week or more. Generally 

 speaking, at the latitude of New York City the third week 

 in April may see the beginning of outdoor planting, the last 



