THE KITCHEN GARDEN 71 



to the acre. If you can get a suitable plot that has been in 

 red clover, alfalfa, soy beans, or cowpeas, for a number of 

 years, so much the better. These plants have on their 

 roots nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which draw nitrogen from the 

 air. Nitrogen is the great meat-maker and forces a pro- 

 longed and rapid growth of all vegetables. 



After manuring and plowing, harrow repeatedly with a 

 disk or cutaway harrow until the soil is as fine as dust. Then 

 you have a seed bed which will give the fine roots a chance 

 to grow as soon as the seeds sprout. Too much stress can- 

 not be laid upon the importance of thoroughly working the 

 soil at this time. Every stone, weed, or clod that is left 

 in the soil destroys to that extent the source from which the 

 plants can get their food. 



A quarter-acre garden, which is big enough to supply the 

 whole family with a succession of vegetables for summer and 

 fall, as well as some potatoes and turnips for winter, will 

 take a diligent workman about four days to dig over and 

 three days to plant. The four days' work of digging will 

 need to be done only once. The time spent upon planting 

 succession crops will depend upon the amount of the garden 

 reserved for rotation. The part kept for lettuce, radishes, 

 spinach, beets, Swiss chard, peas, string and wax beans 

 may be digged over in a favorable season for three successive 

 plantings, while the part devoted to early potatoes would 

 need to be digged only twice once when the planting is 

 done, and again when crop is gathered and the ground be 

 prepared for a crop of late cabbage or turnips. A planting 

 table for vegetables, which is complete and comprehensive, 

 is distributed free by the National Emergency Food Garden 

 Commission at Washington, D.C. 



It is far more important to plant seeds at the proper depth 



