HOW TO CHOOSE SEEDS 



means really "grow up" but we think of it as mean- 

 ing "become ready to eat"). 



Radishes have three shapes, long and pointed like 

 an icicle, short and flat like a top and round and 

 long like an olive. They also grow in several colors : 

 red, white, and red with a white tip. Summer rad- 

 ishes have the same shapes but are much larger ; 

 they grow red, red and white, white, yellow, brown, 

 and black. If your garden soil is not mellow deep 

 down, I would advise you not to plant the long icicle 

 shaped varieties. It is the root of this plant which 

 we eat. 



Lettuce is usually all green leaves, but some 

 varieties have the green leaves tipped with reddish 

 brown. Most people like the varieties that form a 

 hard head, but some there are who prefer a loose 

 leaf variety. It is difficult to grow good lettuce in 

 the middle of the summer unless you live where the 

 nights are cool and there are heavy dews. You 

 know, we eat only the leaves of this plant, never 

 waiting for it to blossom and make seed, and so we 

 want the leaves as tender as possible ; to keep them 

 tender they must grow fast ; hot, dry weather stops 

 their growth and they either get tough or send up 

 a blossom stalk from the middle, then they are not 

 good for food. 



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