196 Subtropical Vegetable-Gardening 



Hotbeds and coldframes for eggplants. 



For early fruit, and the northern parts of the subtropics, 

 it will be necessary to use a hotbed and later a coldframe. 

 A hotbed properly prepared will save these plants through 

 frosts of 14 F. Of course such extreme cold is by no means 

 healthful to the plants, but they may be saved from de- 

 struction. For eggplant seedlings, the manure is placed 

 in the hotbed about a foot thick, and banked up on the 

 outside of the frame to the rim. Two sheets of protecting 

 cloth are used, with some space between them ; the outer 

 edges are covered to keep the wind from getting under 

 them. During cold weather, the plants will make very 

 little progress, however, but the gentle bottom heat causes 

 them to make a good root system. 



As soon as all danger from further frosts is past, the 

 seedlings may be thinned out ; and if any empty places 

 occur, these may be filled in from places where the plants 

 are too thick in the row. The plants should have about 

 an inch space in the row, and the rows should be about 

 3 inches apart. As soon as the plants begin to crowd one 

 another, they should be transplanted to another frame; 

 this time each plant should be given about 2 inches in the 

 row, the rows being 4 inches apart. Inexperienced persons 

 are somewhat timid in removing eggplant seedlings, or 

 transplanting them, because they fear they will be injured 

 in the operation; but experience has taught that they 

 may be removed, or re-set, when small, without any dis- 

 advantage to the plant. The time to sow the seed 

 depends upon the time when the last killing frost occurs 

 in the section. 



