154 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES 



mixture made of equal parts of good loam and river 

 sand. Each pot should be given about a dozen seeds, 

 sown an eighth of an inch down. A fair supply of luke- 

 warm water completes the process of sowing, and the pot 

 is placed in a conservatory or frame where the tempera- 

 ture approximates 60. Whilst here the earth will fre- 

 quently become dry and, whenever this happens, a 

 shower of tepid water should be given. 



Tomatoes require repotting singly at least three times 

 during the early stages of growth ; the first when the 

 seedlings have thrown out three leaves ; the second 

 when they stand six inches high ; and the third when a 

 height of twelve inches has been attained. The pots at 

 each transference must, of course, be amply roomy for 

 the plants and the fresh potting mixture should be kept 

 in the warm air at least three days before use, otherwise 

 much harm may come to the delicate seedlings. In the 

 later repottings the sand should give place to wood ash 

 and a trace of bone meal. 



In May it will be necessary to decide whether indoor or 

 outdoor cultivation shall be followed. 



Indoor Cultivation. If a conservatory having a sunny 

 aspect is at our disposal the indoor method of culture 

 will give most satisfaction. Place one seedling in each 

 twelve-inch pot or deep box or, if the greenhouse 

 contains a trench of earth, dig out a hole for each plant, 

 one foot each way. Take some broken pottery, place it 

 at the bottom of the pot, box, or hole to a depth of two 

 inches, add an inch layer of chopped turf, place on top 

 of this a handful of compost, made of twice as much 

 turfy loam as rotted manure, put the root of the seed- 



