CHAPTER SIXTEEN 



GARDEN CROPS GROWN FOR THEIR FRUITS 



Seeds are the cradles of plant babies; fruits are the 

 houses in which the cradles are placed. And the gardener, 

 devouring houses, babies, and cradles together, smacks his 

 lips and exclaims about the quality of his vegetables ! 



NEVIN WOODSEDE 



THE various garden crops grown for their fruits may 

 be grouped as follows : 



A. Cool-season short-period crops 

 (i) Garden peas. 



B. Warm-season crops, the seeds of which are sown 



directly in the garden - 



(1) Beans. 



(2) The vine crops. 



(3) Okra. 



(4) Sweet corn. 



C. Warm-season long-period crops requiring trans- 



planting - 



(1) Tomatoes. 



(2) Peppers. 



(3) Eggplants. 



This list is not long, but it includes several of the 

 most important garden crops, among them peas, beans, 

 corn, and tomatoes. Since it is the fruit of these crops 

 that is eaten, they are grown until the plants approach 

 full maturity; yet in most cases the fleshy fruits are 

 used while green or immature, and before the seeds are 

 fully ripe. With the exception of garden peas, all the 

 crops here listed are tender, warm-season plants, strongly 

 affected by even slight frosts. 



258 



