Garden Crops Grown for Their Fruits 265 

 VINE CROPS 



All the vine crops grown for their fruits belong to 

 the gourd family. They are very much alike in habit of 

 growth and in cultural needs. All are tender and de- 

 cidedly warm-season crops, maturing in summer or 

 autumn. Their wide-spreading vines require more room 

 than can usually be spared in the garden of small size. 

 In the more northern states the season of growth is 

 scarcely long enough for some of the vine crops to 

 mature. 



Of this group, the bush squashes and the cucumbers 

 are the most suitable for planting in the home garden. 

 The bush "squashes" (really pumpkins) do not have 

 the vine habit, and their fruits mature in summer. 



All vine crops are grown in hills. For early crops, 

 plants may be started under glass, but special pre- 

 cautions should be taken to keep the roots intact during 

 the transplanting. As seedlings of these plants develop 

 quickly, they should be started only about 2 weeks before 

 the planting date. 



Cucumbers. In the home garden cucumbers are 

 grown chiefly for the green, immature fruits. Grow in 

 hills about 4 feet apart in rich soil and keep well watered. 

 In the cooler sections of the more northern states a single 

 planting of both early and later varieties may be suffi- 

 cient. Further south and in sections where the summers 

 are hot and dry the plants tend to die during the summer, 

 and a second or late planting is advisable. Cucumbers 

 may be grown as a companion and follow crop with 

 such early crops as radishes and peas. 



