CHAPTER 1 



THE PRINCIPLES OF VEGETABLE GARDENING 



BY R. L. WATTS 



Dean and Director, School of Agriculture and Experiment Station f 

 The Pennsylvania State College 



A thorough knowledge of the underlying principles of vegetable 

 gardening is exceedingly important, whether the vegetables are to be grown 

 for the home table or for commercial purposes. 



Soils and Locations. Soils containing a considerable quantity of 

 sand are best adapted to the growing of vegetables. Such soils are well 

 drained, easily culti- 

 vated, and may be 

 worked early in the 

 spring. Sandy soils 

 are warmer than clay 

 soils, and for this rea- 

 son crops mature 

 earlier in them. They 

 are especially desira- 

 ble for crops requiring 

 high temperatures, 

 such as eggplants, 

 peppers and melons. 

 Any soil, however, 

 which satisfactorily 

 produces general farm 

 crops,will,with proper 

 treatment, grow good 

 garden crops. The clay 

 soils are a voided so far 

 as possible by market 

 gardeners and South- 

 ern truck growers. 



Southern or southeastern exposures are preferable for vegetable gardening 

 because they are warmer and, therefore, conducive to earlier crops. 

 Northern and western exposures are satisfactory for the later crops. Natural 

 or artificial windbreaks are of advantage where there are cold exposures. 



1 Courtesy of New York State College of Agriculture, Ithaca, N. Y. From Cornell Reading Courses. 

 Vol. II. 



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NECESSARY GARDEN Toots. 1 



