146 GARDEN STEPS 



Cultivation. — No further care need be taken, 

 except to keep the earth soft and loose about them 

 throughout the season. This means a good deal of 

 hand work, as the weeds quickly choke onions if they 

 get in among them. 



Sprouts and Sets 



Growing Sprouts in the Window Box. — Onion 



sprouts may be grown in a window box, or, in many 

 places, can be purchased from seed houses. To 

 grow the sprouts, the best plan is to make with 

 matches little holes, an inch apart each way, in the 

 window box soil and drop one or two seeds in each, 

 a half an inch deep. The soil, of course, should be 

 light and rich. If the seed is crowded in the box, the 

 roots will be tangled and weak, hardly fit to set out. 



Setting Out. — When the sprouts are four inches 

 high, the onion bed should be prepared as for seed. 

 The sprouts should be set three inches apart except 

 for the larger varieties, which may be four inches 

 apart. The rows are easier to work in if there are 

 fourteen or fifteen inches between them. In set- 

 ting the sprouts, be sure the earth is soft and moist 

 and the hole large enough so the roots will not be 

 cramped. Gather the moist earth firmly around 

 them with the fingers. 



How to Plant Sets. — By far the easiest and most 

 satisfactory way for the beginner to raise a few 

 onions for home use is to plant a quart or two of 



