The Time for Planting 163 
selecting varieties best suited to local conditions, in 
planting these varieties at the most suitable time, and in 
caring for them so that they will produce the best crops. 
Questions 
On what two factors does the right planting time for a garden 
crop depend? Into what two great classes may crops be divided 
according to their heat requirements? Why are some cool- 
season crops grown from seed planted directly in the garden and 
others by the transplanting method? Name some crops grown in 
each of these ways. What conditions other than a cool climate 
may favor the growth of cool-season crops? What perennial 
garden vegetables mature in the spring? 
What crops mature best in warm weather? Which of these 
are grown directly from seed planted in the garden? Which have 
to be started under glass ? 
What is meant by the “growing season”? What is meant 
by a, “planting zone”? In what planting zone do you live? 
What crops listed in the chart on page 155 can reach full maturity 
in your garden? In your region, when should winter cabbage, 
requiring 120 days for maturity, be planted? curled endive, re- 
quiring 90 days for maturity? How can peppers and eggplants 
be grown successfully in a locality having an outdoor growing 
period of 90 days? Why can parsnip and salsify be grown from 
seed in localities where the growing season is 100 days or less? 
How will this crop compare with that growing where there are 125 
days in the actual growing season? 
Things to Do and Observe 
1. To make a table of planting dates. Make your own locality 
tables of earliest and latest planting dates, similar to those on 
pages 348-350. Visit successful gardeners and see if your table 
agrees with their judgment as to best planting dates. Do people 
usually make mistakes by planting the various garden crops too 
early or too late? 
Record the dates of the last killing frost in spring and the first 
killing frost in autumn, as they occur in your locality. Compare 
