HOW? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? 



Gardening • • . the answer to a 

 fundamental need 



Too Much Work? 



To those who have never known 

 the pleasures of gardening and 

 growing flowers, this glorious ac- 

 tivity may seem like hard work. 

 Yet those who predicted that 

 people were lazy and would quit 

 growing plants as soon as the 

 wartime food emergency was over 

 have been amazed at the enthusi- 

 asm with which millions of Ameri- 

 cans have kept right on growing 

 things. That, of course, didn't sur- 

 prise those who have always gar- 

 dened because they know that no 

 other single occupation of man 

 gives as much pleasure to so many 

 people. Folks keep on gardening 

 simply because it's fun. 



Or perhaps "fun" is too small a 

 word to use in describing the satis- 

 faction that comes from garden- 

 ing. Maybe the better way to de- 

 scribe that satisfaction is to tell 

 about the father who said, not so 

 long ago, "Regardless of what the 

 food situation may be, you can be 

 sure I'll keep on gardening. It's 

 the only recreation I've found that 

 the whole family can enjoy to- 

 gether. We have two boys and two 

 girls who never could agree on a 

 common family activity. Now all 

 of us work together in the garden 

 and enjoy it. I'm certain that 

 gardening has brought us closer 

 together as a family." 



Yet while gardening is an activity 

 in which the entire family can 

 take part, it is just as much one 

 which needs no company to enjoy. 



There is no need to find a course 

 or playing field, or to travel miles 

 to engage in gardening. And mil- 

 lions of Americans find that they 

 don't need a long uninterrupted 

 week end to do a good job of 

 growing things: they manage to fit 

 in their gardening between other 

 tasks and pleasures. 



A Fundamental Need 



Perhaps the downright satisfaction 

 and pleasure we get out of garden- 

 ing is evidence that we all need 

 some contact with the soil: that 

 such a contact satisfies some fun- 

 damental want in man. 

 At the same time, there is no 

 reason why we should work any 

 harder than is necessary. Garden- 

 ing can be hard, or it can be easy. 

 Here is a trick that will help 

 lighten the work for you: 



Mulching vs. Cultivation 



Sometimes half-truths are as good 

 as whole ones. The furor created 

 by the book, "Ploughman's Folly," 

 which advocated a trash mulch at 

 the surface made sense as far as 

 the mulch was concerned. By 

 plowing or digging in the conven- 

 tional way and then mulching, the 

 home gardener can take advantage 

 of good soil preparation, plus the 



very real saving in labor that 

 comes from using a mulch. 

 With the right mulch, there is no 

 need to weed, no need to stir the 

 soil, and once that mulch is ap- 

 plied, the need for watering (at 

 least in normal seasons) is all but 

 over. This should save hours of 

 valuable time. 



How to Mulch 



A mulch is merely a covering of 

 some material which won't sup- 

 port weed growth, and which is 

 porous enough to trap air. « This 

 porous quality is important be- 

 cause it keeps down the loss of 

 moisture from the soil and also 

 keeps the heat of the sun from 

 penetrating deeply and hurting 

 root growth. 



A perfect mulch is well-rotted, old 

 manure. Never use fresh manure 

 for a mulch because it will fer- 

 ment and rot, and some of the 

 gases released in this process can 

 damage plants. But when well- 

 rotted, manure not only keeps 

 down weeds and saves moisture, 

 but can be worked into the soil 

 after the growing season is over. 



If grass clippings are allowed to 

 lie on the lawn for a day or two 

 to cure, they can be applied in thin 

 layers, and gradually built up to 

 form a thick mulch. If not dried, 

 they may ferment and cause 

 trouble. 



Peat moss, if moist when applied, 

 and if kept moistened, makes a 

 perfect mulch. But since it may 

 suck water away from the plants 

 unless already moist, it must never 

 be applied bone dry, nor should it 

 be allowed to dry out. It is clean, 

 weed-free and a good insulator. 



Buckwheat hulls, rice hulls, ground 

 corn cobs and clean straw are 

 other materials that are satisfac- 

 tory. 



When to Mulch 



Most gardeners wait too long to 

 mulch. The soil should be moist, 

 but not wringing wet. If spring 

 rains have made the ground soggy, 

 wait until you can cultivate with- 

 out packing, and then apply. If 

 the ground is dry, soak the soil 

 thoroughly before mulching. 



Mulching and Watering 



Always keep in mind that a mulch 

 does not add any water to the soil, 

 nor does it prevent the loss of 

 water through the leaves of the 

 plant. If rains heavy enough to 

 penetrate the mulch do not fall, 

 then you will have to water. This 

 can be done by removing the noz- 

 zle from the hose and allowing it 

 to flow out on top of the mulch. 

 If the mulch is thick enough, there 

 should be no washing of the soil. 



Clean straw used as a mulch under 

 tomatoes will keep the fruit clean, 

 and in addition will save the labor 

 of staking. 



AGERATUM, 

 Midget Blue 



IPOMEA, 

 Heavenly Blue 



