HOW? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? 



Transplanting 



DON'T assume that transplanting is worth doing for itself alone. 

 Transplanting is like an operation to a human being: the plant 

 must recover from post- operative shock before it can take hold 

 and start growing again. The only value in transplanting is that 

 it allows you to use larger plants — important in short seasons. 

 If there is ever any question as to whether to direct-seed or to 

 transplant, always direct-seed unless quicker maturity is a 

 factor. Even tomatoes, the crop most often transplanted, will 

 usually produce as quickly from seed sown in the open as they 

 will from transplants, which must grow new roots before they 

 can begin growing again. 



DO use good seedlings if you 

 must transplant. They should 

 be medium green in color, not 

 too tall, and the leaves should 

 be free from spots or dead 

 areas. Avoid seedlings that are 

 reddened, or purplish in color, 

 or show signs of yellowing ( ex- 

 cept in the case of celery plants, 

 which can be quite yellow and 

 still be good). 



If you want to grow your own 

 transplants to get healthy stock, 

 follow these directions: 

 DON'T BEGIN too soon, unless 

 you have a greenhouse or light 

 hotbed and can give the seedlings 

 plenty of room. For most vege- 

 tables, 6 to 7 weeks is time enough 

 to allow between seeding and 

 transplanting. Most homes are too 

 dark, so don't try to grow seed- 

 lings unless you can do it in a 

 sunny window that gets direct 

 sunshine for at least six hours. 

 Fill shallow boxes (flats) with a 

 mixture of % good garden soil, 

 Vs clean sand and V 3 compost, leaf 

 mould or other well-rotted organic 

 matter. Make very shallow rows 

 or furrows with the edge of a ruler 

 or a wood lath, 3" apart. Sow 

 seeds in these rows 1" apart in the 

 row. For most plants, a tempera- 

 ture of 70 degrees is a good com- 

 promise. 



DON'T let your soil dry out, and 

 don't let it be soggy. Spray lightly 

 two or three times a day, using an 

 atomizer or bulb sprinkler. When 

 the best seedlings can be selected, 

 thin out to stand 2" to 3" apart. 

 Before transplanting into the gar- 

 den, withhold water for 2 or 3 

 days. In transplanting, set the 

 plants firmly by pressing on both 

 sides of the stem with forefinger 

 and thumb. If not firmed thor- 

 oughly, seedling may be killed by 

 being hung with an air space un- 

 derneath. 



Always try to save as many leaves 

 and roots as possible. Scientific 

 tests show that it is better to allow 

 the transplant to wilt slightly than 

 to remove leaves to prevent that 

 wilting. Removing leaves slows up 

 manufacture of plant food that 

 will help plant recover. Liberal 

 watering should prevent wilting. 



After Transplanting 



As soon as the garden has been 

 planted, water thoroughly but 

 gently with a fine spray. This, by 



the way, is the only time we 

 sprinkle a garden; once the plants 

 are established, any watering 

 should give the soil a good soak- 

 ing. If a crust forms after water- 

 ing, break this by working with 

 a hoe or cultivator on both sides 

 of the row. 



In the case of slow-germinating 

 seeds like carrots and parsnips, 

 mixing a few radish seeds in the 

 packet will mark the row early. 

 Otherwise you may have to delay 

 cultivation until too late to do a 

 good job of weed control. 

 DON'T take it for granted that cul- 

 tivation will substitute for water- 

 ing. Tests prove that pulverized 

 soil loses just as much water after 

 working as before. The real reason 

 for cultivating is to destroy weeds. 

 Weeds shade desirable plants, rob 

 them of moisture and use up soil 

 plant food. 



Annual weeds are usually easy to 

 kill if we can keep them from 

 seeding. Deep-rooted perennial 

 weeds, like bindweed and Canada 

 thistle, are not so easy. The sim- 

 plest way to control them is to 

 take the land out of cultivation 

 for a year and keep spraying with 

 2,4-D weed killer. If this isn't 

 feasible, and if they must be con- 

 trolled by cultivation, keep tops 

 cut off every two weeks. Don't do 

 this oftener, because otherwise the 

 tops won't use up the stored food 

 in the root. Don't do it less often, 

 or the tops will manage to store 

 new food. 



Mulching Saves Work 



Now that we know that a dust 

 mulch allows just as much moist- 

 ure to escape as bare, hard ground, 

 cultivation should only be done to 

 control weeds. A mulch, on the 

 other hand, does what cultivation 

 is supposed to do — it cuts down 

 water loss from the surface and it 

 also controls weeds. Any clean 

 vegetable matter such as lawn 

 clippings, chopped or whole straw 

 or hay, ground corn cobs, peat, 

 etc., can be used. Vermiculite, a 

 mineral product used as house in- 

 sulation and as poultry litter, has 

 proved a valuable mulch because 

 of its high water-holding capacity 

 and insulating value. 

 Apply these mulches when the soil 

 is still moist. If applied after the 

 soil dries out, they fail to function. 

 Remember — a mulch does not stop 

 the use of water by the plants — 

 it merely checks surface evapora- 

 tion and keeps down weeds. 



