The Purpose of 

 Ferry's Home Garden Guide 



Information in the Fen'\'s Home Garden 

 Guide falls into two major classifications: helpful 

 gardening "ho\v-to-do-it" directions, and de- 

 scriptions of all flower, vegetable, and herb 

 varieties offered in Ferr>'s Seeds packets. 



Cultural directions are intended to supplement 

 those on the backs of Ferry's Seeds packets. All 

 directions are written for beginners in gardening, 

 or for experienced gardeners who are experi- 

 menting with new or different flowers or vege- 

 tables. 



The Ferr>'s Home Garden Guide's garden 



hints will work in almost ever\' section of the 

 country. However, we recommend that you also 

 take advantage of literature published by your 

 State Agricultural Extension Service. Such liter- 

 ature is edited by experts who have detailed 

 information on the soil and climate in every 

 part of >'our state. It is generally free and 

 covers such subjects as flower and vegetable 

 culture, insecticides, and home canning and 

 freezing. Call or write your local County Agri- 

 cultural or Home Demonstration Agent; they 

 will mail literature to you. 



Table of Contents 



Flower Names. Alternative and Common: 

 Alphabetically Arranged for Cross Reference . 2-4 



Flowers Grouped for Special Uses 5 



Your First Steps to Garden Success 6-7 



How to Start Plants in Pots Indoors 8 



How to Plant . . . Flowers 9-12 



How to Plant . . . Vegetables 13-16 



Chart— Average Hard Frost Dates 17 



Chart— When to Plant Your Vegetables 18 



Chart— When to Plant Your Flowers 19 



For Junior Gardeners— A Vegetable and Flow'er 

 Garden Plan 20 



Quick Reference List of Vitamins in Vegetables 

 Fresh From Your Garden 20 



Flower Seeds— Varietal Uses and 



Descriptions 21-34 



Herbs 34 



Vegetable Seeds— Varietal Uses and 



Descriptions 35-48 



Picture on Front Cover 

 New Century Mixed Zinnia 



The little girl peeking over the zinnia blossoms shows 

 by comparison just how big New Century blossoms 

 grow. The bi-colored pink blossom actually measured 7 

 inches across! Six inch blossoms are quite conmion. 



And the colors! Most of them fall in the rose and gold 

 range but there are buff, pink, and red shades, too. Their 

 pure, luminous hues seem to glow in the sun. In mid- 

 summer, after the first, or crown, flower has bloomed 

 the buds on side branches open, making rows a solid 

 mass of color. The extreme vigor of New Century main- 

 tains flower size right up until the season's end. 



Why is New Century such an improvement over 

 other large flowered Zinnias? It's no accident. Our Seed 

 Breeders began experimenting with a different method 

 of zinnia breeding back in the 1930s. Using powerful 

 chemicals they actually doubled the number of chromo- 

 somes within plant cells. (Chromosomes are tiny bodies 

 within cells which control heredity.) In this way they 

 produced plants quite unlike their parents — plants 

 called "polyploids." Over the years they built up a stock 

 of poU'ploids, adding good colors as they were devel- 

 oped, and eliminating harsh colors and outsize plants. 



In spite of this drastic shakeup within its cells, New 

 Century still, like all zinnias, is easy to grow. We suggest 

 you plant it in large masses to get the full effect of its 

 spectacular colors. Mixed colors, each packet 25c. 



Picture on Inside Front Cover 



Grow Health in Your Garden! 



Nothing is quite so delicious and healthful as crisp salad vegetables from your own garden picked and served 

 while the flavor and vitamin content are at their peak. Outer ring: onions, tomatoes on endive, leaf lettuce, 

 sweet peppers on parsley. Inner ring: cucumbers on bronze-tinged Prizehead lettuce, carrots, radishes, bunch- 

 ing onions, pascal celery. 



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