14 
BULLETIN 43, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
PREPARATION OF SEED BED. 
Should it seem desirable to take full advantage of the summer 
season, time is gained by using a seed bed. (Fig. 5.) The area of 
seed bed required for 20 acres of peppers is about 200 square yards. 
During the experiments in South Carolina various types of seed beds 
have been used. However, the arrangement herein described has 
proved the most successful and, while somewhat more expensive than 
other forms tested, is of the greatest value to the grower. It is con- 
structed as follows : An excavation 6 feet wide and 102 yards long is 
made, having a depth of 12 
inches 
On the edge of this excavation, 
at intervals of 10 feet around the entire bed, upright posts are erected. 
On the inside of these posts and in contact with the wall of the 
excavation are nailed 
boards 12 inches wide 
and 1 inch thick. The 
posts on the side to 
the rear are sawed off 
2 feet above the level 
of the earth, and those 
on the front side 1 
foot above. There- 
fore, three boards are 
required for the rear 
side and two for the 
front, one board be- 
ing necessary tobring 
the weatherboarding 
to a level with the 
top of the ground. 
The ends are weath- 
erboarded with the 
same material. Slats 3 inches wide and 6 feet long are nailed across 
at intervals of about 3 feet. In the center of each of these strips and 
running parallel to the edges a strip 1 inch square is nailed. Two of 
these strips support the glass frame in position. The frames are 3 
by G feet. 
After the framework is constructed and before it is put on. a layer 
of stable manure about 4 inches in depth is put in. On top of this 
about 1 inches of dirt is added. This is well leveled down and the 
seed sown and raked in with a garden rake. The bed is then covered 
with the glass frames. A force pump with hose connection may be 
brought near enough to the bed to make applications of water as 
often as needed. The seed is planted about the middle of March, 
though a month earlier would be preferable. Within about three 
weeks the plants are up. During the period of growth a very light 
Fig. 5. — A cold frame in which pepper plants are grown. 
