6 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE SUPPLEMENT 
February, 1919 
EARLY PLANTS 
Prof. James G. Moore, College of Agriculture, Univ. of Wis. 
It is possible to have a garden with- 
out starting part of it indoors, but it 
is usually more expensive or less sat- 
isfactory. 
Of course if you are absolutely sure 
you are going to be able to buy good 
plants of the kinds you want, when 
you want them, then it may be best 
to let someone else grow them. But 
be very sure you won’t be disap- 
pointed. Although it takes some work 
and space to grow good plants for set- 
ting out for early vegetables, the dif- 
ficulties of growing them are often 
greatly magnified. 
Lettuce, chard, cabbage, and kohl- 
rabi can be easily matured if planted 
In the garden after conditions have 
become favorable for their growth, 
but they may be had much earlier if 
started indoors or under glass. It is 
almost essential to start tomatoes, 
peppers, egg plant, and celery in this 
way if their production is to be such 
as to make it worth while to bother 
with them. 
Methods of Growing Early Vegetables 
Three methods are commonly used 
in producing plants for setting in the 
garden: hotbeds, cold-frames and 
window boxes. The difficulty of se- 
curing the proper material for heat- 
ing the hotbed, and the attention 
necessary to operate it successfully, 
make it of questionable value to the 
man with a small garden or to the 
beginner. 
Many city lot gardeners find the 
cold-frame more satisfactory. While 
plants cannot be secured quite so early 
as with the hotbed the cold-frame re- 
quires less attention and there is less 
danger of injury to the plants because 
of changing temperatures. It can be 
constructed without much expense by 
using storm sash. In addition to the 
plants for setting out, such crops as 
lettuce and radishes may be grown 
In it. 
The backyard gardener will usually 
find that starting the plants indoors 
is the plan best adapted to his condi- 
tions. Comparatively little space will 
be required to start enough plants for 
the first crop of lettuce, early cab- 
bage and tomatoes. 
Provide Good Soil. Where no pro- 
vision was made last fall the question 
of the soil will be the most trouble- 
some. You may be able to secure it 
from a greenhouse. If not resort to 
your own garden. Get the snow ’off 
a small area so as to encourage thaw- 
ing. Some warm day In early March 
get your soil. If it is still frozen get 
it anyway, and let it thaw out indoors. 
If possible, secure a little sand to mix 
with it and to serve as a top layer in 
the seed box. Before attempting to 
start your seed box let the soil warm 
up and dry until it does not pack in a 
hard lump when squeezed in the hand. 
Shallow Seed Box. A shallow box 
is most satisfactory for starting the 
plants. Suitable ones can usually be 
secured at a grocery store. Cigar 
boxes 2 Vi or 2% inches deep are con- 
venient, but somewhat deeper boxes 
are more desirable. Three or four will 
be sufficient to provide all the lettuce, 
cabbage, and tomatoes used in the 
average garden. If the box has a 
tight bottom make a few small holes 
in this to provide drainage. 
Filling the Seed Box. Slightly more 
than enough soil to fill the box should 
be put in loosely and the surplus 
scraped off with a stick. This will 
leave the top smooth and level. Press 
the soil down, preferably using a 
small piece of board, being careful to 
leave the surface level. After it is 
pressed down, the top o f the soil 
should be from one-fourth to one-half 
inch below the top of the box. If 
sand is to be had a better stand of 
plants will usually be secured if the 
last one-half inch of soil put into the 
box is sand. In this layer the seed 
may be sown. 
Sowing the Seeds. With the finger 
or a dull pointed stick make a shal- 
low trench about one-fourth of an 
inch deep, preferably crosswise of the 
box. Using the packet or thumb and 
forefinger, scatter the seed in the 
trench. The thickness of sowing the 
seed depends largely on its germina- 
tion capacity. Do not sow too thickly 
as there is then more danger of the 
young plants rotting off. On the other 
hand, seeding should be thick enough 
to give a good stand. If the plants 
are too thick they should be thinned 
soon after they come above the sur- 
face. Press the seeds gently into the 
soil and cover them with a thin layer of 
soil. The distance between the rows 
depends somewhat on how long the 
plants are to be left before trans- 
planting. Distances from 1 % to 2 
inches are usual and convenient. 
Watering the Seeds. After sowing, 
water the seed box well, being careful 
not to wash the seed .particularly if 
different varieties are to be grown in 
the same box. Enough water should 
be put on to moisten the whole body 
of soil in the box but not enough to 
cause it to become muddy. 
One of the objections often raised 
to growing early plants indoors is the 
damage resulting to furniture and 
rugs from watering. This can be 
overcome by setting the seed boxes in 
the sink or some other receptacle un- 
til all excess water has drained off. 
Then if the boxes are set on oilcloth 
or heavy paper no damage should 
occur. 
Now cover the seed box with a pane 
of glass or other cover, which will 
prevent the loss of moisture and set 
the box in a warm place. As soon as 
the young plants break the soil, re- 
move the cover. If it is left on, the 
plants have a tendency to become 
spindly or ‘‘leggy,’’ and are likely to 
rot off. 
Care of Young Plants. The young 
plants will need careful attention as 
regards proper light, heat and water. 
Keep the seed box where it will get 
abundant light. Insufficient light re- 
sults in spindly plants. It is better 
to have the temperature a little low 
than too high. High temperatures 
mean soft, spongy plants which are 
less likely to give good results when 
set out. 
How to Water. More people fail in 
watering than in any other way. 
Some choke the plants, others drown 
them. Choking usually comes from 
applying small amounts at rather fre- 
quent intervals. Not enough water is 
applied to moisten the bottom soil, 
and the top is kept too wet, which 
encourages disease. 
Drowning is less frequent, especially 
if the seed box is provided with drain- 
age openings. Water applied fre- 
quently in large amounts excludes air 
from the soil and the plants smother. 
Proper watering consists in putting 
on enough water to moisten all the 
soil in the box and then waiting until 
the surface of the soil begins to ap- 
pear lighter in color before making 
another application. 
Giving the Seedlings Room. The 
young plants will soon begin to crowd 
each other and unless given more 
room will become long-stemmed or 
“leggy.” To make good plants for 
setting out they must be either 
thinned or transplanted. The latter 
is the more common method. A box 
12 inches square will hold 36 plants 
set 2 by 2 inches, or 64 when planted 
1 y 2 by 1% inches. Four boxes of this 
size, one for tomatoes, peppers and 
egg plants (if either of the latter are 
grown), one for lettuce, one for cab- 
bage and cauliflower, and one for 
celery would meet the demands of the 
average gardener. The celery may be 
planted 1 by 1 inch, lettuce, cabbage 
and cauliflower 1% by 1 14 inch, and 
tomatoes, egg plants and peppers 2 by 
2 inches. The same general care 
should be given the plants after trans- 
planting as when they were in the 
seed box. For two or three days af- 
ter transplanting it is well not to give 
so high a temperature nor so full 
light as before transplanting. 
Hardening-Off. Many have success 
in growing plants indoors but lose a 
large portion of them in setting into 
