80 
Gardeners and Florists’ Annual for i9f8 
Cucumbers 
Cucumbers or Tomatoes intended for the Spring crop to be planted 
in the houses about March 7 to 15 must be started Dec. 25 to Jan. 1. 
Cucumbers are started in a flat or bed and the young seedlings pricked 
out into 2in. pots. These pots must be plunged to provide a constant 
supply of moisture at the roots. When the roots begin to All the pot 
they must be shifted to 4in. pots and plunged again. Porous soil and 
care in W'atering between the rows are necessary to avoid damage from 
damping-oif fungus. 
As soon as the roots have started to fill the pots they must be 
planted in the greenhouse. Any check in growth is harmful. There 
are two methods of planting Cucumbers, namely, the arbor method 
and the upright method. The arbor method consists in planting the 
Cucumbers 14in. to 18in. apart in the row and the rows 2ft. to 3ft. 
apart. They are trained to single stem and no laterals are allowed to 
grow until they have reached an overhead arbor system of wires and 
twine. In the upright system, the plants are set 12in. to 18in. apart 
in the row and the rows 3ft. to 10ft. apart. The plants are trained 
to a single stem but the laterals are allowed to develop one or two 
flowers and then their terminal buds are pinched. Some growers 
train the plants erect, while others train them on a slant like an 
.\-shaped trellis, which requires the rows to be farther apart. The 
flowers must be pollinated with bees or by hand. The temperatures 
for Cucumbers are 60 to 65 deg. F. at night and 70 to 75 deg. during 
the day. A crop of Beets may be grown between Tomatoes or Cucum- 
bers if desired. 
A late Spring crop may be started about Jan. 25 and planted in 
the houses about April T The Fall crop of Cucumbers must be started 
.Tuly 1 to 5 and planted in the houses late in August. 
Radishes 
Plenty of seed should be kept on hand for planting at any season 
of the year. The round varieties are the ones used for forcing. In 
the Fall and Spring a crop may be grown in 25 to 30 days, while dur- 
ing the MHnter months 30 to 35 days will be required. The small va- 
rieties may be planted in rows 4in. to 12in. apart depending upon the 
method of cultivation. The plants may stand one inch apart in the 
row. Screening the seed and planting only large plump seed will 
insure quick germination and a good crop. 
Growers who plant Lettuce 9in. apart can mature a crop of 
Radishes between the Lettuce before the I,ettuce needs the entire 
space. Both crops are planted at the same time. Radishes may be 
^ grown as a companion crop with any other cool crop. The tempera- 
tures are the same as for Lettuce. Radishes do not want a soil rich 
in nitrogen, since this will develop the top at the expense of the root. 
Parsley 
This crop may be grown alone or in the same house with almost 
any other vegetable. It will stand tow temperatures and merely grows 
more quickly in higher temperatures. It may be planted in a section 
of a bed alone, or the plants may be planted around the outside of a 
