lo Colorado Experiment Station 
THINNING 
It is important that most vegetables be thinned, in order to 
secure normally developed plants. Thinning should usually be 
done about the time three or four leaves have developed so that 
the young plants will not grow too spindly by being crowded. 
Radishes are usually thinned by pulling and using those which 
have developed sufficiently, leaving the others to grow for a longer 
time. Lettuce is sometimes treated the same way, but head let¬ 
tuce should be thinned when the plants are small, otherwise good 
heads will not develop. Young beet thinnings are ordinarily used 
for greens. In thinning onions, the ones removed are often used 
as green onions and those which remain are allowed to mature, 
but thinning should not be postponed too long, or the mature on¬ 
ions will be small. 
The strongest plants should always be left in thinning and 
enough room given them to develop properly. 
SETTING PLANTS IN THE FIELD 
The seeds of tender vegetables requiring a long growing sea¬ 
son cannot be planted in the field early enough to produce a crop. 
Consequently, such crops must be started in March or April in hot¬ 
beds or greenhouses, or in some place where temperatures can be 
controlled and the plants set in the open after danger of frost is 
past. Plants can be grown at home or obtained from greenhouses 
or from people who make a business of growing them. Such plants 
should be vigorous, thrifty, and properly hardened off, so that 
when set in the field they will continue growth with as little delay 
as possible. 
Transplanting is preferably done on cloudy days or late in 
the afternoon. If the soil is moist (transplanting should not be 
done when the ground is wet) it is not necessary to water the 
plants, but if it is dry, irrigation should follow closely after plant¬ 
ing, or a small amount of water may be poured in the holes before 
the plants are set. In setting the plants, a mulch of dry soil should 
be put around them to prevent loss of water by evaporation. 
A few hours before transplanting, it is a good idea to give 
the plants a good watering in order that their tissues may be full 
of water when they are set out. Cabbage plants, and others hav¬ 
ing large leaves, should usually have about one-half of their leaf 
surface removed to prevent them from wilting. The plants should 
be set somewhat deeper than they stood in the seedbed or box. 
Shading is practicable where only a few plants are involved, but 
the shade should be removed after two or three days. 
