Preparation of Soil 
After the frost goes out test the ground by squeezing a 
handful of it. If it crumbles the soil is ready for spading. 
If it packs into a mud ball, the ground is still too wet and 
must not be worked. 
Spade deeply, 8 to 15 inches, unless this latter depth turns 
up poor soil and buries the richer soil of the top. Pulverize 
the dirt deeply with hoe, spade and rake, breaking all clods 
on the surface. If a lawn roller is available it is useful for 
crushing hard clods. All vegetable growth on the surface, 
such as grass or weeds, should be turned under, to rot and 
enrich the soil. This is especially important with ground 
that has had a growth of turf. 
Indoor Planting 
Earlier crops can be secured by planting certain seeds in¬ 
doors and setting the young plants out in the open garden 
after the weather becomes warm. This may be done with 
tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, peppers and egg¬ 
plant. 
Any wooden box, shallow and wide, will make an indoor 
garden. Put 1 inch of gravel or cinders in the bottom for 
drainage, and fill to the top with good soil. Rows of plants 
may be 2 inches apart. 
Plant 8 or 10 seeds to the inch, keep the soil damp, and 
set the box in a window. When the plants are an inch high 
transplant them to other seed boxes, spacing plants 2 inches 
apart. This insures sturdy plants with good root systems. 
Transplanting 
Before transplanting the plants to the garden set the box 
outdoors, in mild weather, to harden the plants. Set out 
each plant with a ball of the box dirt sticking to the roots. 
Thorough watering several hours before transplanting 
causes the earth to stick as required. 
If the root system is broken in the removal trim away 
some of the larger leaves of the plants. In moist ground 
open a hole with trowel or dibble. Make the hole larger 
than is needed to hold the roots and a little deeper than the 
roots grew. Place roots in hole, and, with the hands, pack 
the soil firmly around the plant. In dry soil pour a pint of 
water into each hole before inserting plant. Rake some dry 
earth about the surface surrounding each plant to hold the 
moisture. 
Transplanted plants cannot stand strong sunshine at first 
and cloudy days or late afternoons are preferable for trans¬ 
planting. In bright weather place newspapers over them 
for a day or two, making tents of the papers. 
A homemade paper pot, a round, bottomless paper band 
or a berry box, filled with soil may be used to produce plants 
for a hill of beans, cucumbers, sweet corn, melons or other 
plants which are started indoors. In transplanting these 
plants merely remove the bottom, if there is one, and sink 
frame and plants in the garden soil. This prevents disturb¬ 
ing the root systems, which is important. 
When to Plant 
When heavy frosts are over, plant early peas, onion sets 
and seed, kale, lettuce and spinach. 
When frosts are about over plant radishes, parsnips, 
carrots, beets, late peas and early sweet corn, and set out 
cabbage and cauliflower plants. (An old and useful rule is to 
“plant corn when the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel’s 
ear”). 
When all frosts are over and apple trees are in bud, plant 
string beans and late sweet corn, and set out a few early 
tomato plants from the indoor boxes. 
When apple trees blossom plant cucumbers, melons, 
squashes, lima beans and set out the rest of the plants. 
Seed Beds 
Plants for second crops may be raised in a seed bed occu¬ 
pying small space. These plants may be grown while the 
space allotted to them in the garden plan is still in use for 
earlier crops. The rows of seed are not spaced so closely 
as in boxes used inside the house. If the plants crowd each 
other too much some of them may be removed and trans¬ 
planted to another part of the garden. The seed bed plan is 
useful for such crops as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, late 
cabbage and the like. 
Laying Off Rows 
Straight rows add to the garden’s beauty and make cul¬ 
tivation easier. To make the rows straight stretch a stout 
string between stakes and follow it with the point of a hoe, 
with a wheel hoe, or with the end of the handle of a rake 
or hoe, to open up the row. 
Succession of Crops 
Nature generously provides for more than one crop on 
the same soil. Vegetables which reach maturity early in the 
season should be followed by later crops of the same vege¬ 
table or by rotation of other kinds. Onions to be used green 
may be grown in rows which are to be occupied by late 
tomato plants, as a few of the onions may be removed to 
plant the tomatoes. Radishes mature early and as they are 
harvested the space may be used for cabbage, lettuce, cauli¬ 
flower, Brussels sprouts and other plants. Many combina¬ 
tions of this kind may be made. 
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