
FOOD FIGHTS FOR FREEDOM—/(a Your 1944 Victory Garden 
Nearby New York you can usually work in your garden, and 
your garden will usually work for you, for 243 days m the year. 
This period of growing weather is made up of three parts, thus: 
March 15 to April 30—45 days during which frosts may be expected. Only 
hardy vegetables will grow. 
May 1 to October 15—168 days, during which frosts are rare. Tender vegetables 
may be grown; hardy vegetables also. 
October 15 to November 15—30 days during which frosts may be expected. 
Only hardy vegetables will continue to grow. 
START IN WINTER 
BEGIN EARLY. Purchase your seeds as soon as you can, 
and buy the best. Sow the followmg mdoors: 
Plant these in February or March. Plant these in March or April. 
Transfer into the garden in April. Transfer into the garden in May. 
Broccoli *Cabbage Cauliflower Eggplant Pepper *Tomato 
Celery *Lettuce 
*It is a good idea to sow more than one variety of these 
Seeds are placed in shallow boxes or flower-pots filled with sandy 
soil. Take earth from your garden and mix sand with it, or pur- 
chase Sawcosoil. Broadcast the seeds thinly and cover them with 
soil equal to twice their diameter. When the seedlings show through, 
remove any that crowd. Keep at normal living-room temperature, 
give plenty of light, and water them as needed. When the fourth 
leaf has developed, transplant them into other boxes or pots 2 inches 
apart. Transfer them to the garden in April and May. 
If you prefer to purchase plants of these, get your order in early 
WHEN MARCH 15 ROLLS AROUND 
TREAT YOUR SOIL GENEROUSLY. If it is either sandy 
or clay-like, when frost has left it and it is no longer muddy, 
spread Humus at the rate of 50 Ibs. per 100 sq. ft. Next 
broadcast General Garden Fertilizer at 5 Ibs. per 100 sq. ft.; 
use it even if you decide that the Humus Is unnecessary. 
Dig, turning each spadeful, then rake smooth and plant. 
SOW HARDY KINDS OUTDOORS. Frosts will not harm these: 
Beet, Carrot, Kohlrabi, Leek, Lettuce, Mustard, Onion Seed, Onion Sets, 
Parsley, Parsnip, Peas, Radish, Salsify, Spinach (true), Swiss Chard, Turnip. 
SET OUT PLANTS OF HARDY KINDS. Those which you raise 
indoors, or which you purchase: 
Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Lettuce. 
As you plant, make the soil firm around the roots and give about ¥% pint 
of water; put a paper collar around each to protect from cutworm. 
GROWTH IN ROWS IS RECOMMENDED. Most gardeners like 
to grow vegetables in parallel rows; they may be 12, 18, 24 or more 
inches apart, but always far enough to permit walking between 
your plants. The cultural notes for each vegetable on the following 
pages tell you the proper distances. Some gardeners prefer to raise 
their crops in beds, with a narrow path betwen them; the dis- 
advantage is that hoeing and weeding are more difficult. When you 
sow in rows (drills), stretch a string between two stakes, or lay 
down a long board, to enable you to make a groove with the point 
of your spade or hoe that avill be straight. Trickle seeds into this 
groove. Nearly all vegetables require one ounce of seed for each 100 
feet, and the quantity In most of our packets sows 25 feet or more. 
SEEDS ARE COVERED WITH SOIL by about twice their diameter, 
which means that small seeds like celery are merely pressed into the 
surface; for larger seed, like radish and lettuce, he drill may be 
about 44 inch deep and for still bigger seeds, like peas and beans, it 
may be 1 to 2 inches. When seeds have been dropped in the groove, 
draw a rake lengthwise along the drill to cover them; then press 
firm the soil over the seed with the shoe. 
VEGETABLES ARE NOT WATERED, USUALLY. We do not 
recommend that newly sown seeds outdoors be sprinkled, except 
in summer, when they may run into dry weather and need water. 
WHAT YOU DO IN MAY 
SOW SEED OF TENDER KINDS. After May 1, it is safe to sow 
Snap Beans and Corn. 
Two weeks later, you may put in : 
Lima Beans, Cucumber, Melon, Watermelon, New Zealand Spinach, Pump- 
kim and Squash. 
Note that Cucumber, Muskmelon, Pumpkin, and Squash are always grown 
in groups or hills, Also, that Beans, Corn and New Zealand Spinach are some- 
times so grown. “Hills” are not ordinarily raised above the level of your garden 
unless the position is wet. Eight to twelve seeds are sown in a group about a 
foot across and the resulting plants are thinned to from two to ftye to a group. 
Groups should be the distance apart indicated under the particular vegetable, 
SET OUT PLANTS OF TENDER KINDS. After May 15, transfer 
into the garden the following plants: 
Eggplant, Pepper, and Tomato. 
CULTIVATE OFTEN. As soon as young plants show through, hoe 
or rake on each side of the row. Do this also around the plants 
which you set out. This must be done every two weeks during the 
summer, so that always there are no weeds between the rows. Pull 
out any that grow among your plants in the row; or between plants 
in the beds, if you decide to plant that way. 
Before every second hoeing, dust General Garden Fertilizer between 
the rows, allowing 5 Ibs. to each 100 ft. of row; in this way you will be 
feeding your growing plants once a month. Hoeing should be shallow, 
so that the roots are not damaged, but the top inch always powdery. 
GIVE PLANTS ROOM. If your seedlings show a tendency to crowd, 
remove some, so that those which remain stand as individuals; 
later, go through the rows again, removing more; your plants 
should now stand the distance apart recommended on [ater pages. 
This process of elimination is termed “thinning.” 
WHEN YOU THIN, many kinds may be transplanted elsewhere, 
thus extending the distance which a packet or an ounce of seed will 
plant. Following are the kinds that transplant readily. 
Beet, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Celtuce, 
Collards, Dandelion, Eggplant, Endive, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leek, Lettuce, 
Mustard, Onion, Parsley, Pepper, Rutabaga, Swiss Chard, and Tomato. 
TO GET A STEADY STREAM OF FOOD 
SOW SEVERAL VARIETIES OF THE SAME VEGETABLE; at 
least one of the kinds described in succeeding pages as early, and 
at least one which is late. The terms usually mean that early sorts 
mature im a shorter time than others and that late sorts take longer. 
SUCCESSION CROPPING. This means that you make further 
sowings throughout the summer. As soon as one crop Is harvested, 
spread fertilizer, dig, rake and sow a second one; often you have 
time for a third. Most vegetables may be sown any time during 
summer. Exceptions are Peas, which are profitable only from the 
first spring sowings, and certain crops favored by cool weather, 
which do best in spring and autumn; these are Broccoli, Celery, 
Endive, Kale, Lettuce, Radish, Spinach (true), and Turnip. 
Sowing seed of the Iatter group In summer should be planned for 
them to be at their best in October. In the New York area we ex- 
pect frost around October 15, so tender kinds, like corn or beans, 
have a last seeding date that would allow them to reach maturity 
before then. Under each vegetable you will find the time required 
for the plants to grow, and you can dereupias the last date for sow- 
ing or planting. 
Here are some examples of Succession Cropping. You can work up other 
combinations to suit your needs. 
Beet, followed by Lima Beans, followed by Radish 
Broccoli—Celery Onion Sets—Corn—Broccoli 
abbage—Lima Beans—Mustard OnionSets—Snap Beans—Cauliflower 
Carrot—Snap Beans—Endive Peas—Brussels Sprouts 
Celtuce—Corn—Radish Peas—Cucumber—Carrot 
Collards—New Zealand Spinach Radish—Pepper—Lettuce 
Mustard—Snap Beans—Rutabaga Snap Beans—Leek 
Mustard—Tomato—Kale Spmach—Snap Beans—Kale 
Onion (seed)—Endive urnip—Eggplant—Cabbage 

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