Vegetable Cultures for Victory Gardeners (3) 
Leek 
Leek belongs to the Onion family, but instead of 
forming bulbs, the edible portion of the plant is the 
fleshy stalk. Leek makes a delicious salad—and is 
valued for flavoring soups and stews. 
Sow the seed directly outdoors as soon as the soil can 
be worked—like onions—making the rows from 12 to 15 
inches apart, covering one-quarter to one-half inch 
deep. Later thin the plants, allowing each four or five 
inches of space. The best leek is grown by banking the 
earth up around the plants to blanch the stalks white. 
In that case it is best to transplant the plants to rows 
two and one-half or three feet apart when they are at 
the proper stage for thinning, so that plenty of earth is 
available. Leek can be stored for winter use. 
One ounce will sow a 100-foot row. 
Muskmelons 
Muskmelons delight in warm, rather rich soil, and 
unless your soil is already rich it will pay you to dig in 
each hill a shovelful of well rotted manure or a cupful of 
fertilizer. Muskmelon seed cannot be started outside 
until the soil and weather is warm—so for extra early 
crops plant some seed in the hot-bed or window box on 
inverted sods. 
_When it is warm enough to plant outside make the 
hills 3 x 4 feet apart or make them wherever you have a 
corner to spare in your garden. Put ten or a dozen seeds 
in each hill, covering about one inch, and when the 
plants are well up thin to three or four in each hill. 
Melons left on the vines until they are dead ripe are 
immeasurably better than any you can buy in the 
stores. When ready the melons should be a little soft 
and they will part readily from the stem. On some 
varieties tiny cracks appear on the bud end—showing 
that the mélon is just right to eat. The early varieties 
will be ripe in 70 to 75 days from planting. 
One ounce of seed will plant about 60 hills. 
Watermelons 
Watermelons are grown very much like Muskmelons, 
but the hills require more space, 6 x 6 or 6 x 8 feet. 
Of late years some very early varieties have been 
introduced fully equal to the late ones in quality. Even 
in the northern states it is now possible to grow your 
own watermelons. Early varieties, like Coles Early and 
Northern Sweet ripen in about 75 days. 
After the soil and weather is warm drop a dozen seeds 
in each hill, covering one inch deep and later thinning 
out to the three strongest plants. Cultivate as long as 
possible before the vines cover the ground. The ma- 
turity of the melons may be hastened by pinching off 
the ends of the vines. This throws the strength of the 
plants into the fruits already set. 
One ounce of seed will plant about 40 hills. 
Mustard 
Mustard will grow on most any kind of soil, but it 
likes fairly cool weather—so the seed should be started 
very early in the spring or in the late summer so that 
the plants will thrive during the cool fall weather. The 
leaves make very nice salads. Sow the seed in rows 12 
inches apart, covering lightly about one-fourth inch. 
Thin the plants out as you wish to use them so that you 
will have mustard always in the best condition. Make 
succession plantings until hot weather—then again in 
the fall. The plants will live over winter with little 
protection. We know of some gardeners who grow 
enough to supply their needs in window boxes during 
the winter. 
One ounce of seed will sow a 250-foot row. 
Okra 
Okra is used in the south more than in any other 
section but northern gardeners will find it easy to grow. 
The tender young pods are used in soups and stews— 
such as the famous Gumbo soup of our southern states. 
The flower of the plant is very pretty and some people 
consider it worth while to grow as a decorative plant. 
Any soil that will give a crop of sweet corn will grow 
Okra satisfactorily. 
After the soil is well warmed up make the rows three 
feet apart and allow each plant two feet in the row. 
Cover the seed one inch deep. The plant grows quite 
tall and branching and if cultivated frequently and the 
pods are kept picked, they will produce an almost 
unbelievable number. The pods are in best condition 
to eat when about one inch long, and do not allow them 
to get much larger than that on the plant. 
One ounce will sow a 50-foot row. 
Onions From Seed 
Give onions just as rich soil as you possibly can and 
prepare it very well before sowing the seed. Some onion 
growers plow and fertilize their onion soil in the fall and 
get on it very early in the spring, working it down to 
fine condition. Onion seed will stand cool soil conditions 
so should be sown early. 
Make your rows 12 to 15 inches apart, covering the 
seed only about one-fourth inch. The plants should be 
thinned out to stand one inch or two apart. This 
depends on the richness of the soil. Rich soil will 
develop good bulbs when they are as close as one inch, 
but on poorer soil the plants should be two or two and 
one-half inches apart. Onions like frequent shallow 
cultivation and the rows clean from weeds. This is 
usually a hand job. 
The roots are harvested when the tops die down in 
the fall and they will keep in storage best if the tops are 
not pulled off until used. The white varieties are mildest 
and sweetest in flavor, but they do not keep quite as 
well as the yellow and red varieties, which are drier and 
coarser grained. 
If you want to get extra large bulbs, start the seed in 
February or early March in a hot-bed or window box. 
The rows can be close—three or four inches apart— 
dropping eight or ten seeds every inch. When the tops 
are six inches tall clip them back to four inches. Do this 
several times if necessary before it is time to transplant 
them outdoors. It will make them stocky. They will 
stand light frost, so transplant outdoors early. 
One ounce of seed will sow a 200-foot row. Four or five 
pounds is sufficient for an acre. 
GREEN ONIONS FROM SEED. The above all 
applies to growing onions for the dry bulbs. If you wish 
green onions, sow the seed. very thick just as early as 
the soil can be worked and pull the plants as needed— 
or plant onion sets either in the fall or spring. 
Parsnips 
The soil for parsnips does not need to be exceptionally 
rich but it should be deeply worked and fairly loose. 
This full development will require all season so best 
sow the seed quite early in May, though if you want 
parsnips to occupy the space occupied by an early crop, 
it is all right to wait until June 15th. Parsnip seed is 
weak and even fresh seed will not grow any too well— 
so plant it thick in fine soil, making the rows 18 inches 
apart and covering the seed only about one-fourth inch. 
We think it is an excellent plan to sow a few seeds of 
early round radish right in the row with the parsnip 
seed—as the parsnip seed germinates slowly and the 
soil sometimes bakes over it so that the little seedlings 
cannot force their way through. The radish seed will 
come quickly breaking the soil and marking the rows so 
that cultivation can begin. You can even leave the 
radish plants in until the roots develop. 
When the parsnips are well up, thin them to stand 
about six inches apart in the row. 
The roots may be dug and used in the fall, but freez- 
ing really improves them and most gardeners leave them 
to dig in the winter or early in the spring. Dig them in 
oe spring before growth starts again as that spoils 
them. 
An ounce of seed will plant a 100-foot row, 
Parsley 
Parsley is the favored of all plants for garnishing. 
The seed is slow of germination like Parsnip and we 
recommend sowing it the same way. Soak the seed 24 
hours in lukewarm water before planting. Start early in 
the spring, in April in our section, planting in rows 18 
inches apart. The plants will need almost eight inches 
in the row to develop so thin out to that distance. You 
can cut the leaves off regularly and a new crop will come 
right along—the later developed leaves often being 
more curled than the first. : 
In the fall some of the plants can be lifted and trans- 
planted into the hot-bed or in a window box for winter 
garnishing. In the south where winters are not severe, 
seed may be sown in the fall in the open ground and the 
plant will live over winter if protected with leaves, and 
will give an early spring crop. 
One ounce will sow a 150-foot row, 
HAMBURG TURNIP ROOTED PARSLEY. These 
plants develop turnip-like roots that are used for 
flavoring soups, salads, etc. Start the seed like the leaf 
parsley and thin the plants to five or six inches in the 
rows. In the fall when the roots are full size dig them 
and store in a pit outdoors or in sand in the cellar, 
One ounce will sow a 160-foot row. 
Garden Peas 
If you have always depended on peas purchased from 
some one else we insist that you really do not know how 
delicious they can be. Try some of your own served an 
hour or two after picking and you will readily taste the 
difference. 
FOR A SUCCESSION. Plant a row of peas every 
ten days or two weeks until June or plant several 
varieties at the same time. For instance, First-in- 
Market, Thomas Laxton and World’s Record all planted 
at the same time will give you a continuous supply of 
tender pods. 
During very hot, dry weather peas do not produce 
very well, but if you plant an early variety like Nott’s 
Excelsior or New Giant Wonder August 15th, you can 
have peas in October. Remember the later plantings 
should go deeper and it may be necessary to soak the 
seed and even moisten the earth in the trench. 
FALL PLANTING. Peas are quite hardy and the- 
smoother seeded varieties will live over winter even in 
our northern states, if planted just before the ground 
freezes in the fall. The roots will develop, but the tops 
will not break the surface until spring when they will be 
off to a very early start. This is well worth trying. 
One pound of seed will plant a 75-foot row. 
Peanuts 
While peanuts can be grown on a commercial scale 
only in the southern states on the sandy types of soil, 
any northern garden can raise a few successfully and the 
pleasure the children will derive from it is well worth 
the effort. 
Choose light, sandy soil that warms up quickly in the 
spring and stays warm during the summer. Plant the 
seed peanuts after frost is over in rows two and one- 
half feet apart. Drop a couple of seeds every five or six 
inches in the row and cover them with two inches of soil. 
It is best to shell the peanuts before planting them as 
they start quicker. 
The pods are formed from the blossoms and where 
the soil is very light the blossom stems will bury them- 
selves—but it is well to draw up the soil around and 
practically cover the plants and gather the peanuts 
when the first frosts have killed the tops. The Extra 
Early Spanish peanut is small but it matures earlier 
and is surer to succeed than the large podded varieties. 
Peppers 
They are not hard to grow, though they do like lots 
of warm weather and a long season. The plants require 
little room and the catalog offers you both the real hot 
varieties and the mild sweet peppers for salads. Grow 
at least a few plants of each kind. They will succeed 
best in warm, sandy, but fairly rich soil. ~~ 
Start the seed in a hot-bed or window box in the ~ 
house in April so that the plants will be ready to go 
outdoors late in May or early in June. They will not 
stand frosts or cold soil and can go in garden in space 
formerly occupied by an early crop. Set the plants in 
rows three feet apart, allowing each plant two feet of 
row. : 
Keep the soil loose around the plants with a hoe or 
cultivator—and you might add a little fertilizer around 
the plants when they are about six inches high to pro- 
mote rapid growth. 
One ounce will produce about 1,000 plants. 
Pumpkins 
If your family likes Pumpkin pies you will want some 
pumpkin vines in your garden. Small Sugar is the ideal 
variety for pies, though the larger growing kinds make 
good pies also. For stock feed, plant King of Mam- 
moths. In most gardens there is a corner or two left 
after other things are planted that will accommodate 
purspisns and you can plant them right among the 
ills of your sweet corn also. 
They will mature quicker in light, sandy soil and the 
seed should not be started until the soil is warm and 
danger of frost is past. The Small Sugar variety will be - 
big enough for pies in nine or ten weeks. 
The seed is planted in hills 6 x 6 or 6 x 8 feet apart 
and like melons and cucumbers, the crop will be bigger if 
the soil in the hills is enriched with well rotted manure. 
Plant seven or eight seeds in a hill, one and one-half 
inches deep, and after the plants are well up, thin to 
four of the strongest ones. 
Sprinkle powdered lime mixed with fine road dust on 
the plants to keep the beetles away. 
One ounce of seed will plant about 26 hills. 
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