


a 

GARDEN GUIDE POSTS 
Continued from Page 12 
Cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower 
can go out when sweet corn is 
planted, and tomatoes and pep- 
qe after apple blossom petals 
all. 
Wet the soil around seedlings thor- 
oughly before planting out. Select 
a cloudy day so the direct sun won’t 
wilt the plants. Dig with a ball of 
soil that contains as many fine hair 
roots as possible. 
In working between rows when 
transplanting, lay a board over the 
soil so it won’t pack. Roots grow 
better in loose soil. 

Watering the seedlings with a solu- 
tion of TRANSPLANTONE or dip- 
ping them in the powder when 
transplanting will restore the hor- 
mones lost when the root tips are 
cut in digging. This plant hormone 
prevents wilting and means quicker 
recovery from the shock of trans- 
planting. 
When seedlings are «to be trans- 
planted without a ball of soil, long 
tap roots should be shortened, and 
the whole root system placed and 
“firmed in’’ so that it is well spread 
out, not bunched. Soil in which roots 
are placed must be finely pulverized. 

Growing and transplanting in 
inexpensive paper bands saves 
plants. and speeds growth 

WATERING 
Soak, don’t sprinkle. Your garden 
needs water when the leaves look 
wilted in the sun and do not re- 
cover freshness over night. 
Frequent sprinklings on the sur- 
face soil are not only of little 
value but may be harmful. 
Except for transplants, try to avoid 
watering the garden until it really 
needs water. When you do water, 
soak, don’t sprinkle. Do a thor- 
ough job. The hose or sprinkler 
should be allowed to run on one 
spot until water stands on the sur- 
face in a pool. 
After watering, the soil should be 
moist to a depth of five to six 
inches. Check this with a spade to 
be sure. 
Watering tomatoes calls for spe- 
cial care, Cracks and blossom “end 
rot” (the free or blossom end turn- 
ing black) are both caused by fluc- 
tuating water supply. Never let 
tomatoes be dry one week and wet 
the next. Tomatoes must be kept 
either moist constantly or be grown 
in dry soil and not watered at all. 
Never apply water with such 
force that the top soil is washed 
away. 

Use a canvas hose which allows 
water to ooze out through the pores, 
or remove the nozzle of the regular 
hose and let the stream run out on 
a board. Or tie 2 or 3 thicknesses of 
burlap loosely over the end of the 
hose to get a gentle flow. 
Overhead sprinklers waste some 
water, but do prevent washing. 
Watering in the evening or early 
morning means that the moisture 
sinks in and is absorbed by the 
soil before the sun can evaporate it. 
CULTIVATION AND 
WEEDING 
Frequent, shallow cultivation or 
hoeing is best. It requires less 
effort and gives better results. 
Never let the weeds get a start. 
They rob the plants of food and 
moisture. 
Cultivate after each rain or soaking, 
as soon as soil is dry enough, and 
as often between as necessary to 
keep weeds under control. 
1. “Destroy them young” should 
be the first principle in controlling 
weeds. Weeds rob the soil of moist- 
ure and food. Worst of all, if al- 
lowed to grow, they shade the crops 
that require six hours of full sun- 
shine to grow normally. Plan to 
spend half an hour a day hoeing 
weeds and the average garden can 
be kept up without difficulty. 
2. Keep the soil from caking or 
cracking because when rain comes, 
it cannot penetrate the hard surface 
and may run off and be lost. A 
prong cultivator will leave the sur- 
face loose and ready to absorb rain. 
3. Air is vital to plant growth: 
stir the soil as soon as the ground is 
dry enough after a rain or after 
watering. This also saves moisture. 
Use the hoe and save the hose. 
4. When cultivating stay as far 
away from the plants as you can 
to avoid packing the soil around the 
roots. 
CHINESE 
CABBAGE 
Chihili 


PEAS, Improved 
Telephone 


EGGPLANT 
Black Beauty 
SQUASH 
Fordhook 
Zucchini 




SQUASH 
Zucchini Bush 
CANTALOUPE 
. Hearts of Gold 

13 
