


TOMATO, Marglobe 

How? When? 

Green Manuring 
a way to save weeding 
A big help in reducing the amount of 
weeding necessary is the use of a green 
manure mulch on any patch of soil not 
being used. Whenever you remove one 
crop from your garden plot and won't 
use it again for at least several weeks, 
sow that spot with winter rye. Winter 
rye is not to be confused with rye grass. 
The right cover crop to use is the regu- 
lar cereal grain—winter rye. Plant about 
5 lbs. to 1,000 square feet to produce a 
thick stand that will crowd out weeds. 
This green mulch or cover crop will take 
up any unused fertilizers in the soil, and 
will store them in the leaves of the rye. 
Then the following spring when the rye 
is plowed under, this fertilizer returns 
to the soil and can be used by the suc- 
ceeding crop. If the ground lies unused, 
most of this plant food will be lost down 
the drains. And because a heavy stand 
of rye will crowd out weeds, you should 
have a cleaner garden with less work the 
next year. 
Mulching vs. Cultivation 
Sometimes half-truths are as good as 
whole ones. The furor created by the 
book, ‘‘Ploughman's Folly,’ which advo- 
cated a trash mulch at the surface, made 
sense as far as the mulch was concerned, 
By plowing or digging in the conven- 
tional way and then mulching, the home 
gardener can take advantage of good soil 
preparation, plus the very real saving in 
labor that comes from using a mulch. 
With the right mulch, there is no need 
to weed, no need to stir the soil, and 
20 
RADISHES, Icicle and French Breakfast 
TOUCH CCM CL) Where? Why? 
once that mulch is applied, the need for 
watering (at least in normal seasons) is 
all but over. This should save hours of 
valuable time. 
How te Mulch 
A mulch is merely a covering of some 
material which won't support weed 
growth, and which is porous enough to 
trap air. This porous quality is important 
because it keeps down the loss of mois- 
ture from the soil and also keeps the 
heat of the sun from penetrating deeply 
and hurting root growth. 
A perfect. mulch is  well-rotted, old 
manure. Never use fresh manure for a 
mulch because it will ferment and rot, 
and some of the gases released in this 
process can ‘damage plants. But, when 
well-rotted, manure not only keeps down 
weeds and saves moisture, but can be 
worked into the soil after the growing 
season is over, 
If grass clippings are allowed to lie 
on the lawn for a day or two to cure, 
they can be applied in thin layers, and 
gradually built up to form a thick mulch. 
If not dried, they may ferment and cause 
trouble, 
Peat moss, if moist when applied, and 
if kept moistened, makes a perfect mulch. 
But since it may suck water away from 
the plants unless already moist, it must 
never be applied bone dry, nor should 
it be allowed to dry out. It is clean, 
weed-free and a good insulator. 
Vermiculite, buckwheat hulls, rice hulls, 
ground corn cobs and clean straw are 
other materials that are satisfactory. 

ines 
TOMATO, Rutgers 


When to Mulch 
Most gardeners wait too long to mulch. 
The soil should be moist, but not wring- 
ing wet. If spring rains have made the 
ground soggy, wait until you can cullti- 
vate without packing, and then apply. If 
the ground is dry, soak the soil thorough- 
ly before mulching, 
Mulching and Watering 
Always keep in mind that a mulch does 
not add any water to the soil, nor does 
it prevent the loss of water through the 
leaves of the plant. If rains heavy 
enough to penetrate the mulch do not 
fall, then you will have to water. This 
can be done by removing the nozzle 
from the hose and allowing it to flow 
out on top of the mulch. If the mulch 
is thick enough, there should be no 
washing of the soil, 
Clean straw or dried grass used as a 
mulch under tomatoes will keep the fruit 
clean, and in addition will save the labor 
of staking. 
Permanent vegetable storage space, 
either in the basement or outdoors 
will help extend the usefulness of the 
garden, This can also be used to keep 
tulip and other spring-flowering bulbs 
over summer, and for storing tender 
flowering plants like tree roses over 
winter, Often a hillside can be used 
to advantage, allowing access on a 
level with the floor of the storage 
room, In planning outdoor storage, re- 
pernes convenient access from the 
ouse, 
