

Starting in Coldframes, 
Hotbeds, or Indoors 
The gains you can make by “beating the 
weather’ are well worth going after, par- 
ticularly on tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, 
cauliflower, broccoli, and kohlrabi, 
But remember that a plant which hasn't 
been treated right in the flat will not be 
a good plant in the garden. A transplant 
that has had to struggle against over or 
underheating, too much water or too little, 
etc., will not do as well as a direct-seeded 
plant or a purchased transplant that has 
had expert attention. 
However, the right conditions for a suc- 
cessful indoor start are not difficult to 
achieve. Any gardener can do the trick 
by applying a reasonable amount of care 
and attention. 
Don't begin too soon, unless you have a 
greenhouse or light hotbed and can give 
the seedlings plenty of room, For most 
vegetables, 6 to 7 weeks is time enough to 
allow between seeding and transplanting. 
Fill shallow boxes (flats) with a mixture of 
Y3 good garden soil, 4 clean sand and 
¥4 compost, leaf mold or other well-rooted 
organic matter. Make very shallow rows or 
furrows with the edge of a ruler or a 
wood lath, 3° apart. Sow seeds in these 
rows 1" apart in the row. 
DON'T let your soil dry out, and don't let 
it be soggy. Spray lightly two or three 
times a day, using an atomizer or bulb 
sprinkler. When the best seedlings can be 
selected, thin out to stand 2” to 3” apart. 
Before transplanting into the garden, with- 
hold water for 2 or 3 days. 
How? When? HOME GARDENING eq 07/2) 38 Where? Why? 
Transplanting 
Tomato, eggplant, and pepper plants are 
tender and should not be set out before 
danger of frost is past. Cabbage, cauli- 
flower, and kohlrabi are less tender but it 
is not safe to set them out much before 
the frost-proof date. 
Where care is needed 
Use care in transplanting or you will in- 
jure the tender plants. 
When soil is sufficiently moist so a ball 
of soil can be retained around each indi- 
vidual root there is less chance of injury 
or of air pockets being left around roots. 
Use a trowel, (It is important that roots be 
kept in close contact with soil so they can 
get moisture.) 
When seedlings are to be transplanted 
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. 
When roots have been carefully placed in 
position, firm the soil around each plant 
enough to insure that roots are in contact 
with the soil, and that there are no air 
pockets. 
Transplant in cool, cloudy weather or at 
evening or early morning. 
As soon as the garden has been planted, 
water thoroughly but gently with a fine 
spray. This, by the way, is the only time 
we sprinkle a garden; once the plants are 
established, any watering should give the 
soil a good soaking. 

Watering 
Soak, don’t sprinkle. Your garden needs 
water when the leaves look wilted in the 
sun and do not recover freshness over 
night. 
Except for transplants, try to avoid water- 
ing the garden until it really needs water. 
Don’t wash away topsoil 
When you do water, soak, don’t sprinkle. 
Do a thorough job. The hose or sprinkler 
should be allowed to run on one spot 
until water stands on the surface. 
The best way to do a thorough soaking 
job is to use a canvas hose that leaks all 
along its length, placed along a row at a 
time. Let the water run until the soil is 
saturated to a good depth, Then move 
hose to next row. 
If an overhead sprinkler is used be sure it 
doesn't have too much force, or it will 
wash the soil away. 
If you have only an ordinary hose (with- 
out holes), remove nozzle and place a 
small board under the end of the hose to 
distribute water gently. 
Water in the evening or early morning. 
After watering, the soil should be moist 
to a depth of five to six inches, Check 
this with a spade to be sure, 
A Program for 
Garden Sanitation 
About 75% of the work and much of the 
damage caused by insects can be elim- 
inated by a simple, regular program of 
sanitation, Preventive dusting or spraying 
is much easier than waging a losing bat- 
tle against bugs when they appear. Usual- 
ly, less than 30 minutes a week should 
be needed for a regular sanitation pro- 
gram for both flowers and vegetables. 
CANTALOUPE 
Rocky Ford 
pret 
CARRO 
Imperator 

P a WF a, an, Ce dis olan ote ie din dl ae ore 
