The Old Gardener 
Says... 
I reckon that the folks that are least 
bothered by all this inflation are 
gardeners. For here is one enterprise 
where you get dollars for pennies. 
Here is the world’s greatest bargain in 
food—in tastiness, in health, plus all 
the fun in gardening. 
Just imagine, a vegetable garden only 
30 feet x 50 feet will keep a family 
of five in fresh vegetables all through 
the season—with plenty left over for 
canning and freezing. Here are a few 
paragraphs jotted down from my note- 
book on vegetables: 
—about RADISHES. The secret of 
getting crisp, delicious radishes is 
quick growth. So use plenty of plant 
food in the soil where they are 
planted. This is undoubtedly the 
easiest of all vegetables to grow: the 
seeds germinate in a few days, and 
are ready for eating in 3 to 5 weeks. 
All through the planting season, a 
succession should be sown every 10 
days, so that you may have plenty 
of mild, tender radishes for relish and 
salads all through the season. 
—about CUCUMBERS. For small 
pickles, (gherkins) cucumbers should 
be gathered when only 2 or 3 inches 
long—about six weeks after sowing. 
For “dill” size pickles, they should 
be 4 to 6 inches long. 
FOR SLICING—they are best when 
plump and cylindrical—but before 
they bulge in the middle or develop a 
yellow tinge at the blossom end. 
—about CABBAGE. Few crops pay 
back the cost of fertilizing as well as 
cabbage. Use a good commercial 
fertilizer that can be applied before 
planting—and your crop will richly 
repay your efforts and expenditure. 
—about PEAS. The first spring ac- 
tivity in the vegetable garden should 
be the sowing of peas. The low va- 
rieties can be planted as soon as the 
ground can be worked. Taller kinds 
about 10 or 15 days later. 
—about LETTUCE. This tender, 
crisp, salad plant must be grown 
rapidly in what is known as “quick 
soil.” This means friable ground, well 
drained, in which there is constant 
moisture and an abundance of plant 
food. 
A 
BEETLE, 7/32" _ Ys" 
“A PORTRAIT GALLERY. 
OF GARDEN ENEMIES. 
SUCKING INSECTS: 
Bs 
~ GLADIOLUS 
THRIP, 1/16" 
BEET LEAF 
HOPPER, '/2" 
ASPARAGUS ROOT MAGGOT, _ 
CUT WORM, 
Yq 3” 
FLEA BEETLE 
¥/16" 
POTATO 
BEETLE, 3/," 
CODLING MOTH, 
Ya" = Ya" 
CHINCH BUG, 
ro 
MELON APHID, © 
CHEWING INSECTS 
CABBAGE — 
WORM, 1° 
SQUASH VINE 
BORER, 1/2" 
CABBAGE _ 
LOOPER, 11/2" 
RED SPIDER 
MUTE, 1/60" 
TARNISHED 
_ PLANT BUG, 1/," 
CABBAGE SQUASH BUG, 
APHID, 1/32". 
3/32" 
STRIPED CUCUMBER SPOTTED CUCUMBER 
BEETLE, 1/4" . BEETLE, /o° 
TOMATO HORN 
worM, 3” - 4" 
MEXICAN BEAN 
BEETLE, 5/16" 
CARROT =————CCORN EAR 
WEEVIL, Ye" WORM, 4"- 11/2" 
—about PEPPERS. Always, when 
gathering peppers, cut them with a 
knife, leaving only a short piece of 
stem, rather than run the risk of in- 
juring the plant by pulling them off. 
—growing ASPARAGUS. Any home 
garden, except the very smallest, 
should have a few rows of asparagus. 
Once established, an asparagus bed 
requires a minimum of attention and 
produces year after year a bounteous 
supply of delicious food. If properly 
cared for, a bed will last 15 to 20 
years. 
Plant asparagus in a section where it 
will not be in the way of plowing or 
other crops and where, if possible, it 
will fit into the rest of the garden as 
a decorative feature. 
For excellence of flavor you want 
young, tender carrots, radishes and 
beets—and to get them you must have 
rich soil that will develop the roots 
fast. Slow growing, old carrots are 
only fit for stock feed. 
Corn is much better for table use if 
it is gathered while very young. With 
a little practice, the proper stage for 
harvesting can be determined. This is 
shortly after the ‘milk stage,’ when 
the silks are dry and black, and the 
husk leaves have an appearance of 
maturity. If the ear feels plump and 
firm when grasped, it is generally 
ready, 
25 
