Before you start to plant, sit down 
with pencil and paper and plan your 
garden to fit your space. Just two or 
three feet of row are enough for 
parsley, but allow lots of space for 
beans, corn, peas, and vine crops. 
A string drawn tight between two 
stakes will help you make straight 
rows. Draw a line with a stick for 
shallow furrows, or with a hoe for 
deeper ones, depending on the kind of 
seed to be planted. 
Draw the soil back into the furrow 
to cover the seed planted. Firm the 
soil over the seed by laying a board 
over the row and walking on it, or by 
tamping with the flat side of the rake. 
The principal reason for cultivation 
is to kill weeds. It’s not necessary or 
desirable to stir the soil deeply. Cul- 
tivate just deep enough to cut off. 
the weeds without disturbing the 
roots of the garden plants 
As you spade your garden, work in 
the compost you have been making, 
plus an application of Vigoro. The 
need for fertilizer is actually greater 
than ever if the compost is not com- 
pletely decomposed. 
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Vegetable seeds should be planted 
at the depths indicated on the chart 
above. Some kinds should be just 
barely covered, while others, like 
peas, may be planted even deeper 
than indicated if soil is sandy. 
Ditch irrigation in the vegetable 
garden reduces the weed problem 
and helps keep foliage diseases in 
check. Plant seeds at the edge of the 
ditch as illustrated, so moisture can 
reach them. 
el to keep pests under 
control if you make a daily inspection 
of your garden. Begin spraying or 
dusting at the first sign of damage— 
don’t wait until the plants are seri- 
ously injured, 
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Make a fine seed bed. The finished 
condition of your soil, with all clods 
broken and well pulverized, will make 
it possible to attain perfect stands of 
plants and help small seeds to make 
a good start. 
Sow seed thinly, keeping in mind 
the distance apart which the growing 
plants should be spaced in the row. 
Plant somewhat heavier than final 
spacing, and thin out the excess 
plants while still small. 
Additional fertilizer during the 
growing season is of great help for 
many garden plants. Corn, melons, 
onions, celery, and squash particu- 
larly respond to this mid-season 
“spot” fertilizing. 
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Many crops like cucumbers and 
beans and many flowers like carna- 
tions and sweet peas will stop bearing 
if the fruit or flowers are not picked 
constantly. Daily picking lengthens 
the season a great deal. 
23 
