HOME ECONOMY AND 
GARDEN SANITATION 
About 75% of the work and much of the 
damage caused by insects can be eliminated 
by a simple, regular program of sanita- 
tion, Preventive dusting or spraying is much 
easier than waging a losing battle against 
bugs when they appear. Usually, less than 
30 minutes a week should be needed for a 
regular sanitation program for both flowers 
and vegetables. 
Along with a regular program of insect 
control, plan on destroying weeds along the 
edges of your garden, the place where in- 
sects hide during the winter, If possible, 
control the weeds for a distance of at least 
25 feet on all sides of the garden. Not only 
will this eliminate insect hiding places, but 
it will reduce the number of weed seeds 
that might otherwise blow onto your gar- 
den. This program involves two chemicals. 
Apply a 5% dust of D.D.T. to the grass and 
weeds about every three weeks, so that 
most insects that might otherwise move 
into the garden will be killed. So will mos- 
quitoes, chiggers and harvest mites that 
can make gardening so unpleasant. 
BUILDING 
A COMPOST HEAP 
The compost heap is a ’’must”’ for the per- 
manent garden. Select a spot behind a shed 
or otherwise hidden (if your garden is in 
the open) and spread out your garden wastes 
over this area in a layer six inches deep. 
Use weeds, old vegetable and flower plants, 
vegetable waste from the kitchen and lawn 
clippings. Trimmings from lawn edging are 
particularly valuable. 
On each six inch layer, sprinkle a little 
lime and a liberal amount of a good mixed 
fertilizer. The fertilizer will feed the bac- 
teria that cause the vegetable wastes to 
decay, Then apply a layer of good garden 
soil over the lime and fertilizer, Repeat 
until the pile is two feet high, Wet down 
if rain doesn’t fall. 
In six months all weed seeds and other 
vegetable matter will be broken down by 
the bacteria into a rich, home made ‘’ma- 
nure”’ that will go a long ways toward mak- 
ing yours a perfect soil. 
You need not waste the space used for the 
heap, since cucumbers, melons and squash- 
es never grow as well as when planted in 
shallow depressions in the compost heap. 
36 
STARTING WITH SEED BEDS 
A shallow box is probably the most widely 
method used for starting seed indoors. Place 
pieces of broken clay pots over drainage 
cracks to prevent clogging. Spread some 
soil lumps over the bottom before you fill 
the box with soil. 
Mix equal parts of sand, soil, and peat moss. 
Pile high in the box. Press down firmly on 
the sides with your hands. Scrape off sur- 
plus soil with a board or tamper. Firm loose 
soil until it is spread evenly about 34 inch 
below the top of the seed box. 
Then, mark off straight rows about 2 inches 
wide, Sow seeds uniformly thick, just so 
they don’t touch. Use an old kitchen sieve 
to screen soil over the too after the seed 
are sown. Do not cover with more than 14 
inch of soil. Use the tamper to firm the soil 
over the seeds. 
Water soil after firming, Place a strip of 
burlap over the box and pour water over 
it Never pour water on the bare soil, An- 
other effective way of watering is to place 
the box in a pan of water. Cover the box 
with newspaper or a piece of glass to pre- 
vent fast drying, Keep moist. 
When seedlings appear, remove the news- 
paper, If you are using glass, leave it on 
a little longer, but slide it over a bit to 
give air. 
TRANSPLANTING 
Use care in transplanting or you will injure 
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 with- 
out 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. 
Transplaat in cool, cloudy weather or at 
evening or early morning. The use of 
pianeplaptones will prevent transplanting 
shock, 
IMPROVEMENT 
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. 
WINDOW BOXES 
One of the most effective ways for outside 
beautification of your house is by using 
Window Boxes. 
Moisture and drainage must be considered 
in the construction of all window boxes, If 
it is a simple wooden one, it must be of 
some moisture-resistant material at least one 
quarter inch thick—the best woods are white 
pine, cypress or cedar. Three coats of var- 
nish will help make the box water resistant. 
Brass or copper screws must be used be- 
cause they are rustproof. Metal brackets 
are more practical than wooden ones. 
The length of the window box should con- 
form to the size of your window sill and 
the box should be at least 8 to 10 inches 
wide and deep. Bore a half dozen % inch 
holes in the bottom so the water can es- 
cape. Place broken crocks, cinders or aravel 
over the holes to ensure good drainage. 
Fill the box with a potting mixture of 
l. part sharp sand 
2 parts loam 
1 part leafmold (or humus) 
Y parts dried cow manure 
1 five-inch flower pot full of bone meal 
to each bushel of mixture. 
Fill the box nearly to the rim, water and 
set aside for a day or two, so the soil will 
settle considerably before planting. 
The plants must be set closer together than 
in the garden, but not so that they will 
appear crowded. 
Evaporation is rapid in hot weather, and the 
boxes must be thoroughly watered early 
every morning and every evening after 
sundown, Pour the water on slowly and 
allow it to soak well into the soil, Don’t let 
it stand on the surface. A little liquid ma- 
nure or a good commercial fertilizer applied 
once a week will help in producing large, 
free-blooming plants, 
Some suggested flowers for the window 
box are geraniums, petunias, lobelia, and 
practically all medium sized potted plants. 
he cheapest method of planting the win- 
dow box is to plant seeds of annuals direct- 
ly into the soil of the window box, Almost 
any annual that grows easily in the garden 
can be used, 
