build a frame for it. A frame 6 x 6 feet, 
requiring two 3 x 6 sashes, is practical for 
small gardens. Place the frame in a shel- 
tered spot with a southern exposure where 
it will get full sun. The sash needs a pitch of 
at least 4 inches in a southerly direction. 
The building details are simple. The sides 
and ends, if made of wood, should be an 
inch thick, and sunk into the ground to a 
depth of 6 inches. The north side of most 
frames is usually 12 to 15 inches high, with 
the south side approximately 4 inches 
shorter. For most permanent construction 
use heavier lumber or concrete. Before sow- 
ing seed in a coldframe, provide for a mix- 
ture of 4 to 6 inches of well-prepared soil 
composed of one-third leat mold, one- 
third garden soil and one-third sand. 
To prepare a hot-bed, dig out about 2 
feet of soil and fill the trench with I!/p feet 
of fresh stable manure. It is best to order 
the manure at least a week before you plan 
to use it. After it has been piled it should 
be thoroughly soaked, to cause it to steam. 
Three or four days later it can be repiled, 
and in another few days it is ready for use. 
Tamp the manure firmly before covering it 
with 4 to 6 inches of well-prepared soil. Use 
the formula suggested above for preparing 
soil for a coldframe. The sash can be put on 
and the frame allowed to stand for several 
days until the soil temperature has dropped 
to about 75 or 80 degrees. In extremely 
cold climates, manure can be piled around 
the sides in order to retain the inside heat. 
In recent years electrically heated hot-beds 
have been offered by seedsmen, and they 
are worthwhile for those gardeners who 
care to make the investment. 
PLANNING HINTS 
The following suggestions are worth con- 
sidering before you make your plan: 
1. Run the rows north and south in order to 
get the maximum amount of sunlight 
throughout the garden. 
44 
2.1f your garden is on a slope, plant the 
rows across the slope rather than up and 
down, in order to avoid damaging ero- 
sion. 
WwW 
. Tall crops like corn and pole beans are 
best planted on the north side, so they 
will not cast shade on crops nearby. 
4. Straight rows make cultivation and main- 
tenance easier and give the garden a 
trim and orderly appearance. 
5. Perennials like rhubarb and asparagus 
and such fruits as strawberries and berry 
bushes are best planted at one side of 
the garden, so as not to interfere with 
the cultivation of vegetable crops. 
6. Vegetables which mature early can be 
planted together. In this way one part of 
the vegetable garden can be prepared 
and planted at a time; this will make it 
easier to get the remainder of the garden 
ready. 
7. Plan for intercropping, especially if your 
garden is of limited size. For example, 
radish seed can be sown between the 
rows of early cabbage plants. 
8. Bear in mind that a succession of crops 
will make the area more productive. 
Think of each row in your garden- in 
terms of the length of time it takes to 
mature a crop, and the possibility of 
raising succession crops. 
Use of Lime 
Lime is used mainly to neutralize acidity 
and is not a fertilizer, although calcium, 
the important element in lime, is a nutrient. 
Most plants are influenced markedly by 
the reaction-acidity, or alkalinity, of the 
soil. 
Vegetable-crop plants vary greatly in 
their response to lime. Results of many 
experiments indicate that most vegetable 
crops thrive better in a soil that is slightly 
acid than in a soil that is neutral or alka- 
SOUTHERN STATES COOPERATIVE 
