ROBSON QUALITY SEEDS, HALL, NEW YORK 35 
HOME GARDENING GUIDE 
A GOOD GARDEN is always a thing of pride. Vegetables from your 
own garden always taste better and flowers that you grow yourself 
always smell sweeter. Not only does a good vegetable garden help 
keep a family well fed but for the city family in particular it pro- 
vides wholesome recreation. 
LOCATION. Pick the best spot you can get which is handy. One 
that is open to the sun, away from large trees, and that has reason- 
ably good drainage is desirable. A loose, mellow, loamy soil is best 
of course but use what you have. You can make a good garden 
wherever weeds will grow. 
FERTILIZER. Before plowing apply a good coat of well rotted 
stable manure together with 2 lbs. of Superphosphate per 100 
square feet. If manure is not available, use a good, high-grade, 
complete commercial fertilizer such as Vigoro, 5-10—-5, 6-12-6, or 
one of similar analysis. Before plowing or spading broadcast this 
fertilizer at the rate of 2 lbs. per 100 square feet over the surface. 
After plowing broadcast another | to 2 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. over the 
surface and work it well into the soil. Or instead of this last 
application some prefer to sow some fertilizer in bands near the 
row or around such plants as tomatoes. Not more than 2 or 3 lbs. 
should be used in bands to each 100 ft. of row, and the bands 
should be 3 or 4 inches away from the row and at least 2 inches 
deep. More than this quantity of fertilizer in bands closer to the 
row may injure the young seedlings. Band fertilizer applications 
are slow and difficult to make by hand. 
FITTING THE SOIL. Plow or spade the garden as soon as it is 
dry enough to work. A good test is to mold a handful of the soil 
into a ball with the hands. If the ball is not sticky but crumbles 
readily when pressed with the thumb, the soil is ready to be 
worked. 
Plow or spade deeply, 7 or 8 inches is not too much unless light 
colored sub-soil is turned up. If spaded by hand be sure to pulver- 
ize each fork or spadeful as it is turned over. Harrow or rake 
spring plowed or spaded soil soon after turning to maintain good 
soil texture and to prevent excessive drying. For the small-seeded 
crops, such as carrots, a finely pulverized surface insures easier 
planting, better germination, and a more even stand. 
PLANNING THE GARDEN. Even if you are an experienced 
gardener, a plan on paper is a real help. It saves time when you 
get ready to plant, helps to insure against omitting any crops, and 
also helps you to decide on the amount of each crop to plant. 
Use the chart on the next page for planning the space required 
between rows. If hand tools are used rows can be closer than 
when power tools are used. Space rows far enough apart to be 
cultivated easily and yet close enough so that when the crops reach 
their maximum growth their tops will cover the ground. ‘That 
helps to control weeds. 
These are things to consider in making your plan: 
1. Group the varieties according to size, to prevent shading. 
2. The garden rows may be either East and West or North and 
South. If they are East and West, plant the tall-growing crops 
like corn, staked tomatoes or pole beans on the North side of 
the garden so they do not shade the small ones. 
3. If the garden is on a hillside, run the rows across the slope and 
not up and down it. This helps to hold moisture and to reduce 
erosion. 
4. Group together hardy, small-growing varieties — spinach, let- 
tuce, onions and radishes and plant as early as possible in the 
spring; late frosts will not hurt them. 
5. Remove refuse of early maturing crops and replant that area 
with other crops that will mature by the end of the growing 
season. 
6. Do not plant corn in long, single rows. At least three adjacent 
rows of each variety at each planting are needed to insure good 
pollination and hence a good set of kernels. 
7. Vine crops should be planted where they will not run over small 
vegetables and smother them, 
8. Don’t plant too much of some things and too little of others. A 
5 ft. row of parsley is usually enough. Make small successive 
sowings of lettuce and radishes as they may not keep in edible 
condition too long. 
MARKING ROWS. A heavy cord stretched between stakes at the 
Opposite ends of a row makes it easy to mark a straight row. To 
open the rows for large seeds, such as corn, beans, and peas, walk 
backward stepping on the string to hold it in place, and drag the 
hoe along the string, keeping one corner of the blade tilted down. 
To open rows for small seeds, drag the hoe handle along the 
string in short strokes, as in sweeping. 
SOWING SEED. Do not sow too thickly. Use the chart on the next 
page as a guide in number of seeds to drop per foot. Watch the 
germination as stated on the package. This is placed there for 
your guidance. Do not sow too deeply. Small seeds should be 
only lightly covered with fine soil. Beans, corn and peas should 
be planted about 1 inch deep. 
If your soil is very dry, strike out your row and then thoroughly 
moisten the trench with water before sowing your seed. This will 
insure a quicker come-up. 
Boards or papers held down with stones can be placed over the 
rows to hold moisture and give quicker germination. Just as soon 
as the seeds have sprouted remove the covering in the evening so 
that the plant is gradually accustomed to exposure. During dry 
weather it may be necessary to sprinkle new plantings each day 
until well established. 
THINNING. Remove surplus plants while they are small and be- 
fore they compete with those that are to remain. 
CULTIVATION. Weeds are very impolite; they wait for nothing 
and nobody. If you do not get the start of them (and keep it) 
they will get the start of you. “Elbow grease” and the hoe are 
their worst enemies. Cultivate shallow but often until the weeds 
are under control. Hoeing or cultivating too deep cuts off the 
roots of your growing crop. 
MULCHES. Weed growth can be controlled by the use of mulches. 
Mulches also conserve moisture, prevent erosion, do away with 
root damage from cultivating and keep fruits such as tomatoes, 
cukes, and melons clean. Straw, old hay or grass, leaves, sawdust 
or shavings are all materials that can be used. Apply as soon as 
the plants are large enough so that they will not be buried by the 
material. 
TOOLS. You don’t need many. A spade or spading fork, a rake 
and a hoe are quite necessary. A small hand weeder and a trowel 
will be handy. A wheel hoe of course is useful but the hand hoe 
will do the trick. Clean your tools after use and keep them sharp; 
they will be easier to use. 
INSECT AND DISEASE CONTROL. Most insects are readily 
controlled when they appear on the plants; one must learn to 
recognize them, watch for them and spray or dust promptly. 
Rotenone is the most useful insecticide to have on hand. DDT is 
most effective on onion thrips and cabbage worms but precaution 
is necessary in using it. 
Plant diseases are more difficult to control. Important prevent- 
ative measures to follow are sanitation in the garden, use of 
resistant varieties and disease-free seed, seed treatment, rotation 
of planting location of individual varieties in the garden and weed 
control. In addition fungicidal dusts or sprays must be used on 
some crops. The fixed-copper fungicides are most effective; 
Copper-Rotenone Dust is a good combination insecticide and 
fungicide. 
COMPOST: A good source of organic matter for the garden where 
manure is not available is your own compost pile. It can be made 
of leaves, weeds, straw, waste hay, grass clippings and refuse from 
the garden except diseased plants. Pile these materials together 
as they accumulate in 6 inch layers. On each layer, sprinkle a little 
dolomitic limestone and a cup or two of 5—-10-—5 or similar com- 
mercial fertilizer per bushel of material. Then apply a 2 or 3 in. 
layer of good garden soil. Build the pile up in this manner to 
2 or 3 ft. Turn the pile over 2 or 3 times during the second sea- 
son; it will be ready to use in the fall or following spring. Start 
a new pile each year. 
DON’T BE AFRAID to ask questions of other gardeners. This is a 
good way to find things out without making mistakes. Old 
gardeners know a lot of “stunts” that can be helpful. ‘The various 
State Colleges of Agriculture and Agricultural Experiment Stations 
have bulletins available on gardening. Write to your own State 
College or Experiment Station for these. They are usually free 
to residents of the State. 
