GENERAL 
CULTURAL 
DIRECTIONS 
Where to Put the Garden? 
Although the answer to this question depends to 
a certain degree on the section of the country in 
which the gardener is located, as well as con- 
siderations such as the location of his house on 
the lot, whether it slopes to the north or south, 
his plans for shrubbery and flower beds, etc., a 
few generalizations or suggestions can neverthe- 
less be made. 
The handiest location, and one which makes for 
easier working and harvesting, is close to the 
house, preferably on the kitchen side. Small to 
medium sized gardens can be enclosed and 
screened by stockade fencing, fruit arbors, or 
hedges, and thus remain close to the house with- 
out detracting from the appearance of the sur- 
roundings. 
However, the major factor in deciding where to 
put the garden is the selection of the best soil 
available; often, the soil excavated from the base- 
ment is graded up close to the house, and this 
might make it undesirable to have the garden too 
close to the house if the excavated soil were 
clayey, stoney or otherwise unproductive. 
A loam soil, i.e., one containing relatively equal 
parts of the sand, silt and clay constituents that 
make up soils, is preferable, but soils running to 
the silty, sandy or clayey side, in that order, are 
just as good. In the final analysis, if you want a 
garden, you will have to put it on whatever soil 
makes up your yard. However, if a choice is 
available, such as on suburban properties or 
farms, the richer, not too sandy or clayey soils 
will provide the best garden site. 
Incidentally, farm families will be wise to con- 
sider the possibility of putting their vegetable 
gardens at the end of a cultivated piece of ground 
near the house, and spacing the vegetable rows 
so that they can be cultivated with the regular 
tractor equipment. This makes it possible to have 
a larger garden and, at the same time, eliminate 
a very large share of the hand labor usually as- 
sociated with larger home gardens. A long, nar- 
row plot fits this plan very well. 
In any case, the spot chosen for the garden should 
be well fertilized in advance of plowing or spad- 
ing; after it is plowed, the soil should be disced 
and harrowed, or otherwise worked up to a very 
fine, smooth, clod-free condition. The applica- 
tion of generous quantities of stable manure 
three or four weeks before planting time will 
benefit the soil by supplying needed organic 
matter. 
Your seed dealer will be able to advise you as 
to the kind and amount of fertilizer to apply. Fora 
more accurate indication of just what additional 
nutrients your soil needs, consult your county 
agricultural agent on how to go about having a 
soil analysis made. 
How Big a Garden is Needed? 
The space available will help determine this 
point, but fora minimum amount of variation in 
the vegetables raised, a space of about 15 feet by 
25 feet should be thought of as a minimum. 50 
feet x 50 feet, on the other hand, will produce a 
balanced vegetable diet for four people and in- 
clude such space-consuming crops as sweet corn, 
pumpkins and squash. (See diagrams on p. 6) 
