Gardening---the Moat Rewarding Hobby 
THE FLOWER BORDER 
Clan shows how plants are selected —\ Backgreind Shrubs, Fence, Wall or Hedge - 
and arranged tn ‘drifts of one kid 
each, selecting varieties and colors 
fo suit, Keep rrotes for use /n making \o | 
changes ext Seasor: : ~ 
“Accertsare plants different 117 
appearance trope neighbors tp 
form, colorand texture. 
Add bulbs for spring and mit~ 8 * ae eengyep ines eT 
summoner L/00/M YS Teoh Seal a 
flower beds narrower than indicated should be of ow 
and medium height or of only one height: 
blueprints for Better Gardens © 
Yo outlive beds. 
Puan wm 
SECTION 
HOW TO MAKE HOTBEDS OR COLD FRAMES 
A cold frame is a box without top or bot- 
tom, placed on the ground and covered 
with a glass or plastic lid to let in light and 
keep temperature steady. A hot bed’s just 
a cold frame with heat in the ground under 
it to speed up plant growth. Heat may be 
by electric soil cable or decomposing or- 
ganic material buried under soil surface. 
Make front lower than back and slope sides 
so that lid will hinge to back and slant 
down to front, and can be raised up for ——_= 
ventilation control. A window sash or cello- Was 
glass tacked on frame will serve as cover. I SO 
Place it where direct sun doesn’t hit it 
but air circulation is good. 
If electrical connection is feasible, soil 
cable buried under soil surface in which 
plants are to be forced will be effective. 
Cables are available in various length. A 
50-foot cable heats 36 square feet. 
Hotbed with Cross Section of Its Layers 
For non-electric hotbed, 12 to 24 inches of 
manure surfaced with 5 to 6 inch layer of 
soil will work. 
If on surface of ground, make box 
deep enough to allow for heating material 
plus soil, and bank additional manure 
around outside to maintain heat. If a pit 
is used, choose a well-drained situation. 
Fresh stable manure is best heat producing 
material, but wetted cuttings of corn or 
grass will also do the work. 
= SET FRAME 
ON BRICKS ~ 
TO PREVENT“ 
SETTLING. 
SOME TIPS ON WINDOW BOXES 
themselves. The window box is often a 
“community” of plant material. See that 
what you put in the community is congenial 
to the other members in its requirements for 
water, food, light, type of soil, etc. Don’t 
put plants requiring lots of moisture and 
fertilizer into the same window box with 
“poor soil’ or “scanty water” types of plant. 
Don’t put shade-loving plants into the same 
window box with sun-loving plants. If your 
window box or planter is indoors, treat it as 
a group of house plants; if it’s outside treat 
it as a portable outdoor garden. Always 
plant’ with the difference that varied forms remember, it is a crowded community and 
of plant material are used in the same win- __ will need regular supply of good liquid fer- 
dow box, while house plants usually are by __ tilizer. 
Window boxes are a form of “house 
GARDEN SOIL 
PREPARATION 
LAYER OF MANURE 
OR COMMERCIAL 
FERTILIZER & 
PEAT 
The foundation for your season’s growth is 
fertilizer that permeates the soil in_ its 
first preparation before sowing seed or 
planting. Cover ground surface with ma- 
nure if available, or: commercial fertilizer. 
Follow directions as to proportions to the 
square foot, and turn under with spading. 
Spread fresh manures in the fall or winter, 
and spade under in spring. Commercial fer- 
tilizer should be spaded in a little before 
planting is done, unless it is non-burning 
material. If no manure is used, cover surface 
area with a layer of peat before spreading 
commercial fertilizer, thus adding humus 
continually to the soil as well as the neces- 
sary plant foods. 
Don't Forget 
the Compas Pile 
Compost your lawn clippings, 
vegetable tops ‘and peelings, dry 
leaves and other vegetable matter 
for a rich source of humus and 
plant food. 
Make a pit or bin and throw the 
compost material into it, add a 
sprinkling of packaged compost 
maker and 2 inches of soil to each 
foot of vegetable matter. Repeat 
until pile is 3 or 4 feet deep. Keep 
moist to promote bacterial action. 
In about 6 months the compost 
will be ready to use. Spread it on 
the garden as you would barnyard 
manure. Used with peat moss and 
commercial fertilizer, compost is 
a really important aid to good 
gardening. 
Don't Forget the Summer Flowering GLADS, BEGONIAS and DAHLIAS — Page 350 
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