Location and plan of the vegetable garden 
A level, well drained piece of ground, convenient to 
the house should be selected for the garden. It should 
be located where it can be irrigated if necessary and 
away from hedges, large trees or the shade of build- 
ings. On the farm it should be well-fenced to protect 
it from rabbits, chickens and other animals. 
After selection of a location, and determining the 
size of the garden, a list of vegetables should be made. 
In selecting varieties, primary consideration should be 
given to the likes of the family, also to the size of the 
pit available. Different vegetables give variety to the 
iet. 
A map or plan of the garden should be made, show- 
ing the various vegetables to be grown, and their posi- 
tion in the garden, indicating length of rows and the 
Making a seedbed 
Small seeds such as lettuce, cabbage, collard, pepper, 
eggplant, tomato, etc., should be sown in a seedbed 
and the young plants transplanted to the field or gar- 
den. A shallow box or flat may be used for this pur- 
pose, or a small plot in the garden may be set aside 
to use as a seedbed for starting plants for transplant- 
ing. The soil must be in perfectly fine condition, and 
in the seedbed it should be made into beds four to six 
inches high, to prevent overflow in case of heavy rains. 
In preparing seedbed soil it is desirable to mix in 
“Terra-Lite’’ (Vermiculite) in order to increase germi- 
nation of seed and prevent damping off of seedlings. 
(See page 74). When the soil in the seedbed is in con- 
dition—thoroughly and finely pulverized, fertilized 
with 2 to 3 pounds per 100 sq. ft. of a commercial 
fertilizer such as Vigoro or Vertagreen (page 67), ap- 
plied at least a week or ten days before sowing seed, 
moist, and made smooth and level—sow the seed in 
rows about six inches apart. Very fine seed like cel- 
ery, should not be covered with soil, but may be 
pressed into the soil with a light roller or with a wide 
board. Larger seeds like tomato, pepper, and cabbage 
may be covered, not over %4 to % inch deep. 
We recommend the use of burlap or white muslin 
as a cover over the seedbed, stretching it on a three- 
or four-foot wide tent-shaped or slanting frame built 
over the seedbed, with the sides about 10 to 12 inches 
from the ground to provide ample circulation of air 
under the cover. If plants are being started in late 
space between rows. In the case of a small, backyard 
garden, entirely worked by hand, the rows should be 
close together, i.e., the smaller figure in column 5 of 
our chart on page 4, so that large quantities of vege- 
tables may be produced on a limited space. In large 
farm gardens cultivated by mule-drawn tools, or other 
equipment used in the fields for this purpose, the rows 
should run the long way of the plot, and all crops 
should be in wide rows as indicated by the larger 
figure in the chart on page 4. 
The planting data given on page 4 of this catalog 
will help greatly in preparing a plan since seed re- 
quirements, planting depths, distances and time of ma- 
turity are given. 
summer for fall planting, the seedbed cover will serve 
as a shade to protect seedlings from the hot sun, also to 
break the force of heavy rains. If plants are started in 
winter for a spring crop, this seedbed cover will pro- 
tect seedlings from frost or freezes. It may be also 
advisable to use ground covers of burlap or old fer- 
tilizer bags. When seeds begin to germinate these 
ground covers should be removed immediately to pre- 
vent leggy or spindly plants. After the seed is sown, 
it is desirable to sprinkle every evening or oftener if 
necessary with cool water by means of hand sprinkling 
pots in order to keep the soil cool and moist, which 
tends to increase germination of seeds during the hot 
summer months. 
Success in getting transplanted plants to grow satis- 
factorily depends very much upon how the plants are 
grown in the seedbed. For a week or ten days before 
transplanting, the plants in seedbed should be grad- 
ually hardened. This means leaving the cover off the 
plants for a week or so before transplanting, and water 
should be withheld from the plants during this period. 
When plants in seedbed are about six inches high they 
are ready to transplant into the field or garden, pref- 
erably on a cloudy day or toward evening. Water the 
plants thoroughly several hours before removing from 
seedbed, and again immediately after setting. A starter 
solution is helpful (see page 67). To grow good vege- 
tables, a large supply of moisture and fertilizer is 
essential until the crop is ready to harvest. 
Preparation of the soil for the vegetable garden 
The soil in the garden should be carefully and well 
prepared. Grass and weeds should be removed with 
all roots. A little extra time spent in preparing the 
soil for planting will save many hours of hoeing later 
in the season. It is best to spade or plow, and apply 
commercial fertilizer to the soil ten days to two weeks 
before planting in order to avoid burning the seed or 
young plants. A sample of the soil should be tested, 
either by yourself with an inexpensive soil test kit 
(page 75) or by your county agent, and if found too 
acid or sour apply Hardwood Ashes or Hydrated Lime; 
if too alkaline or sweet apply Aluminum Sulphate and 
Manganese Sulphate (see page 68). 
Well rotted animal manure may be used as a fer- 
tilizer, at the rate of approximately 25 to 30 lbs. of 
manure, and 21% to 3 lbs. of Super Phosphate for each 
100 square feet of garden. If manure is not available, 
leaf mold or black muck or hammock soil are ideal 
materials to work into the garden soil. If none of these 
materials is available, a two or three inch layer of 
horticultural grade peat moss (page 74) may be worked 
into the garden soil. This material is clean and easy 
to handle, and is wonderfully effective for breaking up 
hard soil, making if mellow, or for adding humus to 
sandy soil, making it more retentive of moisture and 
fertilizer materials. After this peat moss is worked 
into the soil, an inch or two inch layer of Pulverized 
Sheep Manure, along with a liberal application of a 
good garden fertilizer such as Vigoro or Vertagreen 
(see page 67) should be used, applying one of these 
fertilizer materials broadcast at the rate of 4 to 6 lbs. 
per 100 square feet. If this material is raked into the 
surface soil a week or ten days before planting, and if 
well watered in case of no rain in order to speed the 
incorporation and decomposition of the fertilizer or 
manure, you will have the foundation for an excellent 
vegetable garden. If the fertilizers are applied just be- 
fore planting, they are very apt to burn the young 
seedlings as they emerge from the seed. 
After the vegetable plants are well started in the 
garden, fertilizer should be applied lightly on either 
side of the row of vegetables, but not in contact with 
the leaves or stems to avoid burning, every two or 
three weeks. This will make thrifty plants which pro- 
duce an abundant supply of high quality vegetables for 
the home table. 
Note:—All materials indicated above, such as Pulverized Sheep 
Manure, Peat Moss, Terra-Lite, Super Phosphate, Vigoro, Verta- 
green, Wood Ashes, Lime, Aluminum Sulphate, Manganese Sul- 
phate, etc., are available at all Kilgore seed stores, and in our mail 
order department at Plant City, Florida. 
For further information on Florida home gardening write the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, Mailing Department, Gainesville, 
Florida, for a free copy of Bulletin 131 entitled “The Florida Home Garden,” and also for 
Circular 104 entitled "Vegetable Garden Production Guide.” 
General Offices and Mail Order Department, Plant City, Florida 3 
