Home Vegetable Gardening by F. F. Rockwell (books for 6 year olds to read themselves TXT) 📖

most readily be injured by

neglect. There are things you will have to look out for, and your

attention must be regular to the matters of temperature, ventilation

and moisture.

 

VEGETABLE DATE TO SOW SEED WILL BEST TEMPERATURE TO

KEEP GERMINATE (ABOUT)

(ABOUT)

Beets Feb. 15-Apr. 1 5 years 55 degrees

Broccoli Feb. 15-Apr. 1 5 years 55 degrees

Brussels

Sprouts Feb. 15-Apr. 1 7 years 55 degrees

Cabbage Feb. 1-Apr. 1 7 years 55 degrees

Cauliflower Feb. 1-Apr. 1 7 years 55 degrees

Celery Feb. 15-Apr. 1 8 years 50 degrees

Corn Apr. 1-May 1 2 years 65 degrees

Cucumber Mar. 15-May 1 10 years 75 degrees

Eggplant Mar. 1-Apr. 15 7 years 75 degrees

Kohlrabi Mar. 1-Apr. 1 7 years 55 degrees

Lettuce Feb. 15-Apr. 1 5 years 55 degrees

Melon, musk Apr. 1-May 1 7 years 75 degrees

Melon, water Apr. 1-May 1 7 years 75 degrees

Okra Mar. 15-Apr. 15 3 years 65 degrees

Onion Jan. 15-Mar. 15 3 years 50 degrees

Pepper Mar. 1-Apr. 15 5 years 75 degrees

Squash Mar. 15-Apr. 15 7 years 75 degrees

Tomato Mar. 1-Apr. 15 5 years 75 degrees

 

The temperatures required by the different varieties will be indicated

by the table above. It should be kept as nearly as possible within ten

degrees lower and fifteen higher (in the sun) than given. If the nights

are still cold, so that the mercury goes near zero, it will be

necessary to provide mats or shutters (see illustrations) to cover the

glass at night. Or, better still, for the few earliest frames, have

double-glass sash, the dead-air space making further protection

unnecessary.

 

VENTILATION: On all days when the temperature within the frame runs up

to sixty to eighty degrees, according to variety, give air, either by

tilting the sash up at the end or side, and holding in position with a

notched stick; or, if the outside temperature permits, strip the glass

off altogether.

 

WATERING: Keep a close watch upon the conditions of the soil,

especially if you are using flats instead of planting directly in the

soil. Wait until it is fairly dry—never until the plants begin to

wilt, however—and then give a thorough soaking, all the soil will

absorb. If at all possible do this only in the morning (up to eleven

o’clock) on a bright sunny day. Plants in the seedling state are

subject to “damping off”—a sudden disease of the stem tissue just at

or below the soil, which either kills the seedlings outright, or

renders them worthless. Some authorities claim that the degree of

moisture or dampness has nothing to do with this trouble. I am not

prepared to contradict them, but as far as my own experience goes I am

satisfied that the drier the stems and leaves can be kept, so long as

the soil is in good condition, the better. I consider this one of the

advantages of the “sub-irrigation” method of preparing the seed flats,

described above.

 

TRANSPLANTING: Under this care the little seedlings will come along

rapidly. When the second true leaf is forming they will be ready for

transplanting or “pricking off,” as it is termed in garden parlance. If

the plants are at all crowded in the boxes, this should be done just as

soon as they are ready, as otherwise they will be injured by crowding

and more likely to damp off.

 

Boxes similar to the seed-flats, but an inch deeper, are provided for

transplanting. Fill these with soil as described for frames—sifted

through a coarse screen (chicken-wire size) and mixed with one-third

rotted manure. Or place an inch of manure, which must be so thoroughly

rotted that most of the heat has left, in the bottom, and fill in with

soil.

 

Find or construct a table or bench of convenient height, upon which to

work. With a flat piece of stick or one of the types of transplanting

forks lift from the seedling box a clump of seedlings, dirt and all,

clear to the bottom. Hold this clump in one hand and with the other

gently tear away the seedlings, one at a time, discarding all crooked

or weak ones. Never attempt to pull the seedlings from the soil in the

flats, as the little rootlets are very easily broken off. They should

come away almost intact. Water your seed-flats the day previous to

transplanting, so that the soil will be in just the right condition,

neither wet enough to make the roots sticky nor dry enough to crumble

away.

 

Take the little seedling by the stem between thumb and forefinger, and

with a small round pointed stick or dibber, or with the forefinger of

the other hand, make a hole to receive the roots and about half the

length—more if the seedlings are lanky—of the stem. As the seedling

drops into place, the tips of both thumbs and forefingers, by one

quick, firm movement, compress the earth firmly both down on the roots

and against the stem, so that the plant sticks up firmly and may not be

readily pulled out. Of course there is a knack about it which cannot be

put into words—I could have pricked off a hundred seedlings in the

time I am spending in trying to describe the operation, but a little

practice will make one reasonably efficient at it.

 

In my own work this spring, I have applied the “sub-irrigation” idea to

this operation also. The manure placed in the bottom of the boxes is

thoroughly watered and an inch of soil put in and watered also, and the

box then filled and the plants pricked in. By preparing a number of

flats at one time, but little additional work is required, and the

results have convinced me that the extra trouble is well worth while.

Of the early cabbage and cauliflower, not two plants in a thousand have

dropped out.

 

Ordinarily about one hundred plants are put in a 13 x 19 inch flat, but

if one has room and is growing only a few plants for home use, somewhat

better plants may be had if fifty or seventy-five are put in. In either

case keep the outside rows close to the edges of the flats, as they

will have plenty of room anyway. When the flat is completed, jar the

box slightly to level the surface, and give a thorough watering at

once, being careful, however, to bend down the plants as little as

possible. Set the flats close together on a level surface, and, if the

weather is bright, shade from the sun during the middle of the day for

two or three days.

 

From now on keep at the required temperature and water thoroughly on

bright mornings as often as the soil in the flats gets on the dry side,

as gardeners say—indicated by the whitening and crusting of the

surface. Above all, give all the air possible while maintaining the

necessary temperature. The quality of the plants will depend more upon

this than anything else in the way of care. Whenever the temperature

allows, strip off the sash and let the plants have the benefit of the

rains. A good rain seems to do them more good than any watering.

 

Should your plants of cabbage, lettuce, beets or cauliflower by any

chance get frozen, do not give them up for lost, for the chances are

that the following simple treatment will pull them through: In the

first place, shade them thoroughly from the sun; in the second, drench

them with cold water, the coldest you can get—if you have to break the

ice for it, so much the better. Try, however, to prevent its happening

again, as they will be less able to resist subsequent injury.

 

In hot weather, where watering and ventilation are neglected, the

plants will sometimes become infested with the green aphis, which under

such conditions multiplies with almost incredible rapidity.

 

HARDENING OFF: For five days or a week before setting plants in the

field they should be thoroughly hardened off. If they have been given

plenty of air this treatment will mean little change for them—simply

exposing them more each day, until for a few nights they are left

entirely without protection. They will then be ready for setting out in

the open, an operation which is described in the next chapter.

 

STARTING PLANTS OUTSIDE

 

Much of the above is applicable also to the starting of plants out-of-doors, for second and for succession crops, such as celery and late

cabbage. Select for the outside seed-bed the most thoroughly pulverized

spot to be found, enriched and lightened with fine manure. Mark off

rows a foot apart, and to the necessary depth; sow the seed evenly;

firm in if the soil is dry, cover lightly with the back of the rake and

roll or smooth with the back of the spade, or of a hoe, along the

drills. The seed, according to variety, will begin to push through in

from four to twenty days. At all times keep the seed-bed clear of

weeds; and keep the soil between the rows constantly cultivated. Not

unless it is very dry will watering be necessary, but if it is

required, give a thorough soaking toward evening.

 

As the cabbage, celery and similar plants come along it will add to

their sturdiness and stockiness to shear off the tops—about half of

the large leaves—once or twice after the plants have attained a height

of about six inches.

 

If the precautions concerning seed and soil which I have given are

heeded and the details of the work of planting, transplanting and care

are carried out, planting time (April) will find the prospective

gardener with a supply of good, stocky, healthy plants on hand, and

impatient to get them into that carefully prepared garden spot. All of

this work has been—or should have been—interesting, but that which

follows in the next chapter is more so.