File:Beckert's garden annual - complete garden guide for 1950 (1950) (20171478228).jpg

Title: Beckert's garden annual : complete garden guide for 1950
Identifier: beckertsgardenan1950beck (find matches)
Year: 1950 (1950s)
Authors: Beckert's Seed Store; Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection
Subjects: Nurseries (Horticulture) Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Catalogs; Nursery stock Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Catalogs; Flowers Seeds Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Catalogs; Bulbs (Plants) Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Catalogs; Grasses Seeds Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Catalogs
Publisher: Pittsburgh, Pa. : Beckert's Seed Store, Inc.
Contributing Library: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library
Digitizing Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library

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Hov/? When? â ; M Jil ^icfil N H ^ 11 ^ Mcjll ; >) m Where? Why? Starting in Coldframes, Hotbeds, or Indoors The gains you can make by "beating the weather" are well worth going after, par- ticularly on tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, and kohlrabi. But remember that a plant which hasn't been treated right in the flat will not be a good plant in the garden. A transplant that has had to struggle against over or underheating, too much water or too little, etc., will not do as well as a direct-seeded plant or a purchased transplant that has had expert attention. However, the right conditions for a suc- cessful indoor start are not difficult to achieve. Any gardener can do the trick by applying a reasonable amount of care and attention. Don't begin too soon, unless you have a greenhouse or light hotbed and can give the seedlings plenty of room. For most vegetables, 6 to 7 weeks is time enough to allow between seeding and transplanting. Fill shallow boxes (flats) with a mixture of 1/3 good garden soil, I/3 clean sand and 1/3 compost, leaf mold or other well-rooted organic matter. Make very shallow rows or furrows with the edge of a ruler or a wood lath, 3" apart. Sow seeds in these rows 1" apart in the row. DON'T let your soil dry out, and don't let it be soggy. Spray lightly two or three times a day, using an atomizer or bulb sprinkler. When the best seedlings can be selected, thin out to stand 2" to 3" apart. Before transplanting into the garden, with- hold water for 2 or 3 days. Transplanting Tomato, eggplant, and pepper plants are tender and should not be set out before danger of frost is past. Cabbage, cauli- flower, and kohlrabi are less tender but it is not safe to set them out much before the frost-proof date. Where care is needed Use care in transplanting or you will in- jure the tender plants. When soil is sufficiently moist so a ball of soil can be retained around each indi- vidual root there is less chance of injury or of air pockets being left around roots. Use a trowel. (It is important that roots be kept in close contact with soil so they can get moisture.) When seedlings are to be transplanted without a ball of soil, long tap roots should be shortened, and the whole root system placed and "firmed in" so that it is well spread out, not bunched. Soil in which roots are placed must be finely pulverized. When roots have been carefully placed in position, firm the soil around each plant enough to insure that roots are in contact with the soil, and that there are no air pockets. Transplant in cool, cloudy weather or at evening or early morning. As soon as the garden has been planted, water thoroughly but gently with a fine spray. This, by the way, is the only time we sprinkle a garden; once the plants are established, any watering should give the soil a good soaking. Watering Soak, don't sprinkle. Your garden needs water when the leaves look wilted in the sun and do not recover freshness over night. Except for transplants, try to avoid water- ing the garden until it really needs water. Don't wash away fopsoU When you do water, soak, don't sprinkle. Do a thorough job. The hose or sprinkler should be allowed to run on one spot until water stands on the surface. The best way to do a thorough soaking job is to use a canvas hose that leaks all along its length, placed along a row at a time. Let the water run until the soil is saturated to a good depth. Then move hose to next row. If an overhead sprinkler is used be sure it doesn't have too much force, or it will wash the soil away. If you have only an ordinary hose (with- out holes), remove nozzle and place a small board under the end of the hose to distribute water gently. Water in the evening or early morning. After watering, the soil should be moist to a depth of five to six inches. Check this with a spade to be sure. A Program for Garden Sanitation About 75% of the work and much of the damage caused by insects can be elim- inated by a simple, regular program of sanitation. Preventive dusting or spraying is much easier than waging a losing bat- tle against bugs when they appear. Usual- ly, less than 30 minutes a week should be needed for a regular sanitation pro- gram for both flowers and vegetables.
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