From Local Ag Teachers:
Plan Now For
The article this week was
prepared by Carl Graybill,
Epbrata High School
agricultural teacher.
With the cost of living on
the rise, .why not cut some
comers on the family food
budget and have your own
garden this spring. You can
stretch the food dollar, enjoy
the freshest vegetables, and
experience a rewarding
hobby all at the same time.
Gardening is not difficult,
in fact, with a little land,
some fairly easy work, and
the proper knowledge and
materials, anyone can have
a green thumb'. The
following information will be
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ANALYTICAL SERVICES DIVISION
Feeds, Flour, Forages, Foods
Dairy Products, Water, Waste Water
Bacteriological, Physical, Chemcial
2425 New Holland Pike
Lancaster, Pa. 17601
Telephone (717) 656-2301
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INC.
Mohnton, RD2, Pa 19540
'(nearAdamstown)
Phone (215) 484-4391
LANDIS BROS. INC. *• B. C. GROFF, INC.
Lancaster 393-3906 New Holland ‘ 354-4191
M. S. YEARSLEY & SONS
West Chester 696-2993
WENGER IMPLEMENT, INC.
The Buck
Thoughts
in Passing
Home Gardening
of general nature, designed
to help the novice gardener.
The Garden Site
There are a few items to
consider when selecting a
site for your garden. Good
soil is important and the plot
should be located near the
house to facilitate irrigation.
Avoid the vicinity of trees
and large shrubs, and choose
a place which has enough
slope for surface water
drainage.
When To Plant
The time to plant depends
on the crop to be planted. In
Lancaster County, crops
such as asparagus,
califlower, carrots, cabbage,
SHOTZBERGER'S
665-2141
Elm
284-4141
Carl Graybill
peas, lettuce, beets,
radishes, spinach, winter
onions, salsify, parsnip, and
horseradish can be planted
in the spring as soon as the
soil can be prepared.
Frost sensitive crops such
as snap beans, sweet corn,
cucumbers, tomatoes, and
squash are best planted after
May 15 to eliminate the
danger of frost. Warm
season crops such as lima
beans, egg plant, musk
melon, and peppers should
not be planted until the soil
has become warm.
What To Plant
Plant crops according to
family tastes. Root crops,
fruit crops, and leafy crops
should be included in a
balanced garden. Avoid
melons, cucumbers and
pumpkins in a small garden
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since they take up con
siderable space.
How To Plant
Use your land space to its
greatest potential when
planting a garden. Don’t
plant the crops too close, and
allow space between rows
•for cultivation. Planting
beans after early peas on the
same plot can get more use
out of the land. Companion
cropping such as planting
onion sets for green onions
between rows of cabbage
plants will save garden
space. The green onions will
be harvested before the
cabbages need the room.
Several small plantings of
certain crops such as corn
can be made to minimize
waste, and to offer garden
fresh vegetables over a
longer period of time.
Plan Your Garden
Plan your garden well in
advance of planting time to
insure maximum production
from the land available.
Draw up a garden plan on
paper and decide what kinds
and varieties of crops to
plant, where they will be
located, amount of each tq be
grown, spacing of rows, and
planting dates for each crop.
Seeds and Plants
Order seeds well in ad
vance of planting time, and
select varieties adapted to
your locality. Seeds left over
from the previous season
should be germination tested
before using to avoid wasting
your time planting poor
quality seed. A germination
test can be easily ac
complished by placing at
least ten seeds of each
variety to be tested between
moist paper towels and
storing in a warm place.
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Feb. 2,1974
Note: Keep the paper towels
moist after the seeds have
sprouted to determine the
germination percentages.
High germination per
centages indicate the seeds
are still of good quality.
Quality vegetable plants can
be purchased from
greenhouses and garden
supply stores in your area.
Tools and Equipment
Good quality garden tools
greatly lessen the time spent
working in the garden.
Standard garden tools would
include a hoe, steel rake,
spade, bucket or watering
can, hand duster or sprayer,
trowel and a dibble for
setting out plants and a
weeder for weeding and
thinning. Large gardens
make the purchase of a
rotary tiller a worthwhile
idea.
The Garden Soil
The ideal garden soil is
fertile, deep, well-drained,
and high in organic matter.
Thorough soil preparation
before planting is needed for
growing garden crops. The
deeper the soil is stirred, the
greater is its capacity for
holding air and moisture.
Compost or manure should
be worked into the soil to add
organic matter. A soil test
should be taken to determine
if lime is needed, and how
much fertilizer should be
applied. Ten to 35 pounds of
5-10-5 or 5-10-10 fertilizer per
1,000 square feet meets most
crop needs. The fertilizer
can be broadcast and worked
into the soil, or placed in a
band two to three inches
deep and two to three indies
to the side of the row of
seeds.
Planting the Seeds
and Plants
Plant in a freshly prepared
seedbed of loose, fine soil.
Plant the seeds at the proper
depth and properly spaced in
the row to avoid over
crowding. Firm the soil
around the seeds with light
tamping to hasten ger
mination. Plants should be
placed in a hole large enough
to avoid cramping the roots.
Put some water or starter
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solution in the hole around
each plant before the soil is
replaced. Press the soil
{irmly around the roots to
avoid air spaces which would
bause the roots to dry out.
Cultivation
Start cultivating the
garden as soon as the plants
are up. Take care not ,to
cultivate too deeply and thus
injure the roots. Keep the
soil loose to allow water to
soak in, and keep the weeds
under control at all times.
Watering and Mulching
During a normal season,
watering is not usually
necessary. However, if a
long dry period occurs and
watering is needed, be sure
to water thoroughly. One
thorough watering that wets
the soil to a depth of four to
six inches per week is
usually sufficient. Don’t
water lightly and frequently
since this reduces root
development.
Mulching conserves and
holds water and reduces
erosion and weed growth.
Straw, leaves, sawdust,
plastic and numerous other
materials serve as a good
mulch.
Toddler Topics
A series of educational
packets called “Toddler
Topics” will be published by
the Lancaster County Ex
tension Service beginning in
February.
The topics give in
formation to the Young
Homemaker about children
and food, language and
reading development,
health, developing creativity
in children, one parent
families, and helping
children when there is a
family crisis. A special
feature of each packet will
be a page full of creative
activities that involve
mother and child.
“Toddler Topic” packets
will be sent free to any in
terested people. To be placed
on the mailing list, contact
the Lancaster County
Extension Service, Room 1,
1383 Arcadia Road, Lan
caster, PA 17601.
33