Cl6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 21,1981 BY DEBBIE KOONTZ UTITZ As another gardening season nears its dawning, planning a garden, buying tools and selecting seeds becomes for some a favorite pastime and for others a dreaded chore An added feature to the home section this week is a chapter on gardening: how to plant, what to grow to suit your needs, how one gardener grew his garden, and information on some favorite vegetables, as supplied by the United States Department of Agriculture. For some enthusiasts, even the decision to grow a garden is ex citing; just think of all the money you can save. But before you jump right in and invest money, time, and sweat, there are a number of things to consider First a garden takes some planning. Decide what you’re going to grow, where you will plant it on the plot and how much of each vegetable you will grow Will your purchase be a wise investment or just a financial disaster after the long season is over 7 Remember you have an initial investment (if a beginning gar dener) in tools, seeds, fertilizer, sprays and fencing (to keep rab bits from helping you garden) and water (which has been in short supply this year) Add on the cost of your labor to plant, weed, and pick your crop Remember, like farming, home gardening does not guarantee a successful crop yield, in spite of your skill and hard work But some people may argue that E E El 13 Gardening nothing beats the taste and satisfaction of growing your own vegetables. Fresh vegetables are abundant in essential vitamins and pulling weeds is almost as good an exercise as swimming - or so parents always tell kids And if you have read this far, you undoubtedly already decided to try a garden So good luck and how about some helpful advice Before You Start When you decide on vegetable varieties think of specific use, growth habit and mature size, vigor and yield, adaptability, and disease and insect resistance Specific use includes planning ahead Will the vegetable be used for immediate use or for freezing or canning 7 The qualities of vigor and yield depend on soil fertility, available water, and growing conditions Usually it pays to select “hybrids.” These are plants that have built in vigor, improved quality and higher yield than standard varieties Most gardeners are lucky TOP DRESS WHEAT, BARLEY & RYE With 30% Nitrogen Solution or Fluid Blend Fertilizer Check our complete Fertilizer Program • Bulk Dry Fertilizer • Lime Spreading • Spreading of Liquid & • Complete Soil Testing Dry Fertilizer Program RD 2, Cochranviile, Penna. 19330 PHONE: Office 215869-8201 215-932-3307 Paul 215-444-5170 Located on Rt. 41 Between Avondale and Cochranviile Warehouse at Russellville. p>W.-i.MIIWiTiMr I -ll»l l Wr,Tl-| I EASTER HAMS LEIDY'S m PORK PRODUCTS | Look for a quality Smoked | less) at your local store. "We hate Hams You Will Be Proud To Receive or Give" LEIDY'S PORK PRODUCTS 266 Cherry Ln., Souderton, PA 18964 Phone -215-723-4606 I L * season nears again enough to have extra space for their vegetable garden, especially when they reside on a farm But good planning can make the most of the land you have got to use helpful hints in using land wisely are -Keep paths to a minimum They are not necessary. Grow crops there instead -Mix slow growing and fast growing vegetables (such as carrots and radishes) in the same row The fast ones will be har vested before slower ones need the space -Find other places to grow vegetables Some look rather attractive in flower beds, and tomatoes grow rather well in containers on a patio -When you pick a spot for your garden, avoid trees and buildings that cast shade and rob the land of moisture The Harvested Crop After the vegetable garden is up and thriving, you may think it’s time to relax, but it’s not What are you going to do with all those goodies once they have ripened 7 Take them to work and hand them out to friends 7 Sell them along the road 7 Most people decide to can, freeze, dry, and make jams and jellies of their vegetables Preserve only what you can use in a single year. Frozen and canned produce will still be safe to eat after a year, but the quality quickly disappears Make sure you label and date each container, just as you label LEIDY’S PORK PRODUCTS Ham (Bone or Bone- meat when you wrap it tor freezing. As an extra incentive to work at that garden, remember how satisfying and tasty it will be to eat the fruits of your labor next fall Add Fruits to Your Garden For a special change, if you have had success with gardening in the past, why not spend extra time growing fruits in your garden’ Fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and WE BUY HORSERADISH ROOTS All Grades Cali Tulkoff Cash Paid on Delivery From 100 lbs. to 100,000 lbs. Toll Free Call Collect Day ■ 800-638-7343 Evenings Call Collect - 301-358-0956 Ask for Martin Tulkoff or Dan Kichter ism FRII S l3O SAVINGS BOND MARCH SPECIAL Model 80-Bh.p. Electric Start, 30” Cut List Price $l2OO Our Special Price $ 999 SERVICE IS OUR MOTTO" LAWN CARE OF PA. SALES & SERVICE Martmdale PA 17549 Mon Tues Thurs Fn 8 8 1 Mile North ol Marttndale Wed 8 5 Sat 8 2 on Grist Mill Road * Mile out of the way PH 215 445-4541 but a lot less to pay (lunuoPageul/)
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