B 18 —Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 23,1983
Three most productive crops
Onions, green beans and
tomatoes are three of the most
productive crops you can grow in a
home garden. With proper care at
planting time and minimal at
tention during the growing season,
they’ll produce abundantly right
up to the first hard frost in the fall.
Onions are one of the first crops
that can be set out in the spring,
but there's still time to plant some
if you haven’t done so yet. Start
with sets or plants, rather than
seeds. Sets, which are easy to
come by, are actually small onions
that were started the previous
year. Look for “Ebenezer” and
“Yellow Glove” two of the most
popular varieties for the home
garden.
Onions need fertile soil to
produce well. Use 5-10-10 or 10-10-
10 fertilizer at planting and
sidedress plants with nitrogen
about six weeks later. This fer
tilizer is needed to produce a good
green color and rapid growth.
If you intend to harvest them as
mature bulbs, plant sets 3 to 4
inches apart and l-l/2to 2 inches
deep. For scallions, plants or sets
should be 1-1/2 to 2 inches apart
and 3 to 4 inches deep. Pull green
onion whenever they reach edible
size, starting with largest ones
first. Harvest your dry-bulb crop
after the majority of the tops have
dried and are bent over.
For a satisfying yield, green or
wax beans are one of the easiest
and quickest crops to grow, says
the specialist. Most beans require
little space to grow and are
adaptable to a wide range of soil
conditions. It takes only 50 to GO
days from seed to produce a good
crop of snap beans.
You have a choice between pole
or bush type plants, when it comes
to beans. There are differences in
taste, as well as differences in
length of harvest period for each
type
One planting of pole beans will
give you a two-to-three month
harvest, as opposed to only three
weeks for bush beans. Pole beans
are also somewhat easier to pick,
because you don’t have to do so
much bending over. But bush
beans have the advantage of
taking up less space, and with
several plantings about ten days
apart, you can get almost a con
tinuous harvest over a three to four
month period.
A favorite bush bean variety is
“Tenderette”—a velvety green
podded bean. But for people in
terested in tryping something a
little different, some purple
podded beans. These grow on a
bush type plant that produces a
tender, stringless purple pod that
turns deep green when it’s cooked.
If you’re wondering how many
beans to plant, figure on a yield of
about a pound of beans from every
two feet of row.
To get the most mileage out of
tomatoes, plant several varieties
with different maturity dates.
There are a number of good ones to
choose from, all resistant to
fusarium and verticilliura wilts.
For canning, a good variety is
Roma VF. The plant yields an
abundant harvest of firm fruit
right up toa hard frost.
Two mid-season, all-purpose
varieties are Floramerica and
Heinz 1350. Other good varieties
are Supersonic, Jet Star and Better
Boy.
If you’re looking for tomatoes
weighing a pound or more, go to
the Beefstake or Ponderosa types.
These give extra large fruitthat’s
good for fresh eating. Just be
prepared for a bit less flavor and
texture than the smaller fruited
varieties. Also, plants will yield
less and may be less resistant to
disease.
Speaking of diseases, blossom
end rot is one problem home
gardeners can reduce with careful
cultural practices. Mulch plants
well and maintain an even soil
moisture over the growing season
to reduce losses to this
physiological condition.
A final word of advice: don’t try
to rush the season. It’s just begun
and late plantings when the
weather is warmer tend to catch
up with earlier ones—with less
chance of losing plants to frost.
- Spring k Here! -
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A ■"■.l- ~ * . ~ .
Boyertown slates quilt show
BOYERTOWN Once again
this spring, members of the
Boyertown Area Historical Society
will be holding one of their most
interesting projects - their annual
quilt show.
This will be the ninth year for the
show, slated for Saturday, April 30,
10 to 6 and Sunday, May 1, noon to
6. Hie event will be staged in the
Society building, 43 South Chestnut
- Street, Boyertown.
The display, which contains over
100 quilts, old and new, has at
tracted hundreds of visitors. For
novice quitters, Society members
will be stitching and can provide
advice to interested onlookers.
Chi exhibit will also be a rust
and brown “Twist” pattern quilt,
which seems to embody a flawing
motion. The quilt was just recently
completed by Society members
and friends.
Hus year’s special display will
concentrate on crazy quilts. This
textile was usually composed of
satin or velvet and featured richly
colored fabrics, decorated with
ornate hand-embroidery. The late
NORRISTOWN The Mon- p.m., and wilL conclude ' with a
tgdmery Extension Service and the driving exam on Saturday mcr
-4-H Clubs will offer a tractor safety ning,May2l.
certification course for area youth, All classes will be held at the
hoginning April 26. Western Montgomery Co. Vo-Tech
Under the Fair Labor Standards School, located on Graterford and
Act, all 14 or 15 year-olds who plan Sunset Roads, off Rt. 422 in
to be employed off the home farm Limerick,
and will operate a tractor of over Although the course is geared for
20 PTO horse power, must have 14 and 15 year-olds, anyone is in
evidence of satisfactory com- vited to attend.
pletion of such a course.
The course will continue
evenings May 3,10, and 17, at 7:30
Montgomery Co. plans
tractor safety course
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Victorian era was the “golden
age” of crazy quilts, and most of
those on view date from 1890 to
1920.
Another highlight of the show
will be a lecture on marking quilts
by Ann Burrows, quilt supervisor
of the Kutztown Folk Festival. The
lecture will be held Saturday, April
30, 10:30 and 2:30 at the Good
Shepherd United Church of Christ,
Boyertowp. Mrs. Burrows will
discuss all facets of marking quilt
tops from toe basic “how to" to
selection of appropriate designs.
The presentation will supply
fundamental information on a
phase of quilt making that stymies
many quitters. The cost of the
lecture is $4 per person. Reser
vations may be secured by making'
a check payable to the Boyertown
Area Historical Society and sen
ding it and a stamped, self
addressed envelope to: Mrs.
Richard Irey, 16 Fairview Street,
Boyertown., PA 19512.
There is a $1.50 donation for the
show, children under 16 admitted
free if accompanied by an adult.
To reserve a.sppt in the class,
contact'County Agent Nancy M.
Kadwill.
MINI BAfcN
3S£