Smyrna times., 1904-03-02
NOTES ON HOTBEDS.
What Can BE Grown In the HOtbed.
An Early Start Desirable.

An Early Start Desirable.
The question as to what can be grown
in a hotbed often arises. Very much
depends upon the kind of plants grown
and how closely the space is occupied.
For purposes of comparison 512 by II
foot hotbed was used and the kinds of
plants were onions for transplanting,
tomato, lettuce, radish, beets, cabbage,
caulifOwer, cucumber and melon. With
the hOtbed must also be included cold
frame of the same size. The bed was
sown April 1 as follows: One sash of
onions, two Of tomatoes and one of let
tuce, cabbage, cauliflOwer and radish.
The onion seed of course was sown
very late, which was bad practice, and
the plants occupied the space until too
late for further use. All seeds were
sown four inches apart in drills. The
tomatoes were transplanted when the
second set of leaves appeared and sim
ply occupied the same space as when
standing in the drills.
May "a 300 plants were potted and
removed to the cold frame, and the re-
mainder were left in the bed until sold
or otherwise disposed of. The potted
plants were all used at home, and by
an accident $50 of these were destroyed
after planting in the open ground.
These were replaced from the hotbed.
and the remainder, mostly sold by the
dozen, brought $3.50 A portion of the
cold frame by filling and banking with
int mi hi oh
the cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce
were transferred from time to time. OF
the cabbage and caulifower plants 200
were planted out and the rest sold for
so cents.
The first radishes were ready for use
April II, and thirty-two punches were
grown at 62 cents. These were follow
ed by beets for transplanting. AS the
lettuce and cabbage plants were trans
ferred to the second bed the space was
used for cucumber and melon plants
started in berry boxes. Forty-six in
all were thus put in and later were
transferred to the cold frame. OF the
beets, sufficient were grown to set 200
feet of drill and onion plants enough
to set 80 by 40 feet of space. The let
tuce sold during the month of May
amounted to $3.50. Considerable was
also planted in the open ground Of
which no account is taken. These re-
suits are not to be taken as the maxi
mum or minimum. but rather a me-
dunn Of what may be accomplished
with the hotbed and cold frame.
An earlier start would very likely
have added considerable to the amount
grown. There comes a time when
plants will no longer thrive we'll in
the hotbed, but will do much better
in the open ground. So, generally
speaking, there is much to be gained
by an early start. For the kitchen
garden. where only a bed or two will
be found practical, then Of course the
time Of starting must be arranged to
accommodate the greatest variety OF
plants. One kind will require more
time than some other, and holding
plants in the beds after they are ready
to go out for soil and weather condi
tons to become favorable is poor prac
tice Onions, for instance, for best re
suits should have gone in four to sly
weeks earlier than April 1, as also let
tuce and early cabbage. For extr;
early the tomatoes should have beer
started at least by March Is, and twt
crops of radishes might easily hav'
been grown.-J. E. Morse in Rural New
Yorker