The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1909-02-05
GAINING A MONTH IN
VEGETABLE GARDEN.
Sowing Seed in January Means Early
Returns.

BY sowing seeds in late January
or early February, fresh home grown
vegetables may be had in the late
spring or early summer. while the
price al the green grocers' is still
very high Beets, caulitiower, let
tuce. string beans. etc. may be start
ed, either in the small greenhouse or
window. and later transferred TO hot
beds or coldframe.
Sow beet seeds in a fat "a con
venient size is ten inches wide.
twenty-four inches long and four
inches deep. with three 10 five holes
I'm the bottom for drainagel. put
about half an inch of rough sod or
crooks on the bottom. and about three
inches OF soil. then level the surface
and firm we'll Any ordinary potting
soil will do provided IT is not too
rich. Sow the seeds either in shall
low drills made with forefinger. or
broadcast. moderately thick. cover
ing with about an inch OF soil. Firm
well with a piece OF board. water 10
settle the soil and place In a light
position in a temperature OF 30 de-
grees to IS degrees. Cover the fiat
with a sheet OF glass during the day
time. but remove IL at night. 10 pre-
vent the seedlings from "damping
of. When the seedlings appear above
the ground. keep the soil rather dry.
and. as the plants grow, give an
abundance Of air but avoid cold
draughts- Keep the surface Of the
soil stirred
BY March / they will he ready to
transplant in the coldframe Set
them in rows ten inches apart and
the plants two inches apart in the
row. Their after treatment consists
in frequent stirring of the soil. good
watering when needed. and ventilat-
ing on all favorable occasions Beets
grown this way may be had by May
j. and the tops may be used for
greens. Bassano is the earliest but
some people object to its light color
In order to get early lettuce. SOW
the seeds in fats or pans. barely
covering the seed with soil. firm the
earth well and water After the
plants have made their first true
leaves. prick them out into twoinch
pots or transplant into other fats.
putting them about three inches
apart Grow in a temperature OF so
10 So degrees. Like the beets. lettuces
may be transplanted to coldframes
about the first week in March. Have
a good rich soil and set the plants
nine inches apart each way. Water
freely at all times, but be careful not
TO wet the lower leaves and give
plenty OF air on all mild days. When
the lettuces are heading. do not allow
any water to lodge in the heart. The
secret OF good lettuce is growing il
quickly, never letting it suffer a
check from start to finish. Ii may be
had in eight weeks.
String beans in April are a deli
cacy, but they may be had easily by
sowing seeds early in February in
well-drained fOur-inch pots. Plant
about five seeds to a pot. covering
with half an inch of soil, and water
sparingiy until they terminate. Grow
them along as quickly as possible in
a night temperature OF So or 60 dc
grees.
About March Is transfer the plants
TO the frames. setting them about
four inches apart and in rows which
are one foot apart When trans
planting be careful not to break the
ball for that will retard and per-
haps seriously injure the plants. Air
the frames very carefully each day
but avoid cold drafts. II the nights
are very cool. cover the frames with
mats or shutters. Pay strict atten-
ton TO watering. stir the surface OF
the soil frequently and keep a sharp
lookout for mice for they are very
fond OF beans The two best early
varieties are Triumph OF the Frames
and Early Mohawk.
BY starting caulihowers. as sug-
gested for the beets. good heads may
be had by the middle of May After
they have made their second pair OF
leaves. transplant into fats. placing
the plants four inches apart, or put
them into three-inch pots. The lat
ter way is best. as the caulifower re
ceives no check at planting time
Keep the plants growing rapidly and
never let them suffer for want OF
water. About March l and Is, trans
plant TO the coldframe, placing the
plants about twelve TO fifteen inches
apart each way in well prepared soil
A little commercial fertilizer strewn
over the surface and well watered
in will greatly assist the plants
When the heads are forming. break
over them several OF the outside
leaves TO keep the heads white Early
Snowfall and Gilt Edge are among
the best varieties for early forcing