Evening star., 1917-04-01
SOME GOOD HINTS
ON HOME GARDENS
Vegetables 1t Will Pay to Grow
and Amounts of Seed
Needed.
TIME FOR SOME PLANTING

Many letters have come to the central
committee on gardening. and also to
The star. asking for information about
vegetables that can be raised to advan-
taSe in the District and how much seed
is needed
In an interview for The Star. one of
series from H. NJ Connolly, assigned by
the Department of Agriculture to pro-
mote the garden movement in Wash
iugton, Mr.. Conoliy covers these points.
MANY persons believe they must
plant something of everything in order
to have a continuous supply hrougnout
the season." Mr.. Connolly said. rms
is not necessary and seldom prontaoie
Select half dozen kinds OF vegetables
and plant enough of each KIND at dl1-
pIy. Such a list might be pole beans,
snap beans tomatoes. lettuce, radishes
and onions (sets). Carrots. beets, Swiss
chard and cabbage also are good crops
to raise.
.sIf the garden is large some other
vegetables that might be planted are
Irish potatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn,
eggplant, muskmelons, spinach ana
squash.
As to Seed Needed.
Now for the amount of seed to plant
A half bushel of potatoes is needed Tor
200 feet of row. One-quarter of an
ounce of cucumber seed will plant ten
to twelve hills. Ten plants for early
and twenty-five to thirty plants for late
will be sufficient for a supply of cab
bage. One quart of early and one quart
of late sweet corn will plant 200 hills
and will furnish a good supply, one
dozen plants of eggplant. ten mis- OF
muskmelon (one-quarter ounce oil
Seedl o00 feet of SpiQaCh ffOuT ounces
of seed) and six hills each of early and
late squash (one-Quarter ounce OF SEED
each) will be enough for an average
size family.
TT is time now to plant a number Of
various vegetables. therefore the seed
should be on hand. For small garden
the vegetables that are best and the
amount of seed for each, follow:
"One-half pint of pole lima beans will
plant twenty-five hills, which is sufh-
cient for large family. Two quarts
of snap beans will be enough for four
paintings. fifty-foot row being plant
ed each time. One quart of onion sets
will plant fifty feet of row. One ounce
Of lettuce will make four paintings,
ounce of radish will make five plant
ings, each consisting of a twenty-foot
row. Ten plants of early tomatoes and
twenty plants of late tomatoes will fur
nish enough for daily use and for can
ming. Swiss chard is an excellant vege-
table to be used as greens. One
fourth of an ounce Of seed will plant
ten to fifteen feet Of rows, enough for
the average family.
Beets All Summer Long.
"One ounce of beet seed will plant
fifty feet of row. and if an ounce is
planted early and another is planted in
June a supply of beets may be had dur
ing the summer and for pickling or
carrot seed win plant 100 feet of row,
and II it is used at two or three SOW
ings small. tender carrots may be Sc
cured over a long period in summer.
these seeds may be obtained
from reliable seedmen. and directions
for planting will usually be found on
the packet or in the seed catalogue.
-All the vegetables mentioned above,
with the exception of beans and to-
rnatoes, may be planted at once Beans
and tomato plants should not be put
out until the last of April or early in
May"
Sweepings as Fertilizer.
Mr.. Conoily takes issue with a writer
to The Star who asserts that all sweep
ings from asphalt streets are bad for
gardens Mr.. Conolly says If the sweep
ings are free from oils a small amount
of the grit, or fine stone matter, from
the asphalt streets will not injure the
ground if worked into the soil.
MANY persons will not be able to
procure good street sweepings or de-
cayed manure, SO they should buy some
commercial fertilizer" he stated. 1T
is good plan to use some commercial
fertilizer anyway if you can afford it If
you have used none or very little ma
nure buy good grade of mixed fer
tilizer. This can be procured from any
seedman- Apply this fertilizer by
broadcasting after the soil has been
spaded and mix 1t with the soil by hoe
ing and raking. Apply about four
pounds to each square rod"