South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-03-20
Early Vegetables
May be Started in
House SeedBoxes
BY Government Expert.

Home gardeners who do not own
a hotbed and who cannot readily
buy young plants can get mach
earlier crops Of tomatoes. cabbage,
caulifiower, peppers. eggplant and
lettuce if they will start the seed
for their early gardens In seed boxes
in the house. Early potatoes some
times are forced in the same way.
Seeds so planted terminate and are
ready for transplanting by the time
II is safe TO SOW the same kind of
seed in the open ground: When dan
ger OF frost is over and the soil is
dry enough 70 work, therefore, the
home gardener starts his early gar
den with seedlings we'll above the
surface. Transplanting, if properly
done, instead Of hurting, seems 10
help such plants to develop a strong
root system. Garden enthusiasts
should get a good deal Of pleasure
from this kind Of preliminary indoor
gardening. They also can use boxes
TO hasten the blooming period of
many sorts of flowers which stand
transplanting
Any sort of wooden box filled
with good soil answers the purpose.
The following directions for making
seed boxes and handling the plants
have been prepared by the bureau
of plant industry and the states
relations service, United States de-
partment Of agriculture, for the
guidance of the canning and garden
ing clubs in the north and west.
Making "a Seed Box.
Seeds Of early tomatoes and cab
bage. as we'll as caulifiower and
pepper, should be planted in a seed
box in the house at once The seed
box should be three 70 four inches
deep, II 10 IA inches wide, and 20
TO "a inches long. A layer of about
one inch Of gravel or cinders should
be placed in the bottom of the box.
then it should be filled nearly full
of rich garden soil. or soil enriched
With decayed leaves or manure. The
rich soil beneath the family wood
pile or around decaying logs is
should be pressed down firmly with
small piece Of board and rows
made One-fourth to one-half inch
deep and two inches apart cross
wise of the box. The seed should be
distributed eight of ten 10 the inch
in the rows and be covered. The
soil should be watered and the box
set in a warm place in the light,
in the sunshine by a window being
best. Water enough must be given
from time 10 time 10 cause the seeds
to terminate and grow thrifty. but
not enough TO leak through the box.
If a piece of glass is used to cover
the box. ii will hold the moisture
in the soil and hasten the germina-
ton of the seeds
Take Out Surplus Plants.
When the plants are from an inch
TO an inch and a half high, they
should be thinned to one or two
inches apart in the row so as 10 give
them space enough TO make a strong
stooky growth. If il is desired to
keep the plants which are thinned
/ out. they may be set two inches
apart each way in other boxes pre-
/ pared as mentioned for the seed
1 box When the weather becomes
mild. the box of plants should be
set out of doors part of the time
so that the plants will harden Off"
in preparation for transplanting to
| the garden later. A good watering
should be given just before the
/ plants are taken out Of the box for
| transplanting so that a large ball Of
earth will stick to the roots of each
one.