Imperial Valley press., 1922-03-29

coming of warm, bright days marks the
best time to get in q garden. a few
weeks later the soil will be warmer,
perhaps, and termination and quick
growing will be surer, but it is inpor
tant to catch and hold as much as pos
sible the moisture stored up in the soil
by winter rains. So do not delay the
| planting of that vegetable garden, and
the getting in Of annual flower seeds in
the floral plot.
| Tomatoes, peppers, okra, cucumbers,
pole beans, muskmelons, squash and wa
termelons mhy now be set off or plant
ed i'll the open. Records of that federal
meteorologist in Los Angeles show that
there has been but two killing frosts
after March 20 in thirty-eight years in
the coast agricultural districts of
Southern California, and we may now
reasonably expect good growing
weather.
Other plants and seeds which may be
planted now are, Globe and Jerusalem
artichokes, asparagus seed, pole and
bush beans, beets, cabbage seeds and
plants, carrots, celery plants, Swiss
chard, chayote, sweet corn, pop corn:
egg plant, cndive, edible gourd, herbs,
horse-radish, kale, kohl-rabi, lettuce.
mustard, onion seeds and sets, parsnips,
peas, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes,
rheubarb plants, satisfy vegetable
oyster), spinach, sunflowers, and tur-
Inips.
Buy Good Tomato Plants
1t is not advisable, to try and grow
your own tomato plants, if you have
not already started them from seed. Sc
lect the stockiest and most vigorous
plants from the scotsman, and invert
a cigar box from which the bottom has
been knocked out over each plant. Or
la pasteboard box with sides two or
three inches high will do. Some tomato
growers place a shingle on the north
side of each plant, to, protect it from
any vagrant cold wind that might hap
pen along. The ponderosa OF beefsteak
tomato (they are the same), is still the
best for the home garden, although the
Earliana or similar early varieties will
give the first fruits, but they are small
er, and less profuse on the plant. The
seed catalogues and garden text books
NAV tell, you to set your tomato plants
not less than feet apart, but try my
stalking or trellising plan, which have
followed for years, and which has beel
tried with success last year by hun
: dreds of gardeners. Set the tomato
plants two feet apart, in rows three tt
four feet apart, depending on the room
you have, or set them as border tt
: your garden, on the sunny side OF ;
fence, etc. Be sure and shade tn
plants from the light until you hav
set them in the ground and for the frs
:. day when they are in place. Get stake
5 one inch square and five or six fee
. long, and place beside each plant. The
1 as the plant comes up, pinch off bu
: one of two branches, and tie these t
2 the stakes. AS the plant grows, pine
off al side branches (they grow exact
{ lv opposite the fruit buds, which com
9 out at the axis of the leaves). Thu
1 YOU will get a maximum of fruits, an
|, will keep them off the ground, an
+. out of the way of insects. Or bull
t la trellis for your tomatoes with odd
J. and ends of strips, and keep the frui
,. off the ground, training the plant t
two or three main branches until tn
{. plant reaches above the trellis. Thi
q training of tomatoes is fascinatin
f sport, and once tried, always used wit
n the home gardener. The commercia
v gardener has not the time to do thi!
that is, the California commercial tt
: mato grower But there are severs
z maket gardeners in each district Q
Floida and ethe Lower Rio Grand
country who use the stalking systel
with great success.
Deep Flowing
Be sure you have the soil plowed 9
spaded to depth of ten inches befor
setting the tomato plants, and if yo
have a light soil, add some stable c
web rotted poultry manure, placed we
below the plant roots. A little ferti
izer does not hurt tomatoes, but if tn
soil is naturally rich in plant food, non
is needed, as too much Aumus or fe
tilizer makes tomato plants go to plan
at the expense of fruiting. So does to
much water. Apply the water plent
fully until the plants are about mont
|old, or setting their second batch {
blossoms. Then cultivate thorough
and give no water until satisfactor
number Of fruits have set on the plan
Too much water when the plant is sc
ting fruit will result in dropping bio
SONS, that bugbear of the home tomat
grower. Plant about Is tomato plan,
: for each family of five.
: 1t is hardly worth while to grow an
y other variety of pepper but the Chimes
Giant or other large bell pepper in til
/ home garden, as few families dry the
II own chill peppers nowadays, and til
bell serves every other purpose. ST
Il the bell peppers two and one-half fec
| apart, in rows three feet apart. The
come from the tropics, so need niue
sunshine and moisture. Do not spar
/ the water or the hoe on the peppers
II Keep them growing vigorously, and yo
II will be rewarded with a profusion O
! fuits.
h Try Some Okra
| About okra. These are excellent i
n soups, etc., but come vigorously and III
II erringly from seed, and only a ten foo
/ row need be planted. The okra is
II close relative to the cotton plant, an
! requires about the same growing cond
n tions, that is, warm, well prepare
II sccd-bed, and lots of sun and water
II Gather the fruits before they are to-