The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-04-20
Caution Should be Used, How
ever, in Moving Plants
to Cold Air
Editors Note: This is the third
OF q series dealing with vegetable
gardens.
ny 4. F. YEAGER
HortSculturist, North Dakota Agri-
cultural College

CUltu0 l NVhCS0
Garden raisers who want to hurry
their vegetable crops along will fine
that a hotbed Is an important ad'
vantage. With such crops as toma
toes it is necessary to raise the plant.
inside. With others a much earlier
crop may be produced by starting the
plants under protection before put
ting them out into the garden.
While fair success Is sometimes at
tanned in producing plants In vel
lighted window, there is great likeli-
hood of one having poor plants to set
and consequently poor crop. The
average house is kept too dry and toe
hot for plants. Fortunately on any
farm it is easy to make hotbed in
which plants as good as any green
house plants can be grown. Recently
a hotbed in which plants were just
coming through the soil withstood a
temperature of 10 degrees below zero
without serious damage to the seed
lings. The cost is trifling. Most any
farm has all the material needed ~
ing around. The surface hotbed Is
the simplest to make.
Send for Circular
Full directions with illustrations for
making inexpensive hotbeds on the
farm are given in extension service
circular No. So, published by the North
Dakota Agricultural College. Garden
raisers can obtain a copy OF this
circular free. 1t is a real gardening
hand book and contains a lot OF gar
den information that will be appre-
ciated by oldtimers as we'll as new
corners in the vegetable growing
game.
It is usually best not to SOW the seed
directly into the soil of the hotbed
but to use shallow boxes. The boxes
should be we'll drained. two inches
deep and filled with soil for holding
the plants The soil in these boxes
is made up by mixing ordinary garden
soil with we'll rotted manure. In the
case of heavy soils little sand is
mixed in. The temperature of tn,
hotbed should be kept around IS
degrees Fahrenheit. TO be sure about
the temperature use a thermometer
Too high temperature may kill the
plants and there also is danger II the
temperature drops too low.
Transplant the seedlings when the
first true leaf appears between the
two seed leaves. The same sort OF
boxes are used for the seed sowing,
and the soil is prepared in the same
way except that it should be moist
enough to hold together when pressed
together in the hand. Most seedlings
are t-ansplanted two inches apart
each way. When the plants In the
flats begin to crowd, such plants as
tomatoes often are again transplanted
to pots where they remain until set
In the field.
Use Care In Moving
If plants are taken directly from a
warm hotbed and set in the field, they
may be seriously checked by severe
whiting or by frost. If plants have
been exposed to the outside air fo-
a week whenevGr possible without
freezing them. they are much more
resistant to these conditions. With
holding water from the plants for a
while before setting them has some
thing of the same effect. The easiest
way to harden plants is to remove the
glass whenever this can safely be
done during the last 10 days the
plants are in the hotbed.
Plants to be set out should first be
soaked thoroughly for an hour before
moving them. Take all the dirt pos
sible with each plant Open hole
which will admit OF the plant being
set somewhat deeper than it grew in
the hotbed, surround the roots with
good loose soil and pack it very firm
". Potted tomato plants should be
removed from the pot and after set
ting. the soil should be tramped as
firmly as would be that around
young tree. Evening is the best time
for setting. If necessary to water put
1t on after setting and cover the wet
spot with loose soil to prevent baking