Milford chronicle., 1934-02-23
FEEDING THE FAMILY
FROM THE HOME GARDEN

For inexpensive food for health
for recreation, a well managed gar
den is an asset to any family. The
fresh fruits and vegetables that
may be produced through such q
garden not only represent an i'm
portant saving in the cost of feed
ing the family, but form a most pal
atable and healthful part of the diet
Our best nutrition authorities rec
| Ommend, for each members of the
family, for each day i'm the year the
following:
1.-Two vegetables each day be-
side potatoes.
2-Tomatoes three or four times
n week.
3-I.eafy vegetables . or times
a week (such as chard. kale, cab
I bage, beet tops. turnip tops, brOcco-
| Ii. spinach, cress. dandelion. lettuce,
! asparagus, Brussels sprouts. etc.
/ 4-Some law vegetable or fruit
daily. Vegetables are just as neces-
sary in the diet in the winter as i'm
the summer. and in Delaware We
have to depend upon canned and
stored vegetables for four to six
months of the year. II is therefore.
very necessary for the home garden
TO produce. during the growing sea-
son. varieties and quantities suffi-
cient to can and store for the nom
productive season. To do this from a
nutrition and health standpoint, at
least 25 different vegetables should
be planted Over 80 may be grown
in this section. Special provision
should be made for crops that are
especially desirable for canning. as
beans, corn, peas, tomatoes, peppers.
carrots, beets and asparagus Crops
that can readily be stored or left in
the ground for winter supply as pO-
tatOes. turnips. cabbage. onions,
squash, celery, carrots and beets,
and crops that may he eaten fresh TO
get their delicious iiavOrs, as peas.
snap beans, asparagus. corn. spin
ach, kale, chard. lettuce. turnip tops,
bTussel sprouts, broccoli. etc.
The average growing season for
Sussex county is about 1913 days. The
last freezing temperature in the
SDllllS 10 dlbuun AUllI 10 anu TIE
first freezing temperature in the fall
around the 25th and last of October.
II is well TO remember that the frost
free date Is three weeks after the
average date of the last freeze and
that vegetable crops may be classi- !
fled into four groups according to /
their temperature requirements.
Very hardy" crops include the |
vegetables that are not injured by |
severe mid-winter freezing. such as
asparagus, parsnip, rhubarb, satisfy, |
winter union and horse-radish.
2-"Hardy" crops thrive during /
cool weather and will Withstand .
fIOsts of spring and early fall. but
not severe freezing. Such crops are
cabbage. cauliflower, beets. carrots.
lettuce. endive, peas. onions,
ladish, spinach, kale, chard All |.
crops falling in class and class 2
may be planted with safety as early /
in the spring as the ground may be
prepared.
3-"Tender" crops are those which
are quickly injured by frost, such as
snap beans, sweet corn, cucumber,
squash and tomato.
4-"Very tender" crops are those
that may be injured by continued
cool weather without frost, such as
lima beans. egg plant. muskmellon
and peppers. These should not be
planted until the ground has be-
'Ome warm.
The above outline should be used
Is a guide TO planting and If obser- ;
yed closely ii will be noted that (
many vegetables may he grown
much earlier in this section than
most people are in the habit of
In other words there may Z
Ne planted in the early spring gar
len at least a variety of 1S vege- S
ables where as the average garden z
n Sussex county is i'm the habit of 8
laving about six in variety. Note Z
he contrast. &