Imperial Valley press., 1943-09-22
Churches
Schools
VICTORY GARDEN PROBLEMS
III of series of home food
Production.
BY ii. Lee Landerman,
Assistant Farm Advisor.

|
Many Victory gardens are now
getting under way. Many are al
ready up and coming along fine.
Other are still in the plan stage.
The Ken Thorntons in Ell Centre
have a glorious start toward their
vitamin stockpile, beans, beets,
peas, corn, cucumbers, and other
crops in their garden are already
away to the races. Mrs. Paul
Alvey, home food production COM
mittee member of Calipatria, re-
ports that the family garden is
well Under way.
An battle-ground survey this
week revealed the usual run of
problems attendant to fall gar
dens: Cd Weather too hot. (2)
Ground too lumpy. 90 Seed fails
to germinate. (4 Bugs get the
tender plants. (5) Shall we spray,
dust, or what? 60 How often shall
we irrigate?
HOT WEATHER
This is far better for garden eff
forts than cold weather because at
least the warmth and moisture in
titled ground is busy getting our
soil ready for good garden growth
even while we sleep. That is why
l repeat and re-repeat that the
sooner we get seed into tn well
prepared ground and growing, the
sooner We'll mature vegetables. Days
are getting shorter, nights longer
and cooler, hence Our best and fast
est growing weather is slipping
away. 1t takes longer latter. That
is why we urge haste in getting
started now.
LUMP GROUND
Nothing is more discouraging than
trying to work up hard lumpy
ground by hand. Of course it is less
tedious with plows or implements
but seldom are these to be had for
use in small plots. So, let irriga-
ton water do this job of softening
up the ground for you before you
start to dig At this point, let us
remember that you take a valuable
short cut, too, by applying fertil-
izer to your plot at the rate of
one pound per square foot if barn.
yard manure is used, even before
irrigating. Then, when the ground
has dried so as to work crumly, the
spading or breaking process dis
tributes the fertilizer throughout
the mass fairly evenly. Already the
soil bacteria and earthworm &C
tivity will have begun, but as the
soil is stirred and mixed in mulch
state, the organic activity increases.
POOR TERMINATION
Several causes may be attributed
to poor stand of plants. If seed
is planted dry and irrigated in hot
weather, too often the seed rots.
Also, the viability or terminating
power of seed may be low, as in
the case of seed harvested before
complete botanical maturity. Bugs
or insects may get the seedlings in
the tender sprout stage, leaving lit
tie or no stand apparent. This is
often try Of carrots spinach. The
only thing to do is replant at once,
as soon as certain that no stand
will appear. Some seeds take long
er to Sprout than others. Parsnips
and lettuce may seem to refuse at
first but actually will come up. In
any case, be very careful in work.
ing around tender seedlings. In
wedding sharpen the hoe and shave
the surface rather than dig up the
ged. Even in replanting try to save
what has come. Replant the skips
between. This lengthens produc-
ton anyway, in the same way as
making more than / seeding.
Work the garden moi when wet.
Walk in the ditches-not on beds.
Hot weather makes thirsty plants.
$50 de we get thirsty these hot
day.. Water often and we'll to
avoid growth stoppage. Many vege-
table root system penetrate one
and one half to two or more feet
into the soil. So there must be
an adequate moisture supply to put
| into solution for ready use for the
roots, the needed plant nutrients.
WHEN TO IRRIGATE
AS long as warm weather con-
tinues water the garden probably
once a week. AS weather coolS
frequency can be lessened. Keep
the bitches clean and effective. Re-
member that tn ditch h-andbed sys-
tenn of irrigation allows the plants
to get moisture from below, since
it penetrateS the beds laterally leav-
ing the bed tops mellow and un-
aI
prevents alkali accumulation on the
bed surface which burns plants.
Plentiful irrigation will keep the
alkaline salts carried we'll down be-
low the vital root zone.
SPRAY DUST? WHEN? HOW
Whenever trouble makes the
least appearance, jump onto it with
vigor. Gresshoppers, cutworms,
aphids, cucumber beetles, crickets or
what-not can be controlled. AS
rule, poison bats that can be pur-
chased will aid greatly in grass
hopper or cutworm eradication. But
go after them by hand if this does
MT work A large weapon, made
like an overgrown fly swatter with
long handle will help to rid your
garden of foxy Peppers who do not
fall for poison bait. You may have
to mine our persistent cutworms,
who escape your lure. Watch for
wilted plants; dig down to see the
cause. Often there's cutworm
there or close by. Dusting of spray
ing with prepared insecticides often
gets results against the other bit
ing or sucking pests.