The Busy Woman's Garden Book. Ida D. Bennett
when put in the pit. Good, mellow loam, containing a portion of humus or leaf mould is the best hotbed soil and it should be fine and free from all roughage of sticks and stones and hard lumps of soil. Putting the top inch or two through a sand screen is a good practice as this gives a fine soil suitable for the finer seeds.
Usually the bed will be in condition for sowing in twenty-four hours, if the manure is heating well—and this can be ascertained by thrusting a fork down into the bed and leaving it a few moments, withdrawing and feeling of the tines, when the temperature can be quite accurately gauged—or a thermometer may be forced down through the soil upon the manure for a test. From four to five inches of soil will be sufficient if the season is late—slightly more if the season is early and the plants likely to remain long in the beds, and it must be leveled off as flat as possible so that in watering the water will not run and wash the seeds out of the ground.
The sowing of the seed is one of the fascinating phases of gardening that every born gardener enjoys and the watching for the breaking of the soil with the tiny green seed leaves is a joy indeed. Unlike open air planting, there is rarely a failure in seed germination if good seed is used. The ideal conditions of warm soil, mellow, moist soil of just the right consistency; protection from changes of weather all make for a high per cent of plants from the sowing, and the chief difficulty is often an embarrassment of plants—that is they come up too thickly, a trouble that is easily obviated by sowing quite thinly, holding back a portion of the seed for later sowings if needed, or for a later crop.
Each variety of seed must be given a little plot of ground by itself and should be separated from its neighbor by thin strips of wood pressed into the soil; this not only helps in identifying plants of similar appearance, but also prevents the washing together of the seed when too much water is applied. Where two or three different varieties of the same plant—as Early Dutch Cabbage, Danish Roundhead, Early Summer, etc., are sown it will be well to alternate the plots with some other vegetable so as to leave no chance for mistakes in setting out the plants later on. A row of lettuce or radishes may be interposed if desired; at any rate the presence of the strips of wood will aid greatly in keeping them distinct.
Each plot of seeds must be plainly labeled with thin strips of wood marked with the name of the seed and the date of sowing. If seeds of certain plants have been purchased of different seedsmen it will be well to indicate the source on the labels, in this way one can compare the fertility of the two purchases of seed and decide which is the more desirable.
There is a great difference in the germination of different garden seeds, certain varieties appearing in from three to five days—as cabbage, radishes, etc. Others—like peppers, parsley and the like—require from two to three weeks to appear above ground and one should not lose faith in the "Quickness" of the seed until a reasonable time has elapsed, nor will it be desirable to dig them up every day or two to see if they are growing; this will discourage rather than accelerate the process.
If the soil in the hotbed appears dry when sowing the seed it should be carefully watered by means of a fine-nosed watering pot or a whisk broom dipped in water, care being taken that not enough water is used at a time to wash the soil or disturb the planting. If any seed is uncovered it must be recovered. Seed sown under the protection of sash, either in hotbed or cold frame, does not require to be covered as deeply as when in the open ground, often about as much soil as will entirely cover it is sufficient, always so in the case of fine seed which should be sown broadcast in sections and covered by sifting fine soil or clean sand over and pressing all down firmly with a piece of board. Larger seeds may be sown in drills, opened a quarter of an inch deep and the earth drawn over them and pressed down.
Plants that make a rather high growth, even in the hotbed, like tomatoes, should not be planted in front of lower growing things, but should be in the rear or extend entirely across the bed; tomatoes, for instance, are apt to overtop such plants as peppers, which grow quite slowly in the hotbed. Endive, parsley, lettuce and onions, all are plants which do not assert themselves very strongly at first and should not be crowded for room or sunshine.
When all the planting is in and the soil watered, if necessary, newspapers should be spread over the soil and the bed closed and germination awaited. If the sun is very hot it may be necessary to raise the sash before the plants appear, but where this is done care must be taken that the papers are not disturbed by the wind, as if blown about the soil will dry out and check or kill germination.
As soon as a plot of seeds breaks ground the little seedlings will need air and light and the paper should be removed from this portion and replaced on top of the glass, held in place with pieces of wood or anything that will prevent its blowing about; this will only be necessary until the plants are able to stand full sunlight, which will be as soon as they have grown their first pair of real leaves. As the young plants increase in size more and more air and sunshine should be given them and due attention to watering must be carefully observed. Lath screens to temper the sun will be necessary and will be needed to replace the sash when the plants are large enough to dispense with it during the heat of the day; these, in turn, may be replaced by wire screens if there is any danger of predatory cats, chickens or children, for it is the work of but a few moments for an entire planting to be destroyed by any one of them. Puss likes nothing better than to get into that nice warm hotbed and roll on the soft warm ground and as for Biddy!
It is surprising the number of things that may be started in the hotbed and transplanted into the open ground as soon as the weather permits, thus gaining at least a month's start in the garden. A great many of the vegetables that are always sown in the open ground—beets, string or lima beans, endive, lettuce—all may be started in the hotbed and planted out and will give one very tender and succulent vegetables to use while the main crop is maturing from open ground sowing. Once one has acquired the hotbed habit one will never have quite room enough for one will always be wanting to try something more. One of the most satisfactory pushing forward of vegetables is achieved in planting melons and cucumbers and squash on pieces of sod in the hotbed. Of course cucumbers for pickles should always be sown rather late in the open ground but fruit for slicing for the table may very profitably be started on sod and transferred to the open ground when all danger of frost is passed and so be ready a good month sooner and what is, perhaps, quite as important, escape the ravages of the striped cucumber beetle, that exasperating foe to vine culture.
A cold wet spell at planting time often results in a loss of the entire planting of Lima and string beans, but if one has taken the precaution of planting a half pint of seed in the hotbed and transplanting them along about the twenty-first of May, one can wait until the first of June, if necessary, to plant the main crop and be assured of a successful stand of plants which will bear quite as early as if planted in unsuitable weather and soil; this is of especial moment owing to the high price of this class of seed; all varieties of seeds have advanced in price but the difference is most marked in seeds of the various legumes—peas and beans, of all varieties which command a price that makes especial care in their planting advisable.
Cold Frames
Supplement effectively the hotbed or, in mild climates, take their place. They are, to all effects and purposes a hotbed—minus the heat—and so do not require the excavation of a pit. The part above the ground is similar to that of the hotbed, being supplied with sash and given the same slant to shed water and concentrate as much sunshine as possible. For spring use it should front the south and occupy a well-drained position, but for mid-season use an east exposure is often desirable. If one wishes to use it to transplant things from the hotbed, then a temporary frame of boards made to bolt together may be constructed that may be taken apart and stored away when no longer required; if used for transplanting the sash should be in a position a week before it is needed so that the soil may become warm and friable, then the little plants of cabbage, cauliflower and the like may be transferred without any appreciable check in the growth and what there is will be advantageous as it will result in the formation of a mass of fibrous roots which will give them an additional chance in the struggle for life in the open. Even screens of cheese cloth will give sufficient protection in any but frosty weather and blankets may supplement these on cold days if glass is prohibitive on account of its excessive price.
A well-spaded bed of good soil, enriched with a little well decayed manure—that from last