PLANNING FOR HOTBEDS AND COLDFRAMES 279
hang on a wall where it can be BY ey
consulted throughout the sum- 9
mer. (Fig. 187.) |
Securing Seeds and Plants.
—Write for garden catalogues
early. Advertisements in farm
papers will supply the ad-
dresses. Get several. Study
these to help determine vari-
eties and learn variety names.
If garden seeds have not been
saved at home, it is a good plan
to order fresh seeds from relia-
able seedsmen by mail. Local
dealers often carry over old F
stocks and less success is prob- 2
able if they be used. Try out |
some new vegetable occasionally. 5
Planning for Hotbeds and 5
Coldframes.—The chief differ- =
ence between a hotbed and a §
coldframe is that the former has =
extra bottom heat. This heat £
is usually supplied by placing
fresh horse manure in the bot-
tom which rots and produces
the heat.
The purposes of hotbeds and
coldframes are given: (1) To
lengthen the time for growth of
certain crops that do not ma-
ture outdoors, as tomatoes and
sweet potatoes. (2) To grow
quick-maturing crops in the
winter or earlier in the spring
than they could be grown out-
doors, as radishes and lettuce.
(3) For wintering over certain
plants started in the fall. Hot-
beds and coldframes are usually
made six feet wide so that gar-
deners can reach in from the
north and south sides. Thev
3