The Practice and Science of Gardening-4
' Sowing the Seeds '
C. H. MIDDLETON
This afternoon Mr. C. H. Middleton is to talk to you about sowing the seeds, and about something even more important-thinning the seedlings out.
It's a common fault to sow too thickly ; in fact, it is almost impossible to sow thinly enough. And if the seedlings come up in their abundance you are apt to be delighted, and if they are the kind you can't with advantage transplant, it seems such a shame to pull half of them up and throw them away.
But if you want strong plants and fine flowers you have got to be cruel to be kind. Because, crowded, your seedlings won't grow whether they are candytuft or carrots. They will be dwarfed and sickly and cramped.
And if you transplant, have your ground prepared first so that the small plants are not wilting while you get it ready, and half dead before you put them in. There is a right way and a wrong way to do that, and Mr. Middleton will tell you which. He is to talk to you also about ' selected strains of vegetables ' and of ' seed ' potatoes, which you don't buy in a thin envelope like poppy seeds.