WHEN IS THE PROPER TIME TO PLANT VEGETABLES?

  The proper time to plant the different kinds of vegetables depends upon their relative hardiness or tenderness, or susceptibility to damage by frost, and upon their climatic preferences. Relatively hardy vegetables may be planted as soon as the soil can be prepared in spring, or as early as the first of April in the warmer portions of Pennsylvania, or about April 15 in the central part of this State. Among these are onions, peas, early potatoes, spinach, parsley, turnips, lettuce and cabbage plants, beets, carrots, Swiss chard, mustard, parsnips, and radishes.
  Beans, sweet corn, New Zealand spinach, squash, and pumpkin may be seeded slightly before all danger of frost is past, but not so much earlier that seedlings are above ground before the last frost is likely to occur. In central Pennsylvania this is about May 10.
  Tomato, pepper, sweet potato, and eggplant plants should not be set out until danger of frost is past, or about May 15 in most of Pennsylvania.
  Spring planting dates vary considerably in Pennsylvania, mainly because of differences in elevation and distance from large bodies of water. Extremes vary from nearly two weeks earlier to two weeks later than the dates shown in the garden plan elsewhere in this publication. Similarly, fall planting dates, which vary because of the date of the first killing frost in the fall, must be earlier if frost is early, as at high elevations in the north central part of the State, or later in the southeastern portion.

IS WATERING OR IRRIGATION PRACTICABLE?

  Light sprinkling, as is done frequently by means of a hose, is at best a waste of water and may cause a hard crust to form on the surface of the ground. If watering is done, enough should be applied to soak the soil to a depth of eight inches, or to be equivalent to a good rain.
  In towns or suburban areas in which water supplies already are drawn upon heavily by war industries, first consideration should be given to maintaining the organic content of the soil, the use of surface mulches, and other methods of conserving moisture in the soil. Where supplies are adequate, or streams and springs can be drawn upon, proper watering produces favorable results, especially on leafy vegetables with shallow root systems, such as celery, spinach, and cabbage, or on root crops