Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Page 5 Gardening Profitable VI This spring many Clinton Mills em ployees have joined many more South Carolinians than ever before in plowing up available space and replacing it with rows of vegetable plants, in a battle to push down inflating grocery bills. A Profitable Garden Taken seriously, vegetable gardening can save the average family of four up to $50 per month on their grocery bill during the spring and summer months. This even includes the cost of garden equip ment and supplies. And, with inflation still rising, the estimated savings will be even higher by the end of this summer. Planning Your Garden A profitable garden is a planned gar den. Determine your need for equipment and supplies. Decide when, where, what and how much you should plant. And, most important, don’t forget to plan your time. Equipment And Supplies The less money you spend on equip ment, the more profitable your vegetable garden will be. Your basic equipment is you. And you will need a good sturdy hoe and a hand spade. Don’t invest in expensive equipment in your first year. You may decide after your first season that gardening is not for you. And there is no sense in having money tied up in expensive gardening equipment you won’t use. When it’s time to buy supplies, your local garden dealer can tell you what suits the needs for fertilizers and insecticides. Seed is cheap. So buy the best and plant plenty. Again, your garden dealer can recommend the best seed for your area. When You Should Plant South Carolina is blessed with a warm climate which allows planting in spring, summer and fall. The efficient gardener plants in the early spring and again in the early fall. Some vegetables, such as tomatoes, can be planted each month. A profitable garden is a full garden. Where You Should Plant The most important factor in choosing a garden site is selecting an area which gets plenty of sunshine. All vegetables need sunshine to properly mature, par ticularly root crops, such as beets, carrots, radishes and turnips. What You Should Plant When deciding what to plant, choose between nutritious vegetables you and your family like. Make sure these vegetables suit your soil. How Much You Should Plant One of the main steps in gardening is determining the size of your garden. A well-managed garden will provide enough vegetables for a family year around. Less space is needed for the family who doesn’t plan to preserve their vegetables by freez ing or canning. Always plant plenty of seed. You can thin out later or share your excess with relatives or neighbors. How You Should Plant Home gardeners should space their vegetables close together since weeding can be done by hand. Always plant plenty of seed. As a rule of thumb, never plant the seed deeper than the end of your thumb. Maintaining Your Garden It’s important to remember that you have to feed your garden, if you expect it to feed you. In other words, keep your soil fertilized and moist. Weed control is another important chore. Mulching can be an effective method of weed control. Most weeds can not grow without sunlight. Organic mul ches should be applied four to six inches deep around the plant. Straw, peanut shells, pine needles, grass clippings, leaf mulch, newspapers and bark will serve as effective mulches. Free Soil Testing Garden soils should be tested every three years to determine lime and fer tilizer requirements. Samples should be taken from the top six inches of soil in several locations. The samples should then be combined to form a composite sample. One pint is sufficient. Take the sample to your county exten sion agent’s office. The samples are sent to Clemson and later you will be given the results and a recommendation as to what chemical or organic fertilizer you may need. Martha S. Simmons Simmons Is Given Promotion The Board of Directors of Clinton Mills, Inc. has promoted Martha S. Simmons to the newly created position of. Assistant Corporate Secretary. The Clinton native rejoined Clinton Mills in 1959. During her association with the company, Martha has had extensive experience in administrative matters. She holds an Associate Degree from Winthrop College. She is active in the Broad Street Methodist Church and the Clinton Booster Club. In addition to her new position, she will also continue to be responsible for the ad ministrative services in the Clinton Main Office. Prior to her promotion, Martha had served as Office Supervisor since 1978. Della Edmonds, a Plant No. 2 Roll Picker Operator, recently completed 25 con tinuous years’ service to Clinton Mills. Her Superintendent, Mac George and Plant No. 2 Manager Joe Nelson presented her an Accutron watch in recognition of 25 years’ continuous service. Children Of Employees Charlotte Tonya Rushton will celebrate her seventh birth day on June 3. She is the daughter of Plant No. 1 weav- ing employee Johnny Rushton. Jimmy Ferry Lee Anderson is the eight months old son of Jimmy Lee and Lucinda An derson. Lucinda is a Lydia spinning employee. Lee Ann Gregory and Jimmy Darrell Gregory Jr. are the children of Sherry and Jimmy Gregory. Their grandmother is Mrs. Gertrude Gregory, a Plant No. 1 Spinner. Stephanie Wright will be four years old in June. Her parents are Mr. and Mrs. George Wright. Stephanie’s grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Carter Wright, both Lydia employees and Mr. Jackie Morris, a Plant No. 2 employee.