The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Strawberry plants give a big, fruitful harvest Strawberries are a versatile fruit that can be as beautiful as they are useful. They are also among the easiest plants to work into available space. In containers such as straw­ berry jars or moss-lined wire strawberry trees they can even grow quite comfortably on an apartment terrace with a southern exposure. Strawberry gardens can be grown in either the matted-row or hill system, according to the1 Ortho book "All About Grow­ ing Fruits & Berries." CTifc Jlitth <zR&(L 1701 N. RICHMOND ROAD - McHENRY HAS FINE CUSTOM CERAMICS AND MACRAME BEADS Mwt.7«»PM ftHfHtonrtui tl tttn Hi Tkiikm +* II ft tw HiM \ n°o OFF (WITH THIS AD) DURING •^vLLARl PAGE 4 - PLAINDEALER Matted-row planting can be handled in two ways. Either all runners are left to grow or only the early runners are grown, spaced about 8 inches apart. The latter method of spaced- runners results in both a larger berry and a larger total yield. If you plant more than one row of fruit, place the rows about 3 to 4 feet apart. The hill system of planting lends itself best to everbearing varieties of strawberries or sin­ gle-crop kinds that don't send out many runners. Here, plants are set a foot apart and all run­ ners are removed. Rows are spaced 12 to IS inches apart in groupings of1 "three. For easy access among J the plants, each group should be t separated by an aisle of approxi- mately 2 feet. Plant strawberries in soil with good drainage. The new leaf bud in the center of each plant should sit exactly level with the soil surface. Before the fruit ripens, the plants should be screened to safeguard them from passing birds. To keep fruit insect-free, multipurpose insecticides like • WEDNESDAY. JULY S. ltBl One advantage of having your own strawberry garden is know­ ing that you can use fresh, ripe berries for those special des­ serts. Ortho's "Adventures in Italian Cooking" includes a recipe for torta difragole (strawberry shortcake), which is made of sponge cake, split and filled with vanilla custard cream and 2 cups of ripe strawberries. Ortho's Diazinon Soil & Fo­ liage Dust or Ortho's Fruit & Vegetable Insect Control are ef­ fective. Winter protection is needed where alternate freezing and thawing of the soil occurs. This may cause plants to heave and break their roots. Straw is one of the best mulch materials for this purpose. In dry, cool climates a plastic mulch helps soil retain moisture and warmth. Gardeners who grow straw­ berries in containers have the advantage of being able to en­ sure a disease-free soil mix thereby avoiding verticillium wilt and red stele (root rot), which are common soil-borne fungi. It's particularly important to keep container plants well-fed. If leaves are yellow, this sug­ gests a lack of nitrogen. But if they are exceptionally dark, it means you are overfeeding. If you remember to feed your strawberries diligently, they will soon be feeding you. Inly 9th, 10th, and 11th 3̂~clJ%LO, n STOREWIDE FASHION CLEARANCE Save on Select Groups of: •SLACKS • DRESSES > •SHORTS *SLEEPWEAR •COORDINATES • BLOUSES AND TOPS 30%.50% And a Very Crazy, Crazy Rack of BARGAINS £0/ TO O OFF ALL SALES FINAL NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES CT/Lt Position <S^opfxc 1007 N. FRONT ST. (S. RTE. 31) McHENRY 4., pmy WEFEATURE •Junior S-I5 •MISSES •HALF SIZES 12KTO24K Put herbs in garden, add spice to your life Herbs can really spice up your repertoire of foods and teas. The varieties are infinite. Perhaps the most difficult deci­ sion you'll have to make is which ones to grow. Decide what the primary purpose of your garden will be --cooking, teas, cosmetics, natural dyes, fragrances, a beautiful yard or magical po­ tions. Very nutritious Herbs and spices used in food are very nutritious and, because 1 the essential oils are so potent, the herbs can be used ui small quantities.. For this reason, they appeal to the gardener with lim­ ited space and to the cook on a budget. The history of herbs and spices carries an aura of mys­ tique, but growing them is quite easy. They can be grown along with iny other flowers or vege­ tables in your garden. They are practically immune to disease and pests and can be grown in most types of soil. The more care you give the plants, the greater the rewards you'll reap. The first step in growing herbs, as the Ortho book "The World of Herbs & Spices" sug­ gests, is to select the best loca­ tion--one which receives five to eight hours of full sunlight per day. The soil needs to have good drainage, so the ideal planting site should be gently sloped with sandy soil. MM raised bed j If such an area is not possi­ ble, you can build a raised bed. I The bed needs to hold about 6 inches of soil above the normal ground level. Railroad ties, fence posts, cement blocks or stones can be used for the bed walls. You can even attach a wooden railing to the bed wall, so you can sit down while gardening. The bed should next be filled with the appropriate soil. For small beds, packaged synthetic soils such as Jiffy-Mix or Redi- Earth can be used. Two options When planting the herbs, you have two options: seeds or transplants. If you desire only a few plants, it is easiest to buy small ones to transplant. To remove the plant from its container, place the stem be­ tween two fingers, turn the pot upside down and tap the edge against a bench or table. Make sure the soil is well watered and place the root ball in the ground so that the soil comes up to the same level on the plant as it did in the con­ tainer. Add more soil to prevent air pockets. Water well The area should be well watered. If you use a hand-held hose, let the water run for a cou­ ple of hours each time you wa­ ter. To test the soil, insert a finger Yi of an inch into the soil; if your finger is dry, the soil needs more water. Themes for hetb gardens and hundreds of uses for herbs and spices are suggested in Ortho's book "The World of Heibs & Spices." Thte^book also details techniques for growing indoors. When you start your herb garden, you have two options--seeds or transplants. If you desire only a few plants, it is easiest to buy smaN ones at your local garden center for transplanting. The Ortho book "The World of Herbs & Spices" recommends the .your small.herb plant, frpm Us con- tween two fingers, lurn the-pot upside down, and tap the edge against a bench or table.