Open Ground

Open Ground 

an open area occupied by vegetable or ornamental plants. In the USSR, 98 percent of all vegetables and flowers are obtained from the open ground. Seeds of cold-resistant vegetable plants from the families Cruciferae and Umbel-liferae, as well as the seeds of beets, lettuce, spinach, and peas, are sown in early spring and, sometimes, in autumn. Such seeds can be sown only if the temperatures average 1°–5°C. Seeds of thermophile plants of the families Cucurbitaceae and Solana-ceae, as well as the seeds of beans and corn, are sown in the spring when the average daily temperature is 10°-15°C. Cold-resistant seedlings are set in the ground when there is an average temperature of 5°-10°C. Thermophile seedlings are planted when the temperature reaches 15°C, at which time spring frosts end.