Making a Vegetable-Garden 
 
 The Gountrt^ideHandBooks 
 
 THE COUNTRYSIDE PRESS 
 
 HARRISBURG, PA. 
 
Class xL^_2:S/. 
 
 Book n Q 
 
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 COP^'RIGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A 
 VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
THE COUNTRYSIDE PRESS 
 
 BOOK PUBLISHERS 
 
 HARRISBURG, PA. 
 
 NOV I8|yl5 
 
Clean culture means auccess 
 
HOW TO MAKE A 
 VEGETABLE -GARDEN 
 
 ILLUSTRATED AND WITH 
 PLANTING TABLES 
 
 HARRISBURG, PA. 
 THE COUNTRYSIDE PRESS 
 
 1915 
 
6-5^,^, 
 
 
 Copyright, 1909, 1911, 1914, by 
 THE SUBURBAN PRESS 
 
 Copyright, 1915, by 
 THE COUNTRYSIDE PRESS 
 
 / 
 
 CI.A416443 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 Introduction 9 
 
 Planning and Planting 11 
 
 Plan for Variety and Table Quality 11 
 
 The Things to be Done 13 
 
 Making the Plan 13 
 
 Supplying Plant-food 16 
 
 Preparing the Soil 17 
 
 Sowing and Planting 19 
 
 Using the Seed Drill 22 
 
 A Vegetable-Garden for a Family of Six .... 24 
 
 A Coldframe is Useful 26 
 
 Rotation of Crops Desirable 27 
 
 Suggestions for Succession 28 
 
 Nine Vegetables Every Man Ought to Grow ... 30 
 
 The Late-started Garden 39 
 
 Keep Lettuce Out of the Sun 40 
 
 Beets Sown in June Mature in August 42 
 
 Get in Some Melons and Cucumbers 43 
 
 The Garden Month by Month 46 
 
 Planting Table for Vegetables 62-73 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE part that gumption — just the plain, every- 
 day quahty of common sense — plays in garden- 
 ing is so large that it should be written in this 
 connection with a big G. If you had digested the 
 most elaborate treatises on the subject of garden- 
 ing, procured the most expensive tools and seeds and 
 the finest soil and fertilizers, and did not with them 
 use gumption, your gardening operations would be 
 very likely to result in failure. 
 
 Way down deep in almost all of us the gardening 
 instinct is struggling for expression. We feel that 
 we would like to be the instruments for producing 
 from the soil the means of sustenance that there may 
 be in the form of vegetables. And yet a lot of good 
 folk hold back from attempting a garden because 
 they feel that it is too complicated an affair. They 
 would freely give the toil necessary, but they are 
 afraid they lack the "know-how." Gardening for the 
 amateur, it should be most emphatically stated 
 again, is largely a matter of gumption. In the pages 
 that follow are given brief directions for some of the 
 
 (9) 
 
10 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 essential operations, together with seed and plant- 
 ing tables and the like. Mix these thoroughly with 
 gumption, add a little toil, and you will have a garden 
 that will not only give you much joy, but will return 
 you a profit in actual money saved. 
 
 Much of this material originally appeared in 
 magazine articles, and is used by permission of the 
 publishers. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE - 
 GARDEN 
 
 PLANNING AND PLANTING 
 
 A MISTAKE too frequently made on the 
 country, place is to leave the planning . and 
 planting of the garden, which is to furnish the 
 season's supply of fresh vegetables, to some man 
 who, though he may know how to grow things, has 
 not given the particular needs and requirements of 
 your table the study and careful planning which 
 are necessary to make possible a really satisfactory 
 garden. 
 
 The planning of the garden, and at least the 
 supervision of the planting of it, should have your 
 personal attention. It is a job that is well worth 
 looking after, for a great deal of the pleasure of the 
 whole season will depend upon the amount and the 
 quality of the green things which your garden 
 furnishes for the table. And, incidentally, the very 
 considerable saving which a really good garden 
 makes in the season's household expenses is not to 
 be ignored. 
 
 PLAN FOR VARIETY AND TABLE QUALITY 
 
 In making your garden plans, you should keep 
 constantly in mind these two things : First, that the 
 
 (11) 
 
12 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 really good things of the garden — the ones that make 
 you chuckle to yourself as you sit down, unroll 
 your napkin and remark, ' 'Mother never had any- 
 thing on this;" the juicy, luscious, is-there-any- 
 more-in-the-kitchen? things, like Golden Bantam 
 sweet corn, Mignonette lettuce, Brittle Wax beans, 
 Gradus peas, or spicy cantaloupe, should be had 
 for just as many weeks out of the season as it is 
 possible to have them, — there are only seven din- 
 ners in a week! The second is table quality; whether 
 in the aristocratic stuffed pepper or in the plebeian 
 stewed onion, this is not a matter of chance, but 
 depends upon rapid, healthy growth, and the variety. 
 
 Unfortunately, most of the garden's good things 
 either grow and mature very quickly, and are in the 
 best table condition for a very short period only, 
 such as peas, pod-beans, lettuce, and sweet corn, 
 or else require such an exasperatingly long time 
 that we just get a little taste of them at the tail end 
 of the season, such as lima beans, eggplant, and musk- 
 melons. The only way to overcome these regret- 
 table shortcomings on Dame Nature's part is to 
 have the garden planned so carefully, by the selec- 
 tion of succession varieties and accurately timed 
 succession plantings, that as soon as one crop is 
 gone another will be ready, and, in the case of the 
 long-season things, to have them half-grown by the 
 time you set them out, so that they will be nearly 
 ready to show their first buds by the time your 
 neighl:)ors are putting their seeds in the ground. 
 
 So you see this garden business isn't such a simple 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 13 
 
 thing after all, and further, that it has possibilities 
 of which perhaps you have never dreamed. But 
 now that we have a fairly clear idea of what is to be 
 done, let us see what are most definite, concrete 
 instructions we can get hoiu to do it. 
 
 THE THINGS TO BE DONE 
 
 Here are the things to be done, and a few hours 
 of decently hard thought and work, if you have 
 someone to carry out your instructions, will give 
 you a real garden, — one full not only of spinach and 
 beans, but of entrancing interest also, gratifying not 
 only to the inner man, but to the keener palate of the 
 intellect. 
 
 To make the information and data here placed 
 at your disposal as definite and clear as possible, it 
 has been put down under four headings, as follows: 
 (1) Making the Plan, (2) Supplying the Plant-Food, 
 (3) Preparing the Soil, (4) Sowing and Planting. To 
 bring them all within the scope of a small book, it 
 has been necessary to make them brief, and omit 
 detailed reasons why. So, if you are going to follow 
 them at all, follow them carefully, so that no im- 
 portant things will be overlooked. 
 
 MAKING THE PLAN 
 
 First of all, set down in a column the vegetables 
 you will want, and the number of rows of each you 
 will require. Remember that some things, like 
 
14 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 Swiss chard, which yields continuously, should be 
 planted sparingly, compared to peas or sweet corn, 
 which require much more room, and yield onlj' two 
 or three pickings. Also, that such things as onions, 
 beets, and cabbage, which may be stored for the 
 winter, should be sown more generously than cucum- 
 bers or peppers, which succumb to the first frosts. 
 
 After each vegetable, put down the varieties 
 you prefer. Those mentioned in the table are good, 
 reliable sorts; if, however, you have favorite sorts of 
 different things which are equally good, use them 
 instead of these, if you like. Don't make the mistake 
 of trying a little of everything. 
 
 Then, if you want to do the job up properly, draw 
 a plan of your garden to scale, showing the amount 
 of space you have allotted for each vegetable. This 
 can be done very rapidly, as the proper distance 
 between the rows of things is given in the tables on 
 pages 62 to 73. This will not only give you a much 
 better idea of what your garden will be like, but will 
 enable you to judge much better as to the propor- 
 tionate amount of space you may allot to each thing. 
 In case your garden space is very limited, and you 
 have to plan carefully in order to get two or even 
 three crops off of most of it during the season, it is 
 not only desirable but quite essential to make this 
 plan. The time and trouble taken to prepare it will 
 be repaid a score of times by the amount of time 
 and trouble it will save you during the season. 
 Sucli a plan is simply the application of the prin- 
 ciples of business efficiency to the garden. 
 
10 now TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 SUPPLYING PLANT-FOOD 
 
 Without rich soil, the garden will be a poor one. 
 Soil is not rich, in the sense of being in a condition 
 to grow big crops, unless it contains the several 
 ingredients necessary to support plant-life in abun- 
 dance and in the proper proportions. Without getting 
 into the technicalities of the matter at all, it may be 
 stated that every gardener, or person who has a 
 garden, should make himself or herself familiar 
 with the fact that the three of these ingredients 
 which are most important, and which are most 
 likely to be deficient in the soil, are nitrogen, phos- 
 phoric acid, and potash. If your garden is not al- 
 ready rich enough, — and most soils are not nearly 
 in a condition to grow big crops without being fed 
 up first, — these three things must be abundantly 
 supplied. They can be supplied in any one of a 
 number of ways, but should not be stinted. A safe 
 rule is to use all the good, well-rotted stable-manure 
 you can get, and in addition to this some fertilizer 
 with a high percentage of potash, or sulphate or 
 muriate of potash alone; 300 to 500 pounds of the 
 former fertilizer, or 150 to 300 pounds of either 
 sulphate or muriate, for each half-acre, will be none 
 too much. If you can't get any manure, apply a 
 dressing at the rate of 600 to 1,000 pounds to the 
 half-acre of a high-grade fertilizer, with an analysis 
 approximating 4 per cent of nitrogen, 8 per cent of 
 available phosphoric acid, and 10 per cent of potash. 
 If you will require a quantity above 300 or 400 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 17 
 
 pounds, much the best and cheapest way is to get the 
 chemicals and raw materials, and mix your own. 
 (For instance, nitrate of soda, muriate of potash, 16 
 per cent acid phosphate, and high-grade animal tank- 
 age, used in the proportion of 30, 40, 50, and 60 lbs. 
 respectively, will give you a complete, high-grade 
 fertilizer, as good as any market-garden fertilizer, 
 with an analysis of approximately 4 per cent nitrogen, 
 8 per cent phosphoric acid, and 10 per cent potash.) 
 The manure or fertilizer, as the case may be, is 
 worked into the soil before the garden is planted. In 
 addition to these, you should get a hundred pounds 
 or so each of nitrate- of soda, and of muriate or sul- 
 phate of potash, to use as top-dressings for crops 
 requiring special attention during growth. The 
 former, especially, when judiciously used, will 
 produce most astonishing results; all the nitrogen 
 in it is quickly available, and plant growth is quite 
 wonderfully hastened; thus increasing not only the 
 output, but, in most instances, the quality of the 
 crop also. 
 
 PREPARING THE SOIL FOR PLANTING 
 
 "A field well prepared is a crop half-grown," is 
 an old farmer's saying which is just as true of the 
 back-yard garden as of the twenty-acre potato field. 
 There is no mistake more universally made by the 
 managers of small gardens than that of planting in 
 soil which is but ill prepared. The garden should be 
 plowed or spaded as deep as possible, plowing being 
 
18 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 far preferable where it is possible to use a horse. 
 By as ''deep as possible'' is meant down to the sub- 
 soil, if that is anywhere within 12 inches of the top. 
 The subsoil is the raw dirt, usually hard and lumpy, 
 
 Cucumbers started in pots for transplanting outside later 
 will enable you to gain time 
 
 and of a different color from the surface soil, and 
 lies just below the latter. A little of it, if the surface 
 soil is shallow, should be worked up and mixed with 
 the latter each year, but not in sufficient quantity 
 to have any great effect upon its character. Manure 
 is best applied before plowing or spading, so that it 
 can be turned under, down out of the way of the 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 19 
 
 seed drill and various garden implements, and 
 fertilizer should be applied after plowing, and before 
 harrowing or raking. Thorough harrowing or raking 
 is just as necessary as thorough plowing or spading; 
 both jobs must be well done in order to prepare a 
 good seed-bed. When you are ready to plant, your 
 garden should be as clean and smooth on top as a 
 tennis-court, and pulverized finely for several inches 
 below the surface. There is not room to tell you fully 
 why such careful preparation of the soil is necessary ; 
 but the three most important reasons are that seed 
 will not germinate properly in a poorly prepared, 
 lumpy soil, full of air-spaces; that plant-roots will 
 not be able to get hold of their food supply so readily 
 in such a soil as in one well prepared; and that, next 
 July or August, when the drought hits you, a thor- 
 oughly prepared soil is likely to mean all the differ- 
 ence between success and failure. 
 
 SOWING AND PLANTING 
 
 Unless you have been through the interesting 
 operation of garden planting frequently enough so 
 that the various details of the work have become 
 almost second nature to you, follow carefully the 
 planting data, in the table on pages 62 to 73, plus 
 any special information which may be given as to 
 kind and variety of vegetable on the package or in 
 the catalogue. Many of the failures which beginners 
 have every year are due merely to carelessness in 
 just this matter. If you need to refer to the table 
 
20 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 frequently, you will find it a good plan to copy the 
 planting data on a piece of paper, paste it on a heavy 
 cardboard, and tack it up in the tool-chest, or some 
 place near the garden where you keep your seeds, so 
 that you can refer to it readily, or take it right out 
 into the garden with you, if you wish. 
 
 The planting dates given are for the latitude of 
 New York. For Boston, they will be a week or ten 
 days later, and for Philadelphia, or farther south, a 
 week or ten days earlier. They are approximate, 
 because temporary weather conditions, the character 
 of the soil in which the garden is made, and the 
 nature of the season, whether an early or a late 
 spring, will all go to determine when would be the 
 proper time to plant. 
 
 The different vegetables are planted in drills, 
 rows, or hills, as may be required by their habit of 
 growth. The least desirable method is in hills, 
 because, while it is bad to have the plants crowded 
 above ground, it is still worse to have the roots 
 restricted, instead of being distributed as evenly as 
 possi})le throughout the soil, that their search for 
 plant-food may be unhampered. Such things as 
 pole beans and melons, which formerly were always 
 planted in hills, do better in drills or rows so that 
 there is no crowding of plants. Beans, tomatoes, 
 and other trailing or running plants will give larger 
 and better crops if trained on a trellis than on poles. 
 
 Another thing that you will notice is that the 
 depth for planting varies with early and late plant- 
 ings of the same things. The reason for this is that 
 
22 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 the soil warms in the spring more rapidly on the 
 surface, and seed will germinate and sprout all right 
 when planted shallow, which would rot if planted 
 deeper. Later in the season, however, when the soil 
 on the surface has become too hot and dry for proper 
 germination, the right conditions are found deeper 
 in the soil, and the plant is also in a better position 
 to resist the attack of drought which is pretty sure 
 to come later. 
 
 USING THE SEED DRH^L 
 
 In these days, the only practical way of planting 
 a garden of any size is to use a seed drill, which opens 
 the furrows, drops the seed, accurately covers it up, 
 rolls it, and marks out the next row all in one opera- 
 tion, and much better than it can be done by hand. 
 Where; however, the seed for any reason must be 
 put in by hand, the drills or rows should be hoed or 
 marked out to the proper depth as evenly as possible, 
 the seed planted and covered before the soil has a 
 chance to dry out, and the top of the row pressed 
 down by the foot or the back of the hoe, both to 
 compress the earth and to mark the row. 
 
 Be sure to get all rows straight as a string; the 
 only way to do this is to use a string in marking out 
 the first one; after that, if you are using a drill, the 
 others will all be parallel with it. In making hills 
 for such things as pole beans, muskmelons, and 
 cucumbers, unless the garden soil has been made 
 very rich, it is well to put in a compost of well- 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 23 
 
 rotted manure, or a handful or more of a mixture of 
 cotton-seed meal or bone meal and tankage, mixed 
 well into the soil in each hill before planting. The 
 hill should be broad and flat, 12 to 24 inches in 
 diameter, and not raised above the surface of the 
 surrounding soil, so that the rain will not run off 
 from it. 
 
 In setting out plants of such things as are started 
 early under glass — lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, egg- 
 plant, and the like — prepare the soil just as carefully 
 as you would for sowing seed. If you want to give 
 the plants a quick start, a handful or so of dry hen 
 manure, of bone meal, tankage, or cotton-seed meal 
 (or the three mixed together, as suggested before), 
 or a half a pint of rich liquid manure, may be put 
 into the soil where each plant is to be set, before 
 planting. Select a late afternoon or a cloudy day, if 
 possible, to do the work. If the leaves of the plant 
 to be set are large and succulent, they should be 
 trimmed back a third to a half before being set out. 
 Be sure, above all things, to set the plants firmly into 
 the soil. Set them deep enough so that about half 
 the stalk, up to the first leaves, will be covered. 
 Press the soil down about the ball of roots as firmly 
 as possible, and then after the row is set, unless the 
 soil is very moist, go back over it and, with the balls 
 of the feet placed on either side of the stem of the 
 plant, press them in still more firmly. This operation 
 will take very little time, and leave the job done 
 properly ; you will find later that the time expended 
 on it is worth while, 
 
24 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 A VEGETABLE-GARDEN FOR A FAMILY 
 OF SIX 
 
 * The size of one's vegetable-garden should natu- 
 rally depend upon the size of the family to be fed, as 
 well as upon the number and kinds of vegetables it 
 is desired to grow. The plan shown on page 25 is for 
 a garden sufficiently large to grow enough vegetables 
 for a family of six. It covers about a quarter of an 
 acre, the exact dimensions being 75 x 150 feet. 
 
 The garden is laid out with the idea of cultivating 
 the land with a horse cultivator; the rows, in some 
 instances, could be closer together if a hand wheel 
 hoe only were to be used. In the latter case, onions, 
 lettuce, beets, and carrots could be grown as close 
 as 18 inches or 2 feet apart very comfortably, thereby 
 saving considerable room. 
 
 In the laying out of a vegetable-garden, it is 
 better, under most circumstances, to have the rows 
 run the short way of the garden if it is to be culti- 
 vated with a wheel hoe. Should it be a long, narrow 
 piece, then the rows may run the long way, so that 
 there will not be so much waste space at the ends of 
 the rows. A certain amount of ground not planted 
 is really necessary at the ends for turning when a 
 horse and cultivator are used. . It is far better to 
 have the rows run north and south, so that each side 
 of the row gets an equal amount of light. 
 
 Of course, the plan here given is included for 
 its suggestive value, and need not be exactly fol- 
 lowed in every detail. 
 
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 (25) 
 
20 HOW TO MAI^E A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 A COLDFRAME IS USEFUL 
 
 Provision in this garden is made for a three-sash 
 coldframe. This is not absolutely essential, but very 
 useful, for there are many vegetables that one can 
 start early in the coldframe, such as cabbage, cauli- 
 flower, onions, and celery, for planting for early 
 crops, and lettuce and radishes for immediate use. 
 Three sashes will be ample for an ordinary family. 
 At the end of the frame there has been allowed a 
 space in which to stack the sashes, and if shutters 
 and mats are used to cover the sash, they can also 
 ])e stored here. 
 
 In the same end of the garden, asparagus and 
 rhubarb are planted. Like the coldframe, they are 
 permanent. A dozen plants of rhubarb will provide 
 all of that vegetable necessary. 
 
 The balance of the end of the garden is devoted 
 to asparagus. Early in the season it may be found 
 that this number of plants will not give sufficient 
 asparagus for the family, but that will only be for a 
 week or two, for the rest of the season there will be 
 some to give away. 
 
 A row of parsnips and salsify comes next; they 
 are hardy vegetables which may be left in the ground 
 all winter. It is a most practicable plan to keep 
 everything which is going to be wintered over out- 
 doors close together for convenience. They can be 
 harvested more readily, and the rest of the garden 
 can bo cleaned up at the season's end without inter- 
 fering with them. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 27 
 ROTATION OF CROPS DESIRABLE 
 
 The remaining space may be planted with what- 
 ever vegetables are desired, but it is better to keep 
 all the plants of the same family in a group by them- 
 selves, making rotation of the crops a simple matter. 
 It is not only easier on the land to practice rotation, 
 but this plan tends to avoid trouble from insects, 
 and to reduce the trouble from plant diseases, as 
 well, as some of these pests winter over in the ground 
 where the plants which they infested the previous 
 summer were grown. For instance, cabbage, cauli- 
 flower, and turnips should never be grown two 
 successive seasons on the same ground because of the 
 trouble from club-root. The same rules apply to 
 potatoes, because the potato scab winters over. Of 
 course, if you have not grown any scabby potatoes, 
 and you are careful to disinfect your seed each year 
 before planting, there will be less trouble from this 
 cause; and really, when one has only a small piece 
 of land, every precaution against such troubles 
 should be taken. 
 
 An effort has been made to show in the plan 
 where everything ought to go ; but little things, like 
 radishes for instance, can be grown in between other 
 plants, and therefore space for them need not be 
 indicated. It is a good plan to sow radish seed in the 
 row with the lettuce. The radishes will be up in a 
 few days and will be ready to pull long before they 
 are in the way of the lettuce plants. 
 
 A whole row of beans is shown, but do not plant 
 
28 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 these all at once. Make two plantings a week apart. 
 This will make a succession which will be maintained 
 until the pole beans come in, and, once they have 
 commenced to produce, one need not bother about 
 the bush sorts any longer because one can get 
 varieties of the pole beans that are just as good for 
 snap beans as are the dwarf kinds. 
 
 SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESSIONS 
 
 The successions indicated on the plan may not be 
 convenient for the gardener who tries to follow them. 
 They are given only as suggestions, but the early 
 peas are off the ground so early that it would be a 
 shame to allow that portion of the garden to lie idle 
 the rest of the season. Therefore some late crop, 
 like cabbage, cauliflower, celery, rutabaga, or spinach 
 for the following season's crop, can be planted. 
 
 Some people will probably find fault with this 
 plan because all of the cucurbits — squashes, melons, 
 etc. — are planted in adjoining rows. Do not for an 
 instant think that because squashes, cucumbers, and 
 melons are growing side by side that the presence of 
 one is going to affect in any way the flavor of the 
 others. There have been cases where growers tried 
 to lay the poor quality of fruit from the vines to this 
 cause, when, in reality, it was due to poor varieties 
 in the first place, a lack of attention or poor cultiva- 
 tion, all of which could have been avoided. 
 
 On the plan has been indicated a single row of 
 tomato plants, set 2 feet apart and trained to sticks, 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 29 
 
 because many gardeners like to raise tomatoes this 
 way. But should one prefer to grow his tomatoes on 
 treUises, two and one-half rows could be devoted to 
 the tomato plants, A-trellises being set between the 
 rows for the tomatoes to climb over, and the other 
 half of the two rows being devoted to peppers and 
 eggplant. 
 
 The row of onions, as indicated, can be planted 
 as one wishes. It would be a wise move to plant 
 the whole row of one of the large kinds, like Prize- 
 taker or Ailsa Craig. To grow these onions to per- 
 fection, they should be started in the coldframe late 
 in February, or early in March, and transplanted 
 to the open garden when they are about the size of 
 lead-pencils. There is a distinct advantage in trans- 
 planting onions this way. If the soil is sterile in the 
 coldframes, there will be no danger of the young 
 plants being infested with smut. Also, there will be 
 no trouble with this disease on the onions after they 
 they have been transferred to the open garden; for 
 the smut, from all reports, is unable to gain an en- 
 trance into the onion plant after it has attained any 
 size at all. It is only at the time of germination, when 
 the stems are very tender, that this pest gains en- 
 trance. These varieties are bigger and milder, and, 
 many people think, superior to the ordinary onions, 
 like Yellow Danvers. One could use a portion of the 
 row for growing onion sets, scallions, or the like. 
 
 The potato patch on one end of the garden is 
 optional, for one can buy just as good potatoes as 
 he can grow. Such is not the case, however, with 
 
30 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 sweet corn, cucumbers^ peas, beans, and similar 
 vegetables. This space is capable of raising some- 
 thing like ten to twelve bushels of potatoes, if it is 
 well fertilized and carefully cultivated all summer 
 long, and this will be enough to last an ordinary 
 family through a year. 
 
 NINE VEGETABLES EVERY MAN OUGHT 
 TO GROW 
 
 The amateur gardener, no matter how small his 
 plot, can grow a few of several kinds of vegetables 
 that always are better when they come directly from 
 the ground to the kitchen. 
 
 All are easy to grow, if the brief directions given 
 here and in the planting tables on pages 62 to 73 are 
 followed. 
 
 If you want to have good radishes, you must 
 grow them quickly. They do well in a light soil, if 
 it is well enriched, and most of the early varieties 
 will be ready to pull in three to five weeks from sow- 
 ing. A succession must be maintained by sowing 
 every two weeks. Sow them thickly in drills from 
 12 to 18 inches apart, and then thin them out. A 
 good early variety is Early Scarlet Turnip Forcing; 
 French Breakfast and Long Scarlet are also good 
 early varieties. 
 
 Lettuce should be grown in every garden. There 
 is a peculiar delight in having this vegetable fresh 
 from the soil, with a crispness and freshness that 
 "boughten" lettuce never has. It is easy to grow. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 31 
 
 The very early spring crop must be started in the 
 coldframe in March, but sowings may be made in the 
 open from April to October. Lettuce requires a rich 
 and moist soil, with fertilizers containing much 
 nitrogen and that act quickly. 
 
 P 
 
 Grand Rapids lettuce plants taken from flat ready 
 to transplant 
 
 If sown in the coldframe, grow the crop thickly 
 and you will have many plants, small and tender. 
 Thin out to 3 inches apart and allow the plants to 
 make a growth. Then they may be set out in the 
 open. 
 
32 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 The Grand Rapids is a good, loose-headed type 
 and is good for early forcing ; for the main crop there 
 are a number of good varieties but one of the best 
 known is Salamander. Curled Simpson is a second- 
 early crop. During the hot weather lettuce must be 
 protected from the sun to get the best results. The 
 romaine varieties resist the heat well. 
 
 Beets may be sown as early in the spring 
 as the ground can be worked; as this succulent 
 vegetable, good for both its roots and tops, is one of 
 the hardiest grown. While the beet likes a light, 
 sandy soil, it will grow almost anywhere if the ground 
 is well tilled. 
 
 For an extra-early crop, seeds may be sown in 
 boxes in February or March, and transplanted to the 
 open ground later. The seed may be sown thickly, 
 and as the roots grow they may be pulled to give 
 more room for the others. Make sowings two weeks 
 apart throughout the season. Egyptian, Eclipse, 
 and Edmand's are three very useful varieties. 
 
 Another hardy vegetable is the pea. They may 
 be sown as soon as the ground can be worked, but 
 the ground should be deeply worked and thoroughly 
 stirred. Almost any soil will do, but it should not be 
 made too rich, as the plants will run too much to 
 vine. 
 
 Sow only the smooth varieties first, and a little 
 later sow the wrinkled varieties every two weeks for 
 a successional crop. 
 
 Plant in double rows, 6 to 8 inches apart, the 
 rows being from 2 to 4 feet apart according to variety. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 33 
 
 In heavy land they may be planted early, 1 inch 
 deep ; in light, 2 inches. Later in the season the depth 
 should be increased. Cultivation should be shallow 
 to avoid injuring the roots and to conserve the 
 moisture. 
 
 The dwarf and half-dwarf varieties are best for 
 the small garden as they will need the least support. 
 The latter may be given in form of brush or wire. 
 
 Daniel O'Rourke is best for the early crop, fol- 
 lowed by Nott's Excelsior and Champion of Eng- 
 land. 
 
 The tomato succumbs to frost readily, so the 
 young plants should not be set out until May 10 or 
 15, in the latitude of New York. 
 
 As a general thing, manure used exclusively in a 
 hill of rich garden soil gives too much vine growth. 
 A dressing of nitrate of soda, acid phosphate, and 
 muriate of potash, applied in the hill and well mixed 
 
 A mess of early peas 
 
34 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 with the soil, gives the best results. Use one-half 
 pound of nitrate of soda, two pounds of acid phos- 
 phate, and one-half pound of muriate of potash to 
 every ten plants. The acid phosphate and the muri- 
 ate of potash may be applied in the hill and mixed 
 with the soil before the plants are set, and the nitrate 
 of soda applied to the surface near the plant four or 
 five days after setting. Do not let the nitrate touch 
 the plant. 
 
 Tomato plants should be set about 4 feet apart. 
 Set the plants low — a trifle lower than the surface 
 of the garden. 
 
 In garden culture, the greatest yield and best 
 conditions for ripening the fruit are obtained by 
 training the vines upon a pole or trellis. They should 
 be tied to the support loosely so as not to choke the 
 growing stem. 
 
 Tomatoes must be regularly but carefully culti- 
 vated. In working around large plants, there is 
 danger that the fine rootlets which are to reinforce 
 it through its bearing season may be cut. It is better 
 to discourage weeds and conserve moisture by draw- 
 ing the soil over the hill about the plants, instead of 
 cutting into it with a hoe. 
 
 Sweet corn is one of the products of the vegetable- 
 garden which must be eaten very quickly after it has 
 been picked, if it is to be enjoyed to the utmost. It 
 can be growoi on any rich, well-drained soil, and it 
 does not need to have the soil so thoroughly pre- 
 pared as is necessary for some of the other garden 
 crops, like onions, for instance, or strawberries. 
 
Tomato plants may be trained to stak' 
 
 (35) 
 
36 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 Plant the extra-early and early varieties when the 
 cherries are in bloom; the second-early and main 
 crops when the apples are in flower. This rule will 
 hold true pretty much all over the country, and is 
 better than setting any absolute dates, because it is 
 far more accurate, being a better indication of the 
 advance of the season. 
 
 The distance apart to plant corn varies according 
 to the variety. If you are going to use a wheel hoe, 
 the dwarf, extra-early forms, like Peep o'Day and 
 Golden Bantam, should be planted as close as 2 feet, 
 while the second-earlies should be planted 3 feet 
 apart, and the late varieties, like Country Gentle- 
 man, 4 feet. 
 
 The earliest sweet corn worth growing is Peep 
 o'Day, a corn which grows only 2\^ feet high and 
 bears two ears close to the ground. You never get 
 this corn in market, for the market-gardener would 
 not consider it worth growing; but for the home 
 garden it is well worth putting in a few feet of drill 
 of this variety, in order to get the earliest possible 
 corn. 
 
 Golden Bantam, Early Fordhook, Early Adams, 
 Early Cory, and the White-cob Cory are all early 
 varieties. Golden Bantam is one of the best of these 
 early sweet corns. It is distinguished from the other 
 sweet corns in that the kernels are a golden yellow, 
 which gives it its name. It is very sweet and early. 
 
 Closely following these in season come such mid- 
 season varieties as Early Cosmopolitan, Champion, 
 Crosby's Early. There is really about a week's 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 37 
 
 difference between these second-early, or midseason, 
 varieties and the early. They should not be planted 
 quite so early, either; about the time the apples are 
 in bloom is better. Crosby's Early is probably the 
 best variety of these second-earlies. 
 
 Country Gentleman and Stowell's Evergreen are 
 two main-crop varieties. These are planted at the 
 same time as the midseason varieties. Both varieties 
 are popular. Many gardeners favor the Country 
 Gentleman; it does not make quite so good an 
 appearance on the table when served on the cob 
 because the grains are not in rows, as are those of 
 Stowell's Evergreen, but it is a very sweet corn with 
 grains that are small, but long, and the cobs small. 
 Good strains of this variety have ears 7 to 8 inches 
 long, and four ears are borne to each plant. Two 
 other good sweet varieties are White Evergreen and 
 Stabler's Early, both deservedly popular. 
 
 Celery is easily grown in the average garden. 
 This vegetable prefers a moist soil, but one that is 
 well drained. The seed, being very small, should be 
 pressed into the soil and barely covered. For the 
 early crop the last of February or the first of March 
 is the time to sow it in flats or coldframes. When the 
 third or fourth leaf comes, transplant. Cut back the 
 outside leaves and the roots, too, if they are long. 
 Trimming leaves and roots at transplanting insures 
 a stocky plant. Set deeply but do not cover the 
 crown. Plant in rows 3 to 4 feet apart, with the 
 plants 6 inches apart in the rows. Blanch by draw- 
 ing up the earth in a hill and working it in around the 
 
38 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 plants. White Plume and Golden Self-blanching are 
 good early varieties. 
 
 This method gives the best flavor, but boards or 
 paper placed closely to the plants to exclude the 
 light may be used. 
 
 The late crop may be sown out-of-doors in April. 
 If the weather is hot and dry, shade the plants. 
 
 Trcading-in celery seed. It is necessary that the ground be 
 carefully firmed after the seed is sown to bring the moisture to 
 the surface. 
 
 Transplant when the third or fourth leaf comes. Set 
 firmly and cultivate cleanly. Blanch as for the 
 early varieties. Celery requires a rich soil — one in 
 which there is much nitrogen. 
 
 The bean is a tender vegetable, and should not 
 be planted until the weather is settled and the soil 
 warm and loose. No vegetable seed decays more 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 39 
 
 quickly. Almost any soil will do if it be well enriched 
 and well worked. 
 
 Beans are planted 2 inches deep and 3 inches 
 apart, in shallow drills. Firm the ground after 
 planting. Bush beans are planted in rows 2 feet 
 apart and bush limas a little farther apart. Pole 
 lima beans are generally planted in hills 2 to 4 feet 
 apart. 
 
 The various kinds of string beans, green and wax, 
 are planted at intervals of two weeks from the first 
 planting until August. Of the lima beans, which 
 take, a longer season to mature, only one planting is 
 usually made. For the small garden, the bush limas 
 are to be preferred, as they may be planted much 
 closer and there need be no unsightly poles. The 
 best varieties of beans are noted in the planting 
 table. 
 
 THE LATE-STARTED GARDEN 
 
 Every year a large proportion of amateur gar- 
 deners are confronted with the problem of starting a 
 garden after most of the others have finished plant- 
 ing, and some of the early birds have even harvested 
 some early plantings. 
 
 All the best of the vegetables, such as beans, sweet 
 corn, muskmelons, and cucumbers, will mature 
 good crops even when sown in June. If one is simply 
 spending the summer in the country, and must return 
 to the city early in September, then only the more 
 quickly maturing kinds should be planted; but, if 
 
40 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 the stay is to last until cold weather sets in, a larger 
 variety of vegetables may be grown. 
 
 The quickest-growing vegetable that one may 
 grow is the radish. In rich, moist soil, radishes will 
 be ready to eat in three weeks from sowing the seeds. 
 The secret of good radishes is rapid growth; slow- 
 growing radishes are usually too fiery. 
 
 For flavor in salads, plant a little mustard, which 
 will be ready for eating in thirty days, or even less. 
 There must be frequent sowings. Lettuce sown early 
 in June will be ready to eat in July and August. 
 But good lettuce in summer is hard to grow, for the 
 plants are very apt to throw out seed-stalks without 
 having previously produced good, edible heads. If 
 the ground is rich and moist, and the soil is stirred 
 every three or four days, so that it has no chance to 
 bake, good heads will be formed. 
 
 KEEP LETTUCE OUT OF THE SUN 
 
 The position in the garden where the lettuce is 
 grown also makes a difference. Select a spot where 
 the plants will be shaded a little from the intense 
 midday sun. The variety also makes a difference. 
 The crisp, heading type, of which Iceberg is the best 
 known, stands the heat much better than the cabbage 
 type. A good hot-weather variety of this latter 
 type is All Seasons. 
 
 Spinach is another summer green that does not 
 take kindly to hot summer weather, but, if seeds of 
 the large-leaved varieties are planted, they will 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 41 
 
 produce good, edible leaves in July and August. An 
 excellent substitute for the common spinach is the 
 so-called New Zealand spinach; this is really a fig- 
 wort. The tender new growths are cut off, cooked 
 and served the same as spinach. It will stand any 
 amount of heat and drought. 
 
 mmsm: 
 
 Brussels Sprouts may be planted in June 
 
 Bush beans sown early in June will bear crops in 
 July and August, and a constant supply of tender 
 beans may be had all summer long if more sowings 
 are made at intervals of ten days or two weeks, and 
 all the beans picked while they are still tender. The 
 yellow or butter beans seem to do better during the 
 hottest weather than green kinds, and the yellow 
 ones are not so liable to rust as are the green varieties ; 
 in spite of this drawback, however, the latter are 
 worth planting. Good varieties of yellow beans are 
 Butter Wax, Round-podded Wax, Refugee and 
 
42 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 Stringless Wax; of green beans, Stringless Green- 
 Pod, Extra-Early Valentine and Extra-Early Refugee. 
 By planting an early variety of sweet corn early 
 in June, edible ears may be had in August; and at 
 the same time sowings of the larger-eared varieties, 
 like Stowell's Evergreen and Country Gentleman, 
 should be made for the early fall crops. Some of the 
 early varieties are so good that many people make 
 frequent plantings. Experienced gardeners prefer 
 Golden Bantam, a yellow variety. It is sweeter 
 than most of the early white varieties, and a few 
 successive sowings will insure an all-summer's supply. 
 
 BEETS SOWN IN JUNE MATURE IN AUGUST 
 
 Another vegetable which, if it is sown in June, 
 will be ready to eat in August, is the beet. Use one 
 of the early kinds, like Detroit Dark Red or Early 
 Model ; sow rather thickly, and as soon as they come 
 up thin them out and use the thinnings for greens. 
 These beets will be much better in August than the 
 larger, older roots that one would buy from the 
 green-grocer, for by this time the early-sown beets 
 have become woody. 
 
 Like the beets, young carrots are the most 
 luscious, but they will not be large enough to eat 
 quite so quickly as the beets. Early June-sown carrot 
 seeds produce good roots early in September. One 
 should grow the small early or forcing carrots, as 
 they are more tender than the larger, coarser 
 kind. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 43 
 
 A few plants of tomatoes should find a place in 
 the June-planted vegetable-garden; but these must 
 be bought, unless one has had the forethought to 
 start the plants in the window-garden. Buy early 
 varieties. There is no satisfaction in getting kinds 
 that are only just coming into bearing and have a 
 heavy crop of unripe fruit on when the frosts arrive. 
 Such varieties as Earliana and Chalk's Early Jewel 
 will bear earlier than most other kinds. 
 
 Cucumbers and melons are two vegetables which 
 everybody likes to grow, and the home-picked musk- 
 melon or cucumber can never be equaled by those 
 that are bought in the market, because the melons 
 must be left on the vine until they have acquired a 
 flavor and aroma to be at their best. Cucumbers, 
 too, to be good must be absolutely fresh. They lose 
 their crispness in a very short time, when being 
 shipped. 
 
 GET IN SOME MELONS AND CUCUMBERS 
 
 The middle of June is none too late in northern 
 localities to plant the seed of melons and cucumbers. 
 Squashes may be planted at the same time; they will 
 mature just as early as though sown earlier. 
 
 If you wish to have a vegetable which has a good 
 turnip flavor and yet is not so strong, grow kohlrabi. 
 This is rather a peculiar-looking vegetable. It is 
 hemispherical in shape, with leaves coming at vari- 
 ous places, unlike the turnip, all the leaves of which 
 spring from the center. The grain is much finer 
 
44 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 than that of the turnip, and the flavor is more 
 dehcate. 
 
 It is not too late to sow seeds of cabbage and cauli- 
 flower for a fall crop, but for use in the late summer 
 
 The Kohlrabi is a peculiar-looking vegetable 
 
 one should get plants. The best varieties of cauli- 
 flower for use at this time are the Extra-Early 
 Dwarf Erfurt, Snowball, and Snowstorm. Of cab- 
 bage, any of the late kinds may be sown, and for the 
 first crop it may be possible still to buy good plants 
 of Early Jersey Wakefield. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 45 
 
 Few people in this country rejflize what a dehcacy 
 brussels sprouts are. It is a winter dish, for the 
 sprouts do not acquire their full flavor until after 
 the frosts of fall have touched them. In many locali- 
 
 Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage 
 
 ties the brussels sprouts have not been gro-^^ni success- 
 fully, but such a variety as the Long Island Improved 
 should succeed almost anywhere in the eastern 
 United States. 
 
46 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 THE GARDEN MONTH BY MONTH 
 JANUARY 
 
 While no actual digging is possible, there is much 
 garden work to be done now. A great deal of time 
 should be devoted this month to planning the 
 garden. 
 
 Draw on paper a plan of your proposed garden, 
 and arrange the ground so that you will be able to 
 utilize it the entire season. 
 
 Decide that your next garden will be a vast im- 
 provement over the last in efficiency and economy 
 of time and labor devoted to it. This can be done 
 only by making your plans now. 
 
 Send for the seedsmen's catalogues and make up 
 your order early. This will help the seedsmen to 
 give you better attention than when the rush season 
 begins, and will also insure you that you will get all 
 the varieties you want, and which, through unex- 
 pected demands, may be out of stock later on. 
 
 Try some vegetables that you never have under- 
 taken to grow before. Experiments of this kind 
 very often result in delightful surprises. 
 
 Get all of your garden tools in shape. If any parts 
 are worn or broken, replace them now. If any tools 
 are rusty, scrub them with benzine, and paint with 
 white lead and lard. 
 
 Now is a good time to decide on any additional 
 garden tools, so that your order may go to the manu- 
 facturers early. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 47 
 FEBRUARY 
 
 As soon as you have ordered your seeds, look over 
 the garden tools and decide what you need to replace 
 those that are worn out. 
 
 Sow, in greenhouse or window-garden, seeds of 
 cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, and peppers for 
 planting outdoors early. 
 
 Try some Jersey Wakefield cabbage in flats filled 
 with light loamy soil. Sow the seed the last of the 
 month. It should be sown thinly and covered lightly. 
 The flats may be placed in a hotbed, or in any warm, 
 sunny place. As soon as the plants develop, trans- 
 plant to flats \}/2 inches apart, and expose to the air 
 when the weather is favorable. They may be 
 removed to a coldframe in March. 
 
 Sow some Prizetaker onions in flats in a hotbed 
 or greenhouse, late in the month, and transplant to 
 the open ground in rows one foot apart as soon as the 
 ground is in working condition. The plants should 
 be set 3 inches apart. 
 
 Spread heavily over your rhubarb a dressing of 
 well-rotted manure during the latter part of the 
 month. 
 
 If you would like some extra-early stalks of 
 rhubarb, place a headless barrel over a few of the 
 more sturdy plants, and pile fresh horse-manure 
 around them. Cover the top of the barrel lightly. 
 The satisfaction of having these early stalks will 
 well repay you for the little time and trouble in- 
 volved in the operation. 
 
48 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 MARCH 
 
 As soon as the ground can be worked, peas may 
 be planted. Any of the early, smooth varieties are 
 good for this purpose. 
 
 Spinach seeds may be planted as soon as the 
 ground can be worked. The plants will take the 
 place of that sown in the fall. 
 
 Do not let potatoes that have been kept for seed 
 sprout. They must be stored in a temperature that 
 is low, say, near the freezing point. Pick out all 
 decayed specimens. 
 
 Toward the end of the month, sow the seeds of 
 artichokes for next year's. crop. They like a rich, 
 deep, sandy loam. If you have old plants, give them 
 a dressing of old, well-rotted manure, forked in. 
 
 Sow lettuce and radish seeds in the hotbed at 
 intervals of ten days or two weeks. They will well 
 repay you for the time and attention. 
 
 Asparagus beds will do better for a top-dressing 
 of bone meal or other good commercial fertilizer. 
 Barnyard manure introduces too many weed seeds. 
 
 Cover the rhubarb clumps with piles of ferment- 
 ing manure if you want to force some early stalks. 
 
 APRIL 
 
 You can gain time by starting beans, both the 
 string variety and limas, in pots, to be transplanted 
 outdoors when all danger of frost is past. Four weeks 
 before planting-out time is sufficient to start them. 
 
HOW TO MAKi: A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 49 
 
 Another method of gaining time is to plant beans 
 on inverted sods which, later on, can be put directly 
 into the garden. Be sure to sow some beet seed. If 
 you sow a row of seeds thickly, they will produce 
 all summer. Always thin out by pulling the larger 
 roots. The tops of young beets make excellent 
 greens. 
 
 You can now sow cabbage and cauliflower seed 
 out-of-doors in beds for transplanting, for the late 
 summer and fall crops. The early plants that are 
 in the frames should be transplanted as soon as the 
 ground is ready for them, but be sure to harden off 
 plants from hotbed and coldframe before transplant- 
 ing them. 
 
 Celery may be sown now in seed-beds out-of-doors 
 for the main crop. 
 
 Be sure to water carefully the eggplants that 
 have been sown earlier, as a check to their growth 
 now would be serious. Transplant to either paper 
 or clay pots, but be sure the pots are large enough. 
 
 Spade a good dressing of fertilizer into the aspara- 
 gus bed. This work must be done carefully, so as 
 not to injure the crowTis. 
 
 A small amount of cress and mustard seeds will 
 be useful for seasoning and salads. The plants will 
 be ready for use in two weeks. Successive sowings 
 should be made as long as they are wanted. 
 
 Start some muskmelons and cucumbers now, by 
 sowing the seeds in pots in the coldframe or on in- 
 verted sods. 
 
 Parsnips and salsify that have been left in the 
 
50 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 ground all winter should be dug now, and stored 
 before they start into new growth. For new crops 
 of these vegetables, sow seeds as soon as the ground 
 can be worked. 
 
 Soak the seeds of parsley in warm water for 
 twenty-four hours before sowing in the ground out- 
 doors. These seeds are very slow to germinate. 
 
 Sow smooth varieties of peas just as soon as the 
 ground can be worked. For later plantings, use the 
 wrinkled varieties. The ground should be prepared 
 deeply, and should be warmer for the wrinkled than 
 for the smooth varieties. 
 
 If you wish to get the early potatoes, use an early 
 variety and sprout the tubers before planting them. 
 This can be done by placing the potatoes in shallow 
 flats and keeping them in a light, warm place. 
 
 As soon as the ground can be worked, sow both 
 head and loose lettuce seeds outdoors. 
 
 Try some leeks. They have a more delicate flavor 
 than onions. As soon as the plants get started, thin 
 to 6 inches apart, and blanch them by placing brown 
 paper collars on them, held in place by small stakes. 
 
 If you want to have artichokes for next year, 
 they should be started at once from seed or plants. 
 The latter are better because named varieties can be 
 obtained. 
 
 One row of Swiss chard will supply an ordinary 
 family with greens all summer. 
 
 Sow spinach seeds as soon as possible, planting 
 Long-standing, or a similar heat-resisting variety, 
 for early summer use. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 51 
 
 As soon as the ground can be worked sow radish 
 seeds. Use the turnip-rooted varieties for the early 
 crop. They will mature in twent}^ days. If you want 
 earlier crops, sow the seed in the coldframe. 
 
 Be sure that your pepper plants get careful 
 attention, especially as to water. Transplant to 
 paper or clay pots, and be sure that the pots are 
 large enough. 
 
 Tomatoes in the coldframe or hotbed should be 
 transplanted to paper pots as soon as they have 
 good root-growth. They will make sturdier plants. 
 
 MAY 
 
 In setting out tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers, 
 be sure that the weather is settled. Even if there is 
 no frost, a sudden drop in temperature at night may 
 kill them. 
 
 Do not let the rhubarb flower. Pull out the 
 flower-stalks when they appear in the clumps. 
 
 Do not plant pole and bush lima beans too early. 
 They will rot if the weather is cold and rainy. The 
 ground must be quite warm to germinate them. The 
 middle of the month will generally be found early 
 enough. 
 
 After May 15 plant sweet com, and then put in 
 some more every ten days or two weeks to maintain 
 a succession. 
 
 If you started beets under glass, now is the time 
 to transplant them. When the ground is warm, sow 
 outside for a succession. 
 
52 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 Cabbages generally do best on freshly turned sod. 
 They should be set out before the land has had time 
 to dry out after plowing. Cabbage needs rich land. 
 Put on all the manure you can spare. 
 
 Toward the end of the month, plant melons in the 
 open ground. It is useless to put them out until 
 after settled weather has arrived. They require a 
 rich, well-manured soil. 
 
 Be sure to provide for a succession of peas. Use 
 first the early smooth varieties; later, plant the 
 wrinkled kinds for two weeks. Wire poultry-netting 
 is excellent for training up the pea-vines. 
 
 A good way of starting cucumber seeds is in 
 inverted sods or paper pots. 
 
 If you like dandelions as a salad or greens and 
 want some for use next spring, the seeds should be 
 planted now. The tap-root requires a whole year to 
 produce a good whorl of leaves. 
 
 It is wise and practical to sift dry wood-ashes on 
 cabbage, cucumber, and squash plants before the 
 flea beetle has had a chance to establish itself near 
 them. 
 
 A highly recommended method of preventing 
 the striped beetle from harming melons, cucumbers, 
 and squashes, is to protect each hill as soon as 
 planted with a frame covered with mosquito netting. 
 
 Don't forget that weeds will get a good start in 
 May if you let them. The soft muggy days and 
 frequent rains make ideal conditions for growing 
 weeds, and you may as well squelch them at the 
 start. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 53 
 JUNE 
 
 It is usually a practice with regard to asparagus 
 to stop cutting the shoots when peas begin to mature. 
 Late cutting of shoots has a tendency to weaken the 
 plants. 
 
 It is not too late to sow a row or two of beets, in 
 order that you may have tender, succulent roots for 
 the fall. 
 
 The main crop of celery may be planted now, and 
 ordinarily it will do very well to follow some of the 
 early crops that you are harvesting. 
 
 Late cabbage and cauliflower should be set out 
 now. These also can follow early crops. 
 
 Bear in mind that celery, cabbage, and cauliflower 
 are heavy feeders, and will need a good deal of 
 fertilizer. 
 
 If you sow lettuce seeds now, place them in flats 
 in shaded places and afterward transplant to the 
 garden. During hot weather, lettuce that has a 
 position in a shaded place in the garden does best. 
 Pick out a heat-resisting variety if possible. 
 
 Sow green or wax beans for ten days or two weeks, 
 in order to maintain a succession. When the early 
 beans have finished bearing, burn the vines, in order 
 to prevent any ill results from fungus or insect pests. 
 
 Cucumbers and melons are warmth-loving plants 
 and, if planted early in June, wiU mature almost as 
 soon as those which w^ere put into the ground earlier 
 in the season. 
 
 Be sure to watch the melons already planted 
 
54 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 closely, so that you may fight the striped beetle as 
 soon as it appears. It is a wise practice to cover the 
 melon vines with cheesecloth-covered boxes until 
 they are tough enough to withstand its ravages. 
 
 Squashes need much the same attention as 
 melons. If you would prevent loss from the stem- 
 borer, cover the joints of the squash vines here and 
 there with a little soil, so that they can take root. 
 
 In the northern states it is not too late to plant 
 some melon seeds and, if the fall is a late one, a very 
 good crop can be had. 
 
 It is also not too late to plant lima beans in the 
 northern states. Those of the tall varieties that are 
 already up should be trained on poles. 
 
 Be sure to provide stakes or trellises for the 
 tomatoes. Where neither is convenient, put down 
 some brush for the plants to run over. This will 
 keep the fruit cleaner and drier and lessen the chances 
 of rot. 
 
 Plan to sow some turnips for fall use. They may 
 well take the place of some of the earlier crops. 
 
 Keep the ground about the onions well stirred 
 and free from weeds. If onions have been sown in 
 drills, they should be thinned to 4 or 5 inches apart. 
 
 JULY 
 
 Just because the asparagus is not a producing 
 crop throughout the summer is no reason for neglect- 
 ing it. Keep it thoroughly cultivated, and you will 
 find that such a policy will pay you well next spring. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 55 
 
 July 1 is not too late to plant some okra. The 
 pods of this vegetable are used in soups. If too many 
 are harvested for immediate use, they may be dried 
 for use during the winter months. 
 
 The New Zealand spinach thrives well during the 
 hot summer months, and may be sown to take the 
 place of the common spinach. As a rule, only the 
 tips of the growth are eaten. 
 
 If you want to try a late sowing of peas, put in 
 Daniel O'Rourke, but be sure to spray the vines 
 with a fungicide, in order to keep down the mildew 
 with which late peas are troubled. 
 
 The large radishes do better during the hot sum- 
 mer months than the small varieties. Try some. 
 Certain of the varieties may be stored for winter use, 
 and will keep fresh all winter and be as mild as the 
 first spring radishes. 
 
 You may still set out cabbage, cauhflower, and 
 celery plants. This, of course, may follow some early 
 crop. 
 
 You can sow corn about July 1, if you want to 
 take a chance on the frosts being late. Plant an 
 early variety. 
 
 If you want lettuce seeds to germinate well during 
 the hot summer weather, they must be sown in a 
 moist, shaded place. Only the hot- weather-loving 
 varieties should be planted. 
 
 Do not forget to spray potatoes with bordeaux 
 mixture containing arsenate of lead or other arsenical 
 poison, if you would prevent any bad effects from 
 the blight. 
 
50 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 Remember that rhubarb is a gross feeder and 
 requires plenty of manure. 
 
 Wise gardeners sow crimson clover between the 
 rows of corn at the last cultivating. This, turned 
 under next spring, will add humus to the soil and 
 give you cheap nitrogen. 
 
 Continue to sow wax beans in order to maintain 
 a succession. They can be put on the ground that 
 has been occupied by some of the early crops like 
 cabbage or spinach. 
 
 Sow some beets for fall use. They will be found 
 to be remarkably tender when ready to pull. 
 
 If you spray the melons, cucumbers, and squashes 
 with bordeaux mixture, mildew and blight will be 
 held in check. 
 
 AUGUST 
 
 It is not too late to make a last sowing of the 
 early table sorts of beets for a succession. 
 
 The early crop of cabbage should now be ready 
 for harvesting. Give good cultivation to the main 
 crop, in order to keep down the bugs and the worms. 
 
 As soon as the onions are well formed, begin to 
 harvest them. They should lie on the ground until 
 well cured in the air and then be placed on a barn 
 or other floor and spread out thinly for a thorough 
 drying. 
 
 The last crop of celery may still be set out early 
 in the month if the rows are hoed frequently and the 
 plants are kept growing. 
 
 Did you ever try the common drain-tiles for 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 57 
 
 blanching celery? Put them over the plants when 
 the latter are half-grown. 
 
 Cut the tops from the asparagus plants toward 
 the end of the month. If you do not do this, the 
 seeds will fall and germinate in places where they 
 ought not to be. 
 
 Cut off the old tops of asparagus close to the 
 ground, as the old stubs sticking up are hkely to 
 scratch the hands when harvesting next year's crop. 
 Burning the tops will effectually destroy the seeds. 
 
 Cultivate the garden often. This will make a 
 good dust mulch and conserve the moisture, and 
 the conservation of moisture is important this 
 month. 
 
 When you have harvested cabbage and other 
 crops, plan for future fertilization by planting seeds 
 of rye or of vetch and the other legumes. These can 
 be turned in next spring, in order to make green 
 fertilizer. 
 
 Sow every week, radishes, beans, and lettuce for 
 a supply of fresh vegetables for the early fall. 
 
 If you would have some sweet corn at the end of 
 the season, sow an extra-early variety before the 
 middle of the month. 
 
 Keep up the fight against mildew and blight on 
 squashes and melons by spraying at regular intervals 
 with bordeaux mixture. 
 
 If your potatoes have become infested with blight, 
 they will not keep well through the winter. Keep 
 after the blight and the bugs by spraying with arsen- 
 ate of lead in bordeaux mixture. 
 
58 HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 SEPTEMBER 
 
 It's nearly time to get ready for winter in the 
 vegetable-garden. Many crops must be harvested 
 before any damage is done by the early frosts, which 
 come toward the end of the month. 
 
 The beets and carrots should be housed before 
 frost. They should be stored in a cool place, and will 
 do well if they are imbedded in sand. In storing 
 beets, be careful not to injure them so that they 
 bleed, because they lose in quality if they are bruised. 
 
 In banking the celery, which is an important 
 part of the work of the month, be careful not to get 
 earth into the heart, which will cause it to rot. 
 
 Sow some lettuce in coldframes now for fall and 
 early winter use. It will be appreciated when so 
 many of the other things of the garden are gone. 
 
 It is not too late to sow some radishes in cold- 
 frames. 
 
 Rhubarb should be mulched with manure. It 
 serves a double purpose — ^i^rotc^ction for the winter 
 and the enrichment of the ground for the next 
 spring's crop. 
 
 If you have not already cut off the tops from the 
 asparagus-bed, do so at once, and be sure to burn 
 the tops. 
 
 Another wise precaution is to collect all of the 
 melon and squash vines as soon as they are through 
 bearing and burn them. Some gardeners defer this 
 operation until the vines have been killed by frost. 
 
 As the garden approaches the end of the season, 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 59 
 
 keep it cleaned up. All refuse and dead vines and 
 plants should be gathered and burned. You are 
 then sure that any insect pests which they may be 
 harboring are destroyed. 
 
 Be sure to store the squashes and pumpkins in a 
 cool, dry place, but one that is free from frost. 
 
 Both the shell and lima beans should be picked 
 before the frosts kill the plants. They may be then 
 shelled and dried for winter use. 
 
 After digging the potatoes, dry them for a few 
 hours. Put them into bags and store them for a few 
 days in an airy place, and then they are ready for 
 the cellar. 
 
 Growers of sweet potatoes find that they will keep 
 better if dug before the vines are touched with the 
 frost. They have to be sweated before being stored. 
 
 OCTOBER 
 
 Get the celery out of the ground. 
 
 Dig chicory, and store in damp sand. 
 
 Clean and fertilize the asparagus patch. 
 
 Blanch endive by tying the tips together. 
 
 If you have no asparagus, set out some now. 
 
 White grub is easily destroyed by fall spading. 
 
 Transplant some parsley into window-boxes for 
 winter use. 
 
 Start a rhubarb-patch this month, and mulch 
 well with manure. 
 
 Clean up all cabbage stumps. They provide 
 excellent shelter for cabbage worms. 
 
GO HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 
 
 Parsnips should not be harvested, excepting as 
 wanted for use. They have a better flavor if left in 
 the ground. 
 
 If you have plenty of asparagus and rhubarb, dig 
 up some of the roots for forcing in the cellar. The 
 furnace heat will do it. 
 
 Squash bugs can be found under boards laid in 
 the garden, and thus easily destroyed. They seek 
 shelter under the boards during the night. 
 
 Spade up the garden and leave it rough over 
 winter. Many pests, including cutworms, will be 
 destroyed by the loosening up of the ground and 
 consequent destruction of their cells. 
 
 NOVEMBER 
 
 If you have planted spinach, give it a light mulch 
 of litter or straw. Use just enough to hold a little 
 snow and prevent alternate thawing and freezing. 
 
 Your rhubarb should have a mulch of good, well- 
 rotted manure. Rhubarb is a, gross feeder, and the 
 mulch will serve the double purpose of winter pro- 
 tection and soil nourishment. 
 
 Now is a good time to attend to hotbed repairs 
 and repainting. Gather all the sash not in use and 
 store in a dry place. 
 
 Before putting your garden tools in winter quar- 
 ters, look them over and order renewals for any 
 broken parts. If any of the tools are rusty, scour 
 them and paint with a thin coating of three parts of 
 lard and one part of powdered resin, melted together. 
 
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE-GARDEN 61 
 
 Some gardeners use lard containing a little white 
 lead. 
 
 The wooden parts of tools look better and last 
 longer if given a coat of good paint and linseed oil 
 once a year. 
 
 One good way to keep celery for the winter is to 
 put it in a trench lined and built up with boards and 
 covered with soil. Upon the approach of severe 
 weather, straw or manure should be put over the 
 trench. 
 
 Beets will keep well in pits out-of-doors, but a few 
 may be stored in the cellar if placed in damp sand, 
 to prevent shriveling. 
 
 Asparagus and rhubarb for forcing indoors can 
 be taken up successfully until the ground is frozen 
 hard. 
 
 Clean up the garden thoroughly, so that there 
 will be no places for injurious insects to breed. If 
 you plow up the garden in ridges, leaving the land 
 loose, the frost working through the soil will kill 
 many of the pests. 
 
A PLANTING TABLE 
 
 After studying planting tables of many kinds, we are convinced 
 that the amateur will find this the most helpful and practical table 
 tor planting vegetables which has ever been published. In using 
 the table, allow ten days for every one hundred miles north or south. 
 
 Variety 
 
 When 
 
 to Sow 
 
 Hill 
 
 or 
 
 Drill 
 
 Seed 
 
 Indoors 
 
 Outdoors 
 
 Necessary 
 
 Artichoke, Globe 
 
 February 
 
 
 H. 
 
 1 oz. for 500 
 
 
 plants 
 
 Asparagus 
 
 
 April 
 
 March, 
 April 
 
 H. 
 
 1 oz. for 50 feet 
 
 Beans, Broad 
 
 
 D. 
 
 1 qt. for 100 feet 
 
 Beans, Bush Lima 
 
 
 May 
 
 D 
 
 1 qt. for 100 feet 
 
 Beans, Pole Lima 
 
 
 May 
 
 H. 
 
 1 qt. for 100 hills 
 
 Beans, Wax 
 
 
 Mav-Auff. 
 
 D. 
 
 1 qt. for 100 feet 
 
 Beans, Pole 
 
 
 May 
 
 n. 
 
 Iqt. for 100 hills 
 
 Beets 
 
 
 April-Au{?. 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 50 feet 
 
 
 
 (62) 
 
FOR VEGETABLES 
 
 of the latitude of New York City. If this table is carefullj^ followed 
 throughout the summer, it will make it possible ior the amateur 
 to have a constant succession of vegetables until late in the fall. 
 When selecting varieties, it is best to consult the local seedsmen. 
 
 Thin or 
 Transplant 
 to (inches) 
 
 24 X 36 
 
 24 X 3G 
 
 12 x24 
 
 36 X 30 
 
 12 x24 
 
 36 X 36 
 
 IVo 9x18 
 
 Season of 
 Crop 
 
 September 
 
 April-Juno 
 
 June, July 
 
 Aug. to frost 
 
 Aug. to frost 
 
 July on 
 
 Aug. to frost 
 
 July on 
 
 Cultural Information 
 
 French Globe is the standard sort. 
 Grow in rich soil. Is grown for the 
 fiower-heads, which are gathered 
 before they open. Bears for two or 
 three years if given slight protection. 
 
 Barr's Mammoth, Colossal, and Pal- 
 metto, best green varieties. Mam- 
 moth White has white stalks. Needs 
 rich soil. Cut bed lightly first season. 
 Cut off and burn stalks in fall. 
 
 As hardy as peas. For early crop plant 
 Early Mazagan; main crop. Broad 
 Windsor. When pods have formed, 
 break off top of plant to force 
 strength into pods. 
 
 For early crop plant Henderson's; 
 second early, Dreer's; main crop, 
 Large Bush. Plant the "eye" down. 
 Use commercial fertilizer in row. 
 Needs warm land. 
 
 For early crop plant Early Sieva; 
 second early. Early Jersey; main 
 crop. Large White; late crop, Dreer's 
 Pole. Use 10-foot poles and plant 
 them before putting in the beans. 
 
 For early crop plant Early Valentine; 
 second early, Refugee Wax; main 
 crop. Golden Wax; late crop, Early 
 Valentine. Sow every two weeks 
 for succession. 
 
 For early crop plant Kentucky Won- 
 der. Dutch Caseknife and Lazy 
 Wife are good, but later. All will 
 bear until frost. 
 
 For early crop, Egyptian; second 
 early. Eclipse; main crop, Edmand's; 
 late crop, Egyptian. Sow early va- 
 rieties every two weeks, using beets 
 when small and tender. 
 
 (63) 
 
A PLANTING TABLE 
 
 Variety 
 
 When to Sow 
 
 Hill 
 
 or 
 
 Drill 
 
 Seed 
 
 Indoors 
 
 Outdoors 
 
 Necessary 
 
 Broccoli 
 
 
 April 
 
 11. 
 
 1 oz. for 2,000 
 plants 
 
 Brussels Sprouts 
 
 .... 
 
 April, May 
 
 H. 
 
 1 oz for 2 000 
 
 
 plants 
 
 Cabbage 
 
 Feb., Mar. 
 
 May, June 
 
 H. 
 
 1 oz. for 2,000 
 plants 
 
 Cardoon 
 
 
 May, June 
 
 H. 
 
 1 oz. for 300 
 
 
 plants 
 
 Carrot 
 
 
 April-July 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. to 100 feet 
 
 
 .... 
 
 
 H. 
 
 1 oz. for 2,000 
 
 
 plants 
 
 Celery 
 
 February 
 
 April, May 
 
 D. 
 
 I oz. for 2,000 
 
 
 plants 
 
 Chard, Swiss 
 
 
 April 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for .50 feet 
 
 Corn 
 
 April 
 
 May, June 
 
 II. 
 
 1 quart for 100 
 hills 
 
 (64) 
 
FOR VEGETABLES, continued 
 
 Thin or 
 Transplant 
 to (inches) 
 
 24 x3G 
 
 IS X 36 
 
 24 x36 
 
 24 x36 
 
 X 18 
 
 24 X 18 
 
 6x48 
 
 Season of 
 Crop 
 
 X 24 
 
 36 x36 
 
 July to Oct. 
 
 October on 
 
 July on 
 
 August on 
 
 July on 
 
 July to Oct, 
 
 August on 
 
 June to frost 
 
 Aug. to frost 
 
 Cultural Information 
 
 Similar to cauliflower, but better 
 adapted than it for the cool North. 
 For early crop grow Early White; 
 main crop, Mammoth White ^or • 
 Purple Cape. 
 
 Good varieties are Long Island, Sal- 
 keith, Half-Dwarf. Not good until 
 touched by frost. Are hardy, so 
 may be left outdoors during winter if 
 protected with straw or cornstalks. 
 
 For early, plant Early Jersey Wake- 
 field; second early, All-Head; main 
 crop. Late Flat Dutch. Late crop 
 can be planted on land on which 
 early peas were grown. 
 
 Good varieties are Large Spanish, 
 Large Solid. Grow on rich ground. 
 When 3 feet high tie tops together, 
 protect with straw and draw earth 
 about stems to blanch. 
 
 For early crop plant Early Forcing; 
 second early, main crop, Danvers; 
 late crop, Early Forcing. For con- 
 tinuous crop of small tender roots 
 sow bi-weekly. 
 
 For earliest crop sov/ earliest Dwarf 
 Erfurt; second early, Early Snowball; 
 main crop, Algiers; late crop. Earliest 
 Dwarf Erfurt. Needs cool weather 
 and rich, moist soil. 
 
 For earliest crop grow White Plume; 
 second early, Golden Self-blanching; 
 main crop, Giant Pascal. Give an 
 abundance of a nitrogenous manure 
 like nitrate of soda. 
 
 No choice as to varieties. Commence 
 cutting when leaves are 6 inches 
 high. New leaves will be formed. 
 Cook and serve like beet greens. 
 
 For early plant Peep o'Day; second 
 early, Golden Bantam; midseason, 
 Crosby's Twelve-rowed; main crop, 
 plant every two weeks, Stowell's 
 Evergreen. 
 
 (65) 
 
A PLANTING TABLE 
 
 
 When to Sow 
 
 Hill 
 
 or 
 
 Drill 
 
 Seed 
 
 
 Indoors 
 
 Outdoors 
 
 Necessary 
 
 Corn Salad 
 
 
 April-Aug. 
 
 n. 
 
 1 oz. for 100 feet 
 
 Cress 
 
 
 April- July 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. to 50 feet 
 
 Cucumber 
 
 March 
 
 May-July 
 
 H. 
 
 1 oz. to 50 hills 
 
 
 
 April 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 1,000 
 
 
 plants 
 
 Eggplant 
 
 Feb., March 
 
 .... 
 
 H. 
 
 1 oz. for 1,000 
 Ijlants 
 
 Endive 
 
 
 April-Sept. 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 150 feet 
 
 Kale 
 
 
 May 
 
 D, 
 
 1 oz. for 150 feet 
 
 Kohlrabi 
 
 
 May, June 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 200 feet 
 
 Lettuce 
 
 Feb., March 
 
 April-Aug. 1 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 120 feet 
 
 
 
 (66) 
 
FOR VEGETABLES, continued 
 
 Thin or 
 Transplant 
 to (inches) 
 
 Cultural Information 
 
 6x6 
 
 12 X 18 
 
 30 X 36 
 
 12 X 12 
 
 12 X IS 
 
 12 x24 
 
 June on 
 
 June on 
 
 July to frost 
 
 Following 
 spring 
 
 Aug. to frost 
 
 Sept. through 
 winter 
 
 September 
 
 Aug., Sept. 
 
 June to frost 
 
 Grown mostly for fall salad. Good 
 substitute for lettuce. Will live 
 outdoors all winter if given a pro- 
 tection of straw or leaves. 
 
 Of the garden cress sow Curled or 
 Upland every two weeks; when 
 cut it will grow again; water cress 
 can be grown in damp soil as well as 
 in water. 
 
 For early crop grow Early White 
 Spine; second early, Cool and Crisp; 
 main crop. Long Green. Start a few 
 plants indoors on inverted sods. 
 
 Grown for pot herb. They are greatly 
 improved by blanching, which is 
 done by covering with an A-shaped 
 trough. Good varieties are French 
 Garden, Thick-leaved, Large-leaved. 
 
 New York Spineless is the best va- 
 riety. Do not set plants in garden 
 until ground is thoroughly warm and 
 there is no danger of frost. 
 
 For early, sow White Curled; main 
 crop, Green Curled or Broad-leaved. 
 Make successive sowing every two or 
 three weeks. For winter use store 
 plants in the cellar. 
 
 Grow and give the same attention as 
 for cabbage. Good varieties are 
 Dwarf Green, Curled Scotch, Dwarf 
 Curled Brown. Sow Siberian in 
 September for early "greens." 
 
 For early crop grow Short-leaved 
 Early White Vienna or Early 
 Purple Vienna in frames; main crop, 
 Early White Vienna. Gather when 
 bulbs are 3 inches in diameter. 
 
 For early, grow Grand Rapids, a loose- 
 head; second early, Curled Simpson; 
 main crop. Salamander. During 
 hot weather protect lettuce from 
 hot midday sun. 
 
 (67) 
 
A PLANTING TABLE 
 
 Variety 
 
 When to Sow 
 
 Hill 
 
 or 
 
 Drill 
 
 Seed 
 
 Indoors 
 
 Outdoors 
 
 Necessary 
 
 Lettuce, Romaine 
 
 
 April- July 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 100 feet 
 
 Melon, Musk 
 
 April 
 
 May, June 
 
 n. 
 
 1 oz. for 60 hills 
 
 Melon, Water 
 
 
 May 
 
 H. 
 
 1 oz. for 30 hillb 
 
 Mustard 
 
 
 April, May 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for SO feet 
 
 Okra 
 
 .March 
 
 May 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 40 feet 
 
 
 February 
 
 April 
 
 D. 
 
 S., 1 oz. for 100 
 
 
 feet 
 
 Sets, 1 qt. for 
 
 50 feet 
 
 Parsley 
 
 
 April 
 April 
 
 n 
 
 1 oz. for 150 feet 
 
 Parsnip 
 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 200 feet 
 
 
 
 (68) 
 
FOR VEGETABLES, continued 
 
 Thin or 
 Transplant 
 to (inches) 
 
 x24 
 
 60 X 60 
 
 60 X GO 
 
 1 X 
 
 12 X 24 
 6 X 24 
 
 X 12 
 
 6 x24 
 
 Season of 
 Crop 
 
 July to frost 
 
 Aug. to frost 
 
 Aug. to frost 
 
 Ready in four 
 weeks 
 
 IS X 24 ! July to frost 
 
 May on 
 
 May on 
 
 Sept. through 
 winter 
 
 Cultural Information 
 
 Express Cos, Trianon Cos good va- 
 rieties. Blanch by tying leaves 
 together with raffia. Seem to resist 
 heat well. Need deep, rich soil and 
 plenty of nitrogenous manure. 
 
 For early. Netted Gem; second early, 
 Emerald Gem; main crop, Long 
 Island Beauty. Prefer a moist, 
 sandy soil. Spray with bordeaux 
 mixture to prevent blight and mil- 
 dew. 
 
 For early crop, Early Fordhook; 
 second-early, Cole's Early; main 
 crop, Cuban Queen. Watermelons 
 prefer a light, sandy, but moist soil. 
 Spray with bordeaux mixture. 
 
 Good varieties are Chinese or White 
 London. Make successive sowings 
 every ten days or two weeks. Mus- 
 tard adds a pleasant, pungent flavor 
 to salads. 
 
 Good varieties, Dwarf Prolific, White 
 Velvet, Long Green, Used for 
 flavoring Gumbo soup. Pick pods 
 when 1 to 2 inches long. Surplus 
 can be dried or canned. 
 
 For earliest crop, plant onion sets; for 
 main crop. White Globe or Prize- 
 taker. Latter variety started early 
 under glass and transplanted to 
 open in May. 
 
 Good varieties, Moss Curled, Fern- 
 leaved. LTsed for garnishers. Soak 
 seed for several hours in lukewarm 
 water to hasten germination. Ham- 
 burg or Turnip-rooted has fleshy 
 root. 
 
 For early, plant Early Round; main 
 crop. Hollow Crown. Much im- 
 proved by keeping over winter in 
 ground. To be available at any time, 
 give mulch. 
 
 (69) 
 
A PLANTING TABLE 
 
 Variety 
 
 When 
 
 to Sow 
 
 Hill 
 
 or 
 
 Drill 
 
 Seed 
 
 Indoors 
 
 Outdoors 
 
 Necessary 
 
 Peas 
 
 
 March-June 
 
 D. 
 
 1 qt. for 100 feet 
 
 Peas, Sugar 
 
 
 April 
 
 D. 
 
 1 qt. to 100 feet 
 
 Pepper 
 
 March 
 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 2,000 
 
 
 plants 
 
 Potato 
 
 
 April, May 
 
 H. 
 
 1 peck for 100 
 
 
 hills 
 
 Punnkin 
 
 
 IMay, June 
 
 11. 
 
 1 oz. for 30 hills 
 
 Radish 
 
 Feb., Mar. 
 
 April-Sept. 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 100 feet 
 
 
 
 May 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 200 
 
 
 plants 
 
 Rhubarb 
 
 
 Sept., Oct. 
 
 H. 
 
 1 root a plant 
 
 Salsify 
 
 .... 
 
 April 
 
 D. 
 
 1 oz. for 75 feet 
 
 
 
 (70) 
 
FOR VEGETABLES, continued 
 
 Thin or 
 Transplant 
 to (inches) 
 
 18 x36 
 
 12 X 24 
 IS X 36 
 
 lOS X lOS 
 
 3x8 
 
 48 x48 
 
 Season of 
 Crop 
 
 June to frost 
 
 July 
 
 July to frost 
 
 July on 
 
 September 
 
 Mature in 25 
 days 
 
 Oct. to Feb. 
 
 May to July 
 
 Sept. through 
 winter 
 
 Cultural Information 
 
 For early crop, Daniel O'Rourke; 
 second early, Nott's Elxcelsior; main 
 crop, Champion of England; late, 
 Daniel O'Rourke. Late crop subject 
 to mildew. 
 
 These are edible-podded peas which 
 are picked while the pea or seed is 
 still small and the pod tender. They 
 are broken up, cooked, and served 
 like string beans. 
 
 For early, plant Neapolitan; second- 
 early, BuUnose; main crop, Ruby 
 King. Neapolitan has a very sweet 
 fif^h and is the best for cooking. 
 
 For early crop, Early Rose; second 
 early. Beauty of Hebron; main crop, 
 Carman No. 1, or Green Mountain. 
 Spray with bordeaux mixture and 
 paris green every two weeks. 
 
 Two good varieties for pies are Sugar 
 and Dunkard. Must be stored in a 
 warm (45°), dry place or they will 
 rot. Plant among corn to save room. 
 For early, plant early Scarlet Turnip 
 Forcing; second, French Breakfast 
 and Long Scarlet. For winter, 
 Half-Long Black Spanish. Make 
 successive sowings once a week. 
 
 Roots can be eaten like radishes, or 
 they and the leaves can be served in 
 salads. Store roots in damp sand 
 in cellar. It has the smallest seed of 
 any vegetable. 
 
 Linnaeus, Victoria, St. Martins are 
 all good varieties. To get the earliest 
 rhubarb, put headless barrel over 
 plant and surround it with fresh 
 horse manure. 
 
 Long White and Sandwich Island 
 Mammoth are good varieties. Hardy. 
 Store over winter in cellar packed 
 in damp sand. Used to flavor soups, 
 stews, etc. 
 
 (71) 
 
A PLANTING TABLE 
 
 (72) 
 
FOR VEGETABLES, continued 
 
 How Deep 
 to Plant 
 (inches) 
 R. = roots 
 S.= seeds 
 
 Thin or 
 Transplant 
 to (inches) 
 
 Bush, 36 X 48 
 Late, 72 x 00 
 
 3G X 4S 
 
 4 X IS 
 8 X 30 
 
 3G x48 
 
 Season of 
 Crop 
 
 May to August 
 
 July to .Sept. 
 
 Aug. throu^^h 
 winter 
 
 Au";. to frost 
 
 Aug. through 
 winter 
 
 August 
 
 Cultural Information 
 
 Sow Winter Thick-leaved in fall for 
 early spring use. Protect with 
 mulch of leaves or straw. Long- 
 standing, Long Season, Victoria 
 good for spring sowing. 
 
 Not a true spinach, but a good sub- 
 stitute as it withstands the heat of 
 midsummer when spinach will not 
 grow. Use the ends of the branches 
 and leaves. 
 
 For early crop. White Bush Scallop, 
 Yellow Crookneck. These are 
 summer squashes. For winter use, 
 grow Boston Marrow or Hubbard. 
 Dust with lime or ashes. 
 
 For early crop, grow Earliana; second- 
 early, Early Jewell; main crop, Acme 
 and Stone. Wrap stem of plant 
 before planting in open with brown 
 paper to protect from cutworms. 
 
 For early, grow Early Milan; second- 
 early, Purple-Top White Globe; late 
 crop. Rutabaga. The latter need 
 not be sown until July or August. 
 
 Very delicious squash vegetable. Must 
 be picked before fully mature, as 
 with summer squashes. English 
 grows 9 inches long. Italian 20 
 inches long. 
 
 (73) 
 
Making a Vegetable-Garden 
 
 THEGOUNTKreiDEHANOBOOKS 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 THE COUNTRYSIDE PRESS 
 
 HARRISBURG, PA.