offensive. The stumps of Cabbages and Cauliflowers give off most
obnoxious odours, and neighbours ought not to be annoyed by want of
thought in one particular garden. The short and easy way with all soft
decaying rubbish is to put it at the bottom of a trench when preparing
land for planting. There it ceases to be a nuisance and becomes a
valuable manure.
Beans.—A few Dwarf French Beans may still be sown to extend outdoor
crops to the latest possible date. For autumn and winter supplies
sowings of the Dwarf and Climbing classes may be made from mid-July to
mid-September, the dwarfs in cold frames and the climbers on narrow
borders in any house that can be spared for the purpose.
Broccoli to be planted out as before; many of the plants left over from
former plantings will now be stout and strong, and make useful
successions.
Cabbage.—The sowing of Cabbage seed at this period of the year entails
consequences of such grave importance as to merit reconsideration. When
the crop has passed the winter there is a danger that the plants may
bolt, instead of forming hearts. In the great majority of such cases
the loss is attributable to an unwise selection of sorts. For sowing in
spring there is quite a long list of varieties, many of them possessing
distinctive qualities which meet various requirements. It is otherwise
now. The Cabbages that can be relied on to finish well in spring are
comparatively few in number. But repeated experiments have demonstrated
that loss and disappointment can be avoided by sowing only those
varieties which show no tendency to bolt. Another, but minor, cause of
Cabbages starting seed-stems is premature sowing. The exact date for
any district must be determined by the latitude and the aspect of the
place. In the North sowing will, of necessity, be earlier than in the
Midlands or the South. Assuming, however, that suitable varieties are
chosen, the whole difficulty can be disposed of, even on soils where
Cabbages show an unusual tendency to send up seed-stems prematurely, by
sowing in August instead of in July. The seed-bed should be nicely
prepared, and any old plaster, or other rubbish containing lime, should
be dug in. Sow thinly, for a thick sowing makes a weak plant, no matter
how severely it may be thinned afterwards.
Cardoons to be thinned to one plant in each station, and that, of
course, the strongest.
Carrot.—Frame culture of small sorts should commence, to produce a
succession of young Carrots for table.
Celery to be planted out in showery weather. It is too late to sow now,
except for soups, and for that purpose only a small sowing should be
made, as it may not come to anything.
Chards.—Those who care for Chards must cut down a number of Globe
Artichokes about six inches above ground, and, if necessary, keep the
plants well watered to induce new growth, which will be ready for
blanching in September.
Cucumbers on ridges generally do well without water, but they must not
be allowed to suffer from drought. If watering must be resorted to,
make sure first of soft water well warmed by exposure to the sun, and
water liberally three or four evenings in succession, and then give no
more for a week or so.
Endive to be sown for winter. It will be well to make two sowings, say
on the first and last days of the month.
Garlic and Shallots to be taken up in suitable weather, and it may be
necessary to complete the ripening under shelter.
Leeks to be planted out; and on dry soils, in trenches prepared as for
Celery.
Parsley to be sown for winter use. It is a most important matter, even
in the smallest garden, to have a constant supply.
Peas.—Only quick-growing early varieties should be sown now.
Potatoes.—Where there is a good crop of an early variety it should be
lifted without waiting for the shaws to die down. The tender skins will
suffer damage if the work is done roughly, but will soon harden, and
the stock will ripen in the store as perfectly as in the ground. It
needs some amount of courage to lift Potatoes while the tops are still
green and vigorous, and it should not be done until the roots are fully
grown and beginning to ripen. Quick-growing sorts may be planted to dig
as new Potatoes later in the year.
Radish.—Sow the large-growing kinds for winter use.
Spinach.—Sow the Prickly-seeded to stand the winter, selecting for the
seed-bed ground lying high and dry that has been at least twice dug
over and has had no recent manure. The twice digging is to promote the
destruction of the ‘Spinach Moth’ grub, which the robins and thrushes
will devour when exposed by digging. These grubs make an end of many a
good breadth of Winter Spinach every year, and are the more to be
feared by the careless cultivator.
Turnips to be sown in quantity in the early part of the month; thin
advancing crops, and keep the hoe in action amongst them.
Winter Greens of all kinds to be planted out freely in the best ground
at command, after a good digging, and to be aided with water for a week
or so should the weather be dry.
AUGUST
The importance of summer-sown Vegetables and Salads is dealt with under
July, and seeds of most of the subjects there named may still be put in
as ground becomes vacant. The supplies of the garden during the next
winter and spring will in great part depend upon good management now,
and the utmost must be made of the few weeks of growing weather that
remain. One great difficulty in connection with sowing seed at this
period of the year is the likelihood of the ground being too dry; yet
it is most unwise to water seeds, and it is always better if they can
be got up with the natural moisture of the soil alone. However, in an
extreme case the ground should be well soaked before the seed is sown,
and after sowing covered with hurdles, pea-sticks, or mats until the
seeds begin to sprout.
Artichokes, Globe, to be cut down as soon as the heads are used.
Broccoli to be planted out. As the Sprouting Broccoli, which belongs to
the class of ‘Winter Greens,’ does not pay well in spring unless it
grows freely now, plant it far enough apart; if crowded where already
planted to stand the winter, take out every alternate plant and make
another plantation.
Cabbage.—In many small gardens the August sowing of Cabbages is made to
suffice for the whole year, and in the largest establishments greater
breadths are sown now than at any other period. But whether the garden
be small or large, it is not wise to rely exclusively on the sowing of
any one kind. At least two varieties should be chosen, and as a
precaution each variety may be sown at two dates, with an interval of
about a fortnight between. The wisdom of this arrangement will be
evident in nine seasons out of ten. It allows for contingencies,
prolongs the season of supply, and offers two distinct dishes of a
single vegetable—the mature hearts, and the partially developed plants,
which differ, when served, both in appearance and in flavour. Where the
demand is extensive, or great diversity is required, three or four
kinds should be sown, including Red Cabbage to produce fine heads for
pickling next year.
Cardoon.—Commence blanching if the plants are ready.
Cauliflower.—Seed sown now will produce finer heads in spring and early
summer than are generally obtained from a January or February sowing.
The time to sow must be determined by the climate of the district. In
cold, late localities, the first week is none too early; from the 15th
to the 25th is a good time for all the Midland districts; and the end
of the month, or the first week of September, is early enough in the
South. In Devon and Cornwall the sowing is later still. But whatever
date may suit the district, the seed should be sown with care, in order
that a healthy growth may be promoted from the first. Winter the plants
in frames or by other convenient means, but it is important to keep
them hardy by giving air at every favourable opportunity.
Celery to be carefully earthed up as required. It takes five weeks or
more to blanch Celery well, and as the earthing up checks growth, the
operation should not be commenced a day too soon. Take care that the
earth does not get into the hearts.
Corn Salad should be sown during this month and September to produce
plants fit for use in early spring. In the summer months the whole
plant is edible, but in winter or spring the outer leaves only should
be used.
Cucumber.—For a supply of Cucumbers during the winter months the
general principles of management are identical with those given under
January and March, with one important exception. At the commencement of
the year a continued increase of light and warmth may be relied on. Now
there will be a constant diminution of these vital forces. Hence the
progress of the plants will gradually abate as the year wanes, and due
allowance must be made for the fact. So much depends on the character
of the autumn and winter that it will be unwise to risk all on a single
sowing. Seed put in on two or three occasions between the end of August
and the end of October will provide plants in various stages of growth
to meet the exigencies of the season. The production of Cucumbers will
then depend on care and management. In very dull cold weather it may be
dangerous to syringe the foliage, but the necessary moisture can be
secured by sprinkling the floor and walls.
Endive.—Make a final sowing, and plant out all that are large enough,
selecting, if possible, a dry, sloping bank for the purpose.
Lettuce to be sown to stand the winter, choosing the hardiest
varieties. In cold districts the middle of the month is a good time to
sow; in favoured places the end of the month is preferable.
Onion.—For many years the Tripoli section enjoyed pre-eminence for
sowing at this season, the opinion prevailing that other kinds were
unsuitable. But it is found that several varieties which may with
propriety be described as English Onions are as hardy as the Tripolis,
and therefore as well adapted for sowing at this season. Thus, instead
of sorts that must be used quickly, we may command for summer sowing
the best of the keepers, and the result will be heavier crops and
earlier ripening, with plentiful supplies of ‘thinnings’ for salads all
through the autumn and winter. Two sowings—one at the beginning, the
other at the end of the month—may be adopted with advantage. The
storage of Onions is often faulty, and consequently losses occur
through mildew and premature growth. If any are as yet unripe, spread
them out in the sun in a dry place, where they can be covered quickly
in case of rain. In wet, cold seasons, it is sometimes necessary to
finish the store Onions by putting them in a nearly cold oven for some
hours before they are stored away.
Pea.—Crops coming forward for late bearing should have attention, more
especially to make them safe against storms by a sufficiency of
support, and in case of drought to give abundance of water.
Strawberry Plants may be put in should the weather prove favourable;
but next month will answer. In burning weather it is well worth while
to bed the plants closely in a moist shady place until rain comes, and
then plant out.
Tomatoes to be gathered as soon as ripe. If bad weather interferes with
the finishing of the crop, cut the full-grown fruit with a length of
stem attached, and hang them up in a sunny greenhouse, or some other
warm spot in full daylight. Seed sown now or in September will produce
plants that should afford fine fruit in March, and it will need care
and judgment to carry them safely through the winter.
Turnip may be sown in the early part of the month. The best sorts now
are White Gem, or Snowball. All the Year Round will please those who
like a yellow Turnip.
SEPTEMBER
Weeds will be troublesome to the overworked and the idle gardener,
while the best-kept land will be full of seeds blown upon it from the
sluggard’s garden, and the first shower will bring them up in terrific
force. All that we have to say about them is that they must be kept
down, for they not only choke the rising crops in seed-beds and spoil
the look of everything, but they very much tend to keep the ground damp
and cold, when, if they were away, it would get dry and warm, to the
benefit of all the proper crops upon it. Neglect will make the task of
eradication simply terrible, and, in the meantime, every crop on the
ground will suffer. The two great months for weeds are May and
September; but often the September weeds triumph, because the mischief
they do is not then so obvious to the casual eye. As there are now many
used-up crops that may be cleared away, large quantities of Cabbage,
Endive, Lettuce, and even thinnings of Spinach may be planted out to
stand the winter.
Cabbage.—We advocate crowding the land now with Cabbage plants, for
growth will be slow and the demands of the kitchen constant. Crowding,
however, is not quite the same thing as overcrowding, and it is only a
waste of labour, land and crop to put the plants so close together that
they have not space for full development. The usual rule in planting
out the larger sorts of Cabbage at this time of the year is to allow a
distance every way of two feet between the plants. The crowding
principle may be carried so far as to put miniature Cabbages between
them, but only on the clear understanding that the small stuff is all
to be cleared off before spring growth commences, and the large
Cabbages will then have proper space for development.
Cauliflower.—Sow again in a frame or in a pan in the greenhouse.
Celery.—Continue to earth up, selecting a dry time for the task.
Chards take quite six weeks to blanch by means of straw, covered with
earth.
Cucumbers for the winter need careful management and suitable
appliances. See the remarks on this subject under August.
Endive to be planted out as directed last month. Plant a few on the
border of an orchard-house, or in a ground vinery, or in old frames for
which some lights, however crazy, can be found.
Lettuces should be coming in from the garden now in good condition, but
the supply will necessarily be running short. Sowings of two or three
sorts should be made partly in frames and partly on a dry open plot
from which a crop has been taken. The ground should be well dug but not
manured. Sow thinly, so that there will not be much need for thinning,
and confine the selection to sorts known to be hardy. The August
sowings will soon be forward enough for putting out, and it will be
advisable to get the work done as early as possible, to insure the
plants being well established before winter.
Parsley.—The latest sowing will require thinning, but for the present
this must not be too strictly carried out; between this and spring
there will be many opportunities. Thin the plot by drawing out complete
plants as Parsley is demanded for the kitchen. If no late sowing was
made, or, having been made, has failed, cut down to the ground the
strongest plants, that a new growth may be secured quickly. A few
plants potted at the end of the month, or lifted and placed in frames,
may prove exceedingly valuable in winter.
Potatoes that are ready should be taken up with reasonable care. It is
not wise to wait for the dying down of the shaws, because, when the
tubers are fully grown, they ripen as well in the store, out of harm’s
way, as in the ground, where they are exposed to influences that are
simply destructive.
Spinach.—In favourable seasons and forward localities Winter Spinach
sown in the first half of this month will make a good plant before
winter. Thin the plants that are already up to six inches apart.
OCTOBER
Weeds and falling leaves are the plagues of the season. It may seem
that they do no harm, but assuredly they are directly injurious to
every crop upon the ground, for they encourage damp and dirt by
preventing a free circulation of air amongst the crops, and the access
of sunshine to the land. Keep all clean and tidy, even to the removal
of the lower leaves of Cabbages, where they lie half decayed upon the
ground.
The heavy rains of this month interfere in a material degree with
outdoor work, and are often a great impediment to the orderly
management that should prevail. The accumulation of rubbish anywhere,
even if out of sight, is to be deplored as an evil altogether. The
injury to vegetation is as great as that inflicted on our own health
when dirt poisons the air and damp hastens the general dissolution. It
is therefore above all things necessary to keep the garden clean from
end to end. All decaying refuse that can be put into trenches should be
got out of sight as soon as possible, to rot harmlessly instead of
infecting the air, and leaves should be often swept up into heaps, in
which form they cease to be injurious, although, when spread upon the
ground and trodden under foot, they are breeders of mischief. If in
want of work, ply the hoe amongst all kinds of crops, taking care not
to break or bruise healthy leaves, or to disturb the roots of any
plant. Dig vacant plots, and lay the land up in ridges in the roughest
manner possible. Heavy land may be manured now with advantage, but it
is not desirable to manure light land until spring.
Cabbages to be planted out as advised last month.
Cardoon.—Blanching must be continued.
Carrots.—Lift the roots and store in sand.
Cauliflowers to be prepared for the winter.
Celeriac.—Part of the crop should be lifted and stored in sand; the
plants left in the ground to be protected by earthing over.
Celery must be earthed up, and protecting material got ready to assure
its safety during frost.
Chicory.—Raise about a dozen plants at a time as required, cut or
wrench off the foliage, and pack the roots, crown upwards, in boxes
with moist leaf-mould or soil. They must be stored in absolute darkness
in some cellar or Mushroom-house which is safe from frost, but a
forcing temperature is detrimental to the flavour. Gathering may
commence about three weeks after storing. The yield is abundant, and is
of especial value for salading through the autumn and winter months.
Endive to be blanched for use as it acquires full size, but not before,
as the blanching makes an end of growth.
Lettuce.—Continue to plant as before advised, and make a final sowing
in frames not later than the middle of the month.
Parsnips may be dug all the winter as wanted. Although a slight frost
will not injure them when left in the ground, protection by rough
litter is needful in very severe weather. It often happens that they
grow freely soon after the turn of the year, and then become worthless.
Potatoes to be taken up and stored with all possible speed.
Rhubarb for forcing should be taken up and laid aside in a dry, cool
place, exposed to the weather. This gives the roots a check, and
constitutes a kind of winter, which in some degree prepares them for
the forcing pit.
Roots, such as Beet, Salsify, and Turnip, to be taken up as soon as
possible, and stored for the winter.
Winter Greens may still be transplanted, and it is often better to use
up the remainder of the seed-beds than to let the plants stand. In the
event of a severe winter, these late-planted Greens may not be of much
value; but in a mild growing winter they will make some progress, and
may prove very useful in the spring.
NOVEMBER
The remarks already made on the necessity for tidiness and the quick
disposal of all decaying refuse apply as forcibly to this month as to
October. The leaves are falling, the atmosphere is moist, and there
should be the utmost care taken not to make things worse by scatterings
of vegetable rubbish. Now we are in the ‘dull days before Christmas’
the affairs of the garden may be reviewed in detail, and this is the
best period for such a review. Sorts that have done well or ill, wants
that have been felt, mistakes that have been made, are fresh in one’s
memory, and in ordering seeds, roots, plants, &c., for next season’s
work, experience and observation can be recorded with a view to future
benefit. Consistently with the revision of plans by the fireside,
revise the work out of doors. Begin to prepare for next year’s crops by
trenching, manuring, planting, and collecting stuff to burn in a
‘smother.’ Land dug now for spring seeds and roots, and kept quite
rough, will only require to be levelled down and raked over when spring
comes to be ready for seed, and will produce better crops than if
prepared in a hurry. Protecting material for all the needs of the
season must be in readiness, in view of the fact that a few nights of
hard frost may destroy Lettuces, Endives, Celery, and Cauliflowers
worth many pounds, which a few shillings’-worth of labour and litter
would have saved. Earthwork can generally be pushed on, and it is good
practice to get all road-mending and the breaking up of new ground
completed before the year runs out, because of the hindrance that may
result from frost, and the inevitable pressure of other work at the
turn of the spring. The weather is an important matter; but often the
month of November is favourable to outdoor work, and labour can then be
found more readily than at most other seasons.
Artichokes, Globe, must be protected ere frost attacks them. Cut off
the stems and large leaves to within a foot of the ground; then heap up
along each side of the rows a lot of dry litter consisting of straw,
pea haulm, or leaves, taking care in so doing to leave free access to
light and air. The hearts must not be covered, or decay will follow.
Artichokes, Jerusalem, may be dug as wanted, but some should be lifted
and stored in sand for use during frosts.
Asparagus beds not yet cleaned must have prompt attention. Cut down the
brown grass and rake off all the weeds and rubbish, and finish by
putting on a dressing of seaweed, or half-rotten stable manure.
Bean, Broad.—It is customary on dry warm soils to sow Beans at the end
of October or during November for a first crop, and the practice is to
be commended. On cold damp soils, and on clay lands everywhere, it is a
waste of seed and labour to sow now, but every district has its
peculiar capabilities, and each cultivator must judge for himself. In
any case, Beans sown during this month should be put on well-drained
land in a sheltered spot.
Broccoli.—In inclement districts lay the plants with their heads facing
the north.
Carrot to be sown in frames, and successive sowings made every three or
four weeks until February.
Cauliflowers will be turning in, and possibly those coming forward will
be all the better off for being covered with a leaf to protect the
heads from frost. If the barometer rises steadily and the wind goes
round to north or north-east, draw all the best Cauliflowers, and put
them in a shed or any out-of-the-way place safe for use.
Celery.—Hard frost coming after heavy rain may prove destructive to
Celery; and it is well, if there is a crop worth saving, to cut a
trench round the plantation to favour escape of surplus water. If taken
up and packed away in a dry shed, the sticks will keep fresh for some
time.
Horse-radish to be taken up and stored ready for use, and new
plantations made as weather permits and ground can be spared.
Pea.—The sowing of Peas outdoors now is not recommended for general
practice, but only for those who are so favourably circumstanced as to
have a fair prospect of success. If it is determined to sow, select for
the purpose a dry, light, well-drained sunny border, and make it safe
from mice, slugs, and sparrows. The quick-growing round-seeded
varieties must be chosen for the purpose, and it will be advisable to
sow two or three sorts rather than one only. Peas to be grown entirely
under glass may be started now.
Sea Kale to be lifted for forcing. This delicious vegetable may,
indeed, be forced for the table in this month; but it is not advisable
to be in such haste, for a fine sample cannot be secured so early. Sea
Kale is the easiest thing in the world to force; the only point of
importance is to have strong roots to begin with. Any place such as
Mushroom-houses, cellars, pits, or old sheds, where it is possible to
maintain a temperature of 45° to 55°, may be utilised for the purpose.
Put the plants thickly into pots or boxes, or plant them in a bed, and
it is essential to exclude light to insure blanching. By these simple
means a regular supply may be obtained until the permanent beds in the
open ground come into use.
DECEMBER