HARPER'S A-B-C SERIES
A-B-C OF VEGETABLE GARDENING.
By EBEN E. REXFORD
A-B-C OF CORRECT SPEECH.
By FLORENCE HOWE HALL
A-B-C OF ARCHITECTURE.
By FRANK E. WALLIS
A-B-C OF HOUSEKEEPING.
By CHRISTINE TERHUNE HERRICK
A-B-C OF ELECTRICITY.
By WILLIAM H. MEADOWCROFT
A-B-C OF GARDENING.
By EBEN E. REXFORD
A-B-C OF GOOD FORM.
By ANNE SEYMOUR
16mo, Cloth
HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK
A-B-C OF VEGETABLE GARDENING
BY
EBEN E. REXFORD
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK & LONDON
A-B-C OF VEGETABLE GARDENING
Copyright, 1916, by Harper & Brothers
Printed in the United States of America
Published February, 1916
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
FOREWORD 1
I. GETTING THE GARDEN READY 8
II. LAYING OUT THE GARDEN 13
III. PLANTING THE GARDEN 17
IV. SEEDS THAT GIVE BEST RESULTS 20
V. EARLY GARDEN WORK 23
VI. VEGETABLE PLANTS IN THE HOUSE 27
VII. STANDARD VARIETIES OF VEGETABLES 33
VIII. SMALL FRUITS AND THEIR CULTURE 56
IX. HOTBEDS AND COLD-FRAMES 68
X. SMALL GARDENS 76
XI. LEFT-OVERS 81
XII. HEALTH IN THE GARDEN. A CHAPTER EXPRESSLY
FOR WOMEN READERS 111
A-B-C OF
VEGETABLE GARDENING
A-B-C OF VEGETABLE GARDENING
FOREWORD
Not everybody has a garden. Some deny themselves the pleasure
and the profit of one because they have never had any experience
in gardening, and have somehow got the impression that special
training is necessary to make a success of the undertaking. Here
is where they make a mistake. There is no special "knack" about
it. Any one who owns a bit of land, and has some time that can
be given to garden-work, and an inclination to do so, can make a
gardener of himself in a season--and a successful one, too--if
he allows himself to be governed by the advice of some one who
has had some experience along this line. After the first season
he will not be likely to ask or need advice, for the practical
knowledge which comes with one season's work among vegetables will
not only be sufficient to enable him to go on with his gardening
operations on his own responsibility, but it will have made him
so enthusiastic over them that he will be eager to enlarge his
knowledge of "the green things growing," and in doing this he will
find a pleasure that will make him wonder how he ever came to
consider gardening something to dread.
Others, who have but a small piece of land, may think it not worth
while to attempt to grow vegetables on it. They labor under the
impression that a garden, in order to prove a success, requires
more land than is at their disposal. Here is where _they_ make a
mistake. Of course one cannot grow a large quantity of vegetables
on a small piece of ground, but the one who undertakes to make the
most of a small piece will be surprised at the amount that can be
grown on it. In a garden that is not more than twenty-five feet
square a friend of mine grows all the summer vegetables required
by his family of four persons. This calls for what the scientific
people call "intensive gardening," and makes it necessary to plant
and plan for a succession of vegetables; but that twenty-five
feet square of ground enables him to get a good share of the
summer living of his family.
Another notion is, that in order to have a good garden a large
amount of time and labor must be expended on it. Not so. A very
small amount of systematized labor will be demanded by even
a good-sized garden, if it is planned in such a manner that
labor-saving tools can be used in its cultivation. If we look back
to the gardening days of fifty or even twenty-five years ago,
when everything was done at the hardest and the hand had to do a
good share of the work that we now do with helpful implements,
it is not to be wondered at that the old-time care of a garden
discourages many from undertaking to have one. Happily those days
are over, and with the gardening facilities of the present it is
an easy matter to accomplish more in an hour than could be done
then in a day. There is really no drudgery in gardening as it is
done to-day. On the contrary, there is positive pleasure in the
operation of the machinery which inventive genius has furnished
for the up-to-date gardener's use.
Those who have never had a garden of their own, but have bought
vegetables in the ordinary market, are not in a position to
understand the wide difference between the article we buy and the
one which is taken directly from the ground and eaten at once.
While it is possible to keep most vegetables looking fresh for a
considerable time by the use of water and ice, it is not possible
to make them retain that delicacy of flavor known only to those
whose vegetables go straight from the garden to the kitchen. If
you want any vegetable _at its best_ you must grow it in your own
garden.
The general impression seems to be that gardening is essentially
man's work, and that women and children are not equal to it. This
is another mistake that will rapidly be done away with, for the
woman of to-day is no longer a housed-up woman. She is rapidly
learning the value of fresh air, and the tonic of outdoor life is
fast taking the place of the doctor's prescriptions. The writer
knows of many women who have found work in the garden not only a
healthful occupation, but one so delightful that they look forward
to spring with most pleasurable anticipations, and long for the
time to come when they can get to work out of doors. When we have
tried both we learn that work in the vegetable-garden is no harder
than that in the flower-garden, and that neither demands more
strength or time than the average woman is able to give it if she
makes use of labor-saving tools. What is true of the woman is
equally true of the children. A child ten years of age can do a
good deal of the work that a good-sized garden calls for.
I would not be understood as advocating the giving up of
garden-work to women and children. I would not deny man the
pleasure of sharing in it. But I would urge the importance of
interesting women and children in it, and of encouraging them to
take part in it from the viewpoint of health. Benefit in other
respects will become so apparent, after a little, that further
encouragement will not be necessary. Most women who have some
leisure--especially if they are of the housewife class--will be so
pleased with the results of gardening that they will be glad to
supplement the labors of the man of the family by what they can
accomplish in it, if he is employed in work that will not allow
him to devote much time to the garden. And they will find that the
boys of the family--and the girls as well--can be made to take
an active part in the good work with but little encouragement
from their elders. It is natural for both boys and girls to dig
in the soil, and it is well to encourage them to dig to some
purpose. It is natural work, and healthy work, and work that will
do more to keep the average child out of mischief than any other
influence that can be brought to bear on it. But I would not allow
the child to get the impression that I gave it garden-work to do
as a mischief-preventative. That would spoil everything. Aim to
interest the boys and girls in the mysterious processes of nature.
Encourage them to plan and execute as much of the work as can
safely be trusted to them. In a short time you will find that most
of them are equal to all the requirements of the ordinary garden.
I have often been told by those who have had years of experience
in garden-work that at least half one's living for half the year
can be obtained from the garden, even if it happens to be a small
one, and my own experience bears out the truth of this statement.
If we grow our own vegetables we are quite sure to have a greater
variety to add to the daily bill of fare than would be the case if
we were to buy them. We have them when we want them without making
a trip to the market for them, or depending on the uncertainties
of telephone orders which grocers so frequently fill by sending
vegetables of a quality that would not satisfy us if we gave them
personal inspection before purchasing. The entire family will be
delighted with the frequent changes that can be made in the bill
of fare, and no one more so than the housewife who often finds it
a difficult matter to plan for a variety of food when the family
income does not warrant a liberal outlay.
No owner of a bit of ground that can be made into a garden can
afford to let it remain unused. If he does so he does it in
disregard of the economy which most of us are obliged to consider
and practise in these days of high prices and the increasing cost
of daily living.
Have a garden if you can.
I
GETTING THE GARDEN READY
The amateur gardener will almost invariably be in too great a
hurry to begin gardening operations in the spring. But a few warm
days are not sufficient to put the ground in proper condition
for seeding, or even for plowing and spading. The frost must be
allowed to get out of it, and after that an opportunity must be
given for surplus water from melting snows and spring rains to
drain away before work can be done to any advantage. As a general
thing not much can be done in gardening at the North before the
first of May. It is an old saying that "haste makes waste," and
the gardener who is in too great a hurry often learns the truth
which underlies the saying by the failure to germinate of the seed
he puts into the ground very early in the season.
Another old saying that should be kept in mind is that "one
swallow does not make a summer." Read "warm day" for "swallow"
and you will get the force of the statement. It is not advisable
to do much at gardening until you are reasonably sure that warm
weather has come to stay. Even if early-planted seed comes up,
spells of cold weather, and often of frost, which we are likely to
have at the North until about the first of May, will have such a
debilitating effect on comparatively hardy plants that those grown
from later sowings, when all conditions are favorable, will come
to maturity ahead of them. Therefore it will be seen that it is
poor policy to be in too great a hurry, and good policy to wait
for what the farmer calls "growing weather" before doing much work
in the garden.
If very early vegetables are wanted it will be necessary to start
them in the hotbed. In another chapter I will give some directions
for the making and management of this very important adjunct of
gardening.
The first thing to do in making a garden is to plow or spade it.
Plowing is not admissible on small grounds, but where there is
room enough to allow a team and plow to operate I would advise
it in preference to spading, because it will save a good deal of
hard work, and greatly expedite matters. Before plowing some
system of manuring should be decided on, as whatever fertilizer is
used should be worked well into the soil, and this the plow can
do most effectively. Barn-yard manure, if old and well rotted,
is better than anything else I have any knowledge of for all
kinds of vegetables, but unfortunately it is seldom obtainable by
those who do not live in the country. There are many commercial
fertilizers on the market, but not all kinds of them are adapted
to all kinds of soil. In order to secure the best results it is
advisable that the amateur gardener should consult some dealer
in these fertilizers in his immediate vicinity, or some one who
has had personal experience in their use, with a view to making
sure that he is getting just the kind best adapted to the soil in
his garden. It is absolutely necessary that he should do this,
in fact, for if he buys at random he runs the risk of getting
something that will fail to answer his purpose.
While it is always advisable to apply whatever fertilizer is used
before plowing, commercial fertilizers can be applied later with
good effect; but it will be necessary to apply them in such a
manner that they do not come directly into contact with the seed,
as many of them are so strong that they kill it.
Plow the garden deeply, for by so doing you bring to the surface
a stratum of soil in which there is more latent fertility than in
that close to the surface.
After plowing, allow the soil to remain as thrown up from the
furrow for two or three days. Sunshine and warm air will have
a disintegrating effect on it, which will make it easy for you
to reduce it under the application of hoe and iron rake to that
mellow condition so necessary to the welfare of the plants you
propose to grow. It should be worked over and over until not a
lump is left in it. You cannot expect to grow good vegetables in
a soil that has not been well pulverized before seed is planted.
Large grounds, or those of a size that admit of the use of horses,
can be speedily mellowed with the harrow, which should be run over
the ground from all directions until it is thoroughly pulverized.
In the small garden the rake and hoe will have to take the place
of the harrow.
Small pieces of ground should be spaded. Let the soil remain as
thrown up by the spade for two or three days before attempting to
work it.
I have been told by some amateur gardeners that they did not
use much manure because trees and shrubs that grew in close
proximity to their gardens were so thrifty without manuring that
they felt confident that the soil must be quite rich enough for
vegetables without resorting to the use of any fertilizer. These
persons lacked the experience which would have enabled them to
understand the wide difference between tree and vegetable growth.
A tree or a bush sends its roots deeply and widely into the soil,
and applies to its uses food that the vegetable cannot send its
roots in search of. The roots of most garden plants do not extend
far in any direction, nor go very deep; therefore food must be
given directly to them if we would secure the best possible
result. There are very few gardens in which the natural soil has
a sufficient amount of nutriment to produce the effect we aim at
without the addition of some kind of plant-food.
A rich soil is absolutely necessary in order to hasten
development. Unless a vegetable makes a quick growth it is pretty
sure to be lacking in tenderness and flavor. Of course it is
possible to apply a greater amount than a plant can make use of,
thus forcing an unhealthy growth, but this is not likely to happen
if we consult the wise old gardener who knows his garden and the
plants he grows in it as a mechanic knows the machine he uses.
II
LAYING OUT THE GARDEN
There will be little "laying out" to do in the small garden. Here
the chief aim will be to make use of every available bit of soil;
the beds will be narrow, and the paths between them will be just
wide enough to walk in, and these will be the only portions of
the ground in which something is not grown. Not much chance for
planning, you see.
In the larger garden it will be not only possible, but advisable,
to do considerable planning.
If a garden-cultivator is used--and this should be done whenever
possible--plan for rows that will enable you to run it the entire
length of the garden without turning. Beds are no longer in favor
with gardeners who aim to reduce the work to be done to the
minimum, for in them the cultivator cannot be used to advantage,
and weeding cannot be done with the facility which characterizes
row-planting, nor can the hoe be used as effectively. There is
really no argument that can be advanced in favor of the old
bedding system for gardens in which we propose to use labor-saving
implements.
If possible, have the rows run north and south. This enables the
sun to get at the ground lengthwise of the rows, and between them,
which it could not do if they ran east and west, as the plants in
them would shade all the ground except that in the first and most
southerly row. It is not enough that the sun should get at the
tops of the plants. The soil needs its vivifying effect.
Plant with regard to the height and habit of the vegetables you
propose to grow. Give corn a place at the side of the garden. Then
peas which grow tall enough to require bushing, and then beans,
working down through potatoes, tomatoes, and beets and other
low-growing kinds to onions, radishes, and cucumbers.
If the garden-cultivator is to be used, leave a space about
eighteen inches wide between the rows to work in. This implement
can be adjusted to fit any width desired. Its teeth can be set to
throw the soil toward a plant or away from it. It can be made to
do deep or shallow work, as the case may require. As a general
thing, after a plant has attained some size we throw the soil
toward it. If the teeth are set to do this we go down one side of
the row and back on the other, thus throwing the soil about the
plant alike on both sides.
It will probably be necessary to remove some weeds _in the row_,
which cannot be reached by the cultivator. This can be done most
effectively by the use of a hoe which is triangular in shape, with
the handle-socket in the center of it. One side is a blade like
the ordinary hoe. The other comes to a sharp point, with which
it is possible to work close to a plant without running any risk
of injuring it--something that cannot be done with the ordinary
wide-bladed hoe. Weeds that grow up side by side with vegetable
seedlings can be picked away from them so easily, and without
disturbing them in the least, that no hand-pulling will have to be
resorted to in cleaning the rows.
Where the garden-cultivator is used there will be very little work
to do with the hoe, as this implement stirs the soil and uproots
weeds at the same time. But in the small garden either hoe or
weeding-hook will come into daily use. The weeding-hook is a most
important tool, though its cost is but ten or fifteen cents. It
enables one to do a good deal of weeding in a short time, does its
work well, and does away entirely with hand-pulling, which has
heretofore been one of the chief arguments that men have advanced
against gardening.
III
PLANTING THE GARDEN
Most persons make the serious mistake of covering garden seed too
deeply. Very small seed needs hardly any covering. Indeed, it does
its best, as a general thing, when simply scattered on the surface
and pressed down into the soil by a smooth board. This embeds the
seed in the soil, which is made firm enough under the pressure
of the board to retain a sufficient amount of moisture to assist
germination. Very fine seed often fails to sprout if covered too
deeply.
But most of the seed of garden vegetables is not fine enough to
admit of this method of planting. If a seed-sower is not used,
little furrows should be made by drawing a stick through the soil,
into which the seed should be dropped as evenly as possible. It
should then be covered lightly and the soil should be pressed
down with the hoe to make it comparatively firm. The probabilities
are that many more plants will come up than it is advisable to let
grow. These surplus seedlings should be removed from the rows as
soon as the plants get a good start.
Nearly all gardeners make use of the seed-sower. This is an
implement that can be adjusted to sow all kinds of seed more
evenly than it can be sown by hand, and it can be sown thickly
or thinly, as desired, and at any required depth. It cannot be
used to much advantage in the very small garden, where only a
small quantity of each kind of seed will be made use of, but
in large gardens it will be found as much a labor-saver as the
garden-cultivator.
It is always advisable to plant for a succession if the garden is
large enough to admit of it. By planting at intervals of ten days
or two weeks it is possible to have fresh vegetables throughout
almost the entire season. Where this is done it will not be
advisable to plant very much of any one kind.
Among almost all vegetables there are early, medium, and late
varieties. Some of each of these should be planted in all gardens
of a size to warrant so doing. In the small garden I would advise
the choice of the later varieties, as these are almost without
exception superior in flavor to the earlier kinds, which are grown
more on account of earliness than quality.
IV
SEEDS THAT GIVE BEST RESULTS
It is very important that seed of only the best kind should be
used, if we would grow vegetables of superior quality. Every
gardener of experience will indorse the truth of this statement.
Said one amateur gardener to me when I gave him this advice: "Why
should one be so particular about the seed? It's the culture
that you give the plant that counts. Plant any kind of seed that
happens to be handiest and take good care of the plants that grow
from it and you'll have good vegetables." To some extent what
he said was true, but he had yet to learn that there is a vast
difference between ordinary seed and seed that has bred into it
by careful culture the superior qualities which characterize the
choicest varieties of all our garden plants. There is such a
thing as aristocracy of seed, and no seed that is lacking in this
feature can be expected to afford the satisfaction that results
from the use of the best. No amount of culture can make a superior
vegetable from plants grown from inferior seed. Bear this in mind,
and buy only the best seed on the market, be your garden large or
small. The smaller it is, the greater the importance of using only
the best.
"But how are we who know very little about such things to know
which _is_ the best?" some one may ask.
The only answer I can make to this question is this: We have in
this country many seed firms that have been in existence for
years--some of them over half a century--and these have built up
for themselves a reputation for handling only seed of the very
best varieties of garden vegetables that it is possible to grow.
Inferior sorts have been discarded from time to time as those of
superior merit have been produced. These firms, proud and jealous
of the reputation they have gained, cannot afford to deal in
anything that is not up to their standard of "the best." From
these dealers you can be sure of getting seed that can always
be depended on to give the highest degree of satisfaction. The
seed they sell you may cost a little more than some of the newer
dealers ask for theirs, but the certainty of getting _what you
want_ makes it well worth while to invest some extra money in it.
Cheap seed--that which is advertised as being "just as good as
higher-priced seed for a much smaller amount of money"--is likely
to prove as cheap in quality as in price.
V
EARLY GARDEN WORK
After planting the garden there will be a little interval of
leisure while the seed that has been put into the ground is
germinating.
Then will come the time of early warfare with the weeds. Here
is where the weeding-hook of which I have spoken will come into
play in the small garden. This little implement is in the form of
a claw, with five or six fingers, each about an inch long, and
shaped so that they reach into the ground and take a firm hold of
whatever plants they are placed over. It can be so operated that
these fingers, working close to plants which it is not desired
to uproot, will tear away the weeds without disturbing the other
plants, and the soil will be left in light and mellow condition,
as if a tiny rake had been drawn through it. With this tool the
work can be done with great rapidity. No owner of a garden, large
or small, can afford to be without it.
It should be used to supplement the work of the cultivator, which
can be depended upon to take care of all the weeds between the
rows, but which cannot be worked among the plants _in the row_.
Weeding should be begun as soon as the plants are of a size that
makes it possible to tell which is seedling and which is weed.
By beginning the work of clearing the garden at this period, and
doing it thoroughly, and continuing it at intervals thereafter, it
will be a comparatively easy matter to keep weeds under control.
But if they are allowed to get a strong start--as they will in
an incredibly short time if let alone--it will be a difficult
matter to subdue them and keep the upper hand during the rest of
the season. It is very important that they should be given to
understand, at the outset, that they will not be tolerated in your
garden. This will necessitate early work and careful and regular
attention thereafter, but it will not be the laborious work that
so many persons think it is if it is begun at the right season and
always carried on on the offensive. It is when weeds have been
allowed to intrench themselves firmly in the garden that this
work becomes disagreeable.
Nor is it work that will require a good deal of one's time. In
the cultivation of a garden it is the little attentions, given
when needed, that count, rather than the amount of labor and time
expended there, as you will find when you come to have a garden of
your own.
If there are any vacant places in the beds or rows, fill with
plants taken from places where they stand too thick. In the small
garden there should be not one vacant spot. Every bit of soil
should be made to do its share of work in the production of some
vegetable.
If weeds are kept down during the early part of the season there
ought not to be many during the latter part of it. But there will
be no time when there will not be _some_ to wage warfare against,
and every gardener should make it a rule to destroy every one that
gets a start as soon as discovered, for, by preventing it from
developing seed, we can save ourselves a good deal of work next
season. One weed will bear seed enough to fill the whole garden
with its progeny if allowed to do so.
If the soil was properly fertilized at planting-time it will
not be necessary to apply more fertilizer, if any, until the
latter part of the season, and then only a small amount will
be required--just enough to enable the soil to do its share in
ripening off the plants that are growing in it. But if, at any
time, the plants seem to lag or come to a standstill enough should
be given to stimulate active growth.
Careful watch should be kept of everything in the garden, and
prompt advantage should be taken of any tendency toward slow
development by making fresh applications of whatever fertilizer
was used at the beginning of the season. In order to attain the
success that the gardener aims at in the cultivation of vegetables
it is absolutely necessary to keep them going steadily ahead from
start to finish, and this can only be done by supplying them with
a generous amount of plant-food. There should be no alternations
of liberal feeding and lack of feeding.
VI
VEGETABLE PLANTS IN THE HOUSE
Many persons would like to grow early vegetables. With a view to
"getting the start of the season" and, incidentally, of their
neighbors, they sow seed in pots and boxes in March and April
and attempt to get an "early start" for plants that will form a
basis of supply for family use while they are waiting for the
development of the general crop from seed sown in the garden
after the weather has become sufficiently warm to warrant outdoor
gardening. In some instances comparative success has resulted from
plants started into growth in the house, but nine times out of
ten, it is safe to say, the result has been entire failure. The
seedlings grow fairly well at first, but soon become weak and die.
If, by chance, a few survive until conditions warrant putting them
in the ground, they are so lacking in vitality that the change
from indoors to outdoors is pretty sure to be the end of them.
I would never advise trying to grow plants from seed, in the
house, unless the grower understands beforehand the drawbacks to
plant-growth which prevail in the average dwelling, and is willing
to do all he can to overcome them. Simply filling boxes or pots
with earth, putting seed into them, and supplying water will not
insure success.
One of the unfavorable conditions which seedling plants must
struggle against is too much heat, if they are kept in the
living-room. An undue amount of warmth forces them into abnormal
development in the early stages of their growth, and a little
later on there comes a reaction from the weakness thus brought
about, and this reaction is almost invariably death to the tender
plant.
Another unfavorable condition is the result of indiscriminate
watering. The soil is either kept too wet or too dry. To grow good
plants there must be an even supply of moisture.
A third unfortunate condition is the result of failure to give the
plants a liberal supply of fresh air.
It is possible, however, to overcome these conditions and grow
really good plants from seed in the living-room, but it cannot be
done unless the amateur gardener is sufficiently interested in the
undertaking to give his plants all the attention they need.
Instead of keeping them in the living-room--which in most
instances will have a temperature of 79 or 80°--I would advise
giving them place in a room opening off the sitting-room, where
the temperature can be so regulated that it will not go above 65°
at any time. There is far less danger of plants suffering from a
low temperature than of their being injured by an excess of heat.
If the room in which they are kept has snug windows, in most
instances it will get all the warmth that is needed by leaving
open at night the door which connects it with the living-room. If
the weather is very cold, the plants can be removed, temporarily,
to the living-room, or they can be covered with newspapers. Thick
paper shades at the windows will do much to keep out cold and
prevent draughts. Storm-sash will do this most effectively, but it
interferes with giving the young plants the fresh air they need.
Therefore I would prefer the shades, and depend upon removal to a
warmer place on extra-cold nights.
Fresh air will be found a most important factor in the growth of
seedling plants indoors. Unless it can be given it will be almost
impossible to grow any plant well in the ordinary dwelling. It
should be admitted to the room on every pleasant day by opening a
window at the top, or a door at some distance from the plants. The
fresh, cold air should be allowed to mix with the warm air in the
room before it comes in contact with the plants, as a chill will
often do about as much damage as a touch of frost.
Watering these plants is a matter of prime importance. Generally
water is applied carelessly and irregularly--too much to-day,
and none at all to-morrow. We saturate the soil with it while
only enough is required to make it moist. An over-supply of water
at the roots, combined with too much heat and lack of fresh
air, will undermine the constitution of any plant, because such
a combination excites unnatural development, and this means a
lowering of the vital force to the danger-point.
I have devised a method by which I have succeeded in controlling
the supply of moisture in the soil to my complete satisfaction.
I use boxes about four inches deep to start my plants in. In the
bottom of these boxes I put sphagnum moss. There should be at
least an inch of it after it has been pressed down by the weight
of the soil above. The bottom of the seed-box is bored full of
small holes. Each box sets in a shallow pan of galvanized iron, on
a layer of coarse gravel, which raises it enough to allow water
to circulate freely under it. Water is poured into the iron pan,
using enough to come up about half an inch above the bottom of
the seed-box, or in contact with the moss in it, and it should be
kept at this height at all times. The moss absorbs the moisture
like a sponge, and the soil above constantly sucks up all that is
needed to keep it in a sufficiently moist condition to meet the
requirements of the plants growing in it. The absorbent qualities
of the moss are such that an excessive amount of moisture is
never communicated to the soil above. Thus I secure a steady and
even supply, which does away entirely with the danger resulting
from the application of water to the surface of the soil from
watering-pot or basin.
If the temperature can be controlled in such a way that it will
not vary much from 60 to 65°, if the soil can be kept moist
but never wet, and fresh air can be given in generous quantity
regularly, it will be found a comparatively easy matter to grow
plants satisfactorily from seed in the house, and have them in
such healthy condition by the time it is safe to put them out in
the garden that they will average up well with the plants the
professional gardener raises in hotbed and cold-frame. By the use
of such plants, and such plants only, can we expect to grow early
vegetables successfully.
VII
STANDARD VARIETIES OF VEGETABLES
The amateur gardener will find it extremely perplexing work to
make a satisfactory selection of _varieties_ of vegetables to
grow in his garden. He knows quite well, as a general thing, what
_kinds_ he wants to grow, but when he comes to a consultation of
the seedsmen's catalogues he discovers that of each _kind_ of
vegetable listed therein there are so many _varieties_ mentioned
that he is bewildered. Most of them are described as being so
desirable that he cannot help getting the impression that if he
rules out this or that one he is likely to deprive himself of
the very thing from which he would obtain the highest degree of
satisfaction. Nine times out of ten he finds, after going through
the catalogues and marking the kinds and varieties that appeal to
him most forcibly, that he has a list which would furnish enough
seed to supply an average-sized market-garden.
I would advise the amateur gardener to attempt the culture of only
a few of the many varieties described in the catalogues, and these
of the very best. But what constitutes "the very best" is a hard
matter for him to decide where all are described by adjectives in
the superlative degree. He will find, by comparing the catalogues
of the various seed firms, that there are described in most
of them certain varieties of each kind of vegetable that seem
common to all, along with many other varieties whose names differ
greatly, though the descriptions of them indicate that there is
not much difference in quality, or in other general respects. If
he confines his selection to such varieties of each kind as the
various dealers list _under the same names_ in their catalogues he
will be making no mistake, for the fact that all leading dealers
carry these varieties in stock is sufficient proof that they are
standard varieties, and of such superior merit that no up-to-date
dealer can afford to exclude them from his list.
Take, for instance, Stowell's Evergreen sweet-corn, and Champion
of England pea. _All_ dealers handle these, because they _are_
standard, and always in demand because their superior qualities
have made them universal favorites wherever grown. But they
have other varieties of the same vegetable of which each makes a
specialty, under names which will be found in no catalogue but
their own. Many of these are doubtless possessors of all the good
qualities claimed for them, but this we cannot be sure about. But
the sorts which are common to all are those of whose merit there
can be no two opinions. These are the varieties the inexperienced
gardener can select with the assurance that he is getting the best
thing of its kind on the market.
In this chapter I propose to make mention of only such kinds of
vegetables as I have grown in my own garden. I do this because
so many beginners in gardening prefer to depend on the advice
of some one who has familiarized himself with the merits of the
various vegetables adapted to ordinary gardening. And I propose
to give with each such brief cultural directions as seem of most
importance, thus making it possible for the amateur to avoid some
of the mistakes that might be made if he were wholly ignorant
of the requirements of his plants. After having experimented
with many kinds I have pinned my faith to the kinds I shall make
mention of, and I have no hesitancy in recommending them to the
attention of all gardeners, feeling confident that a trial of them
will bear me out in the statement that no better list can be made.
There _may_ be others of equal or superior merit, but if there are
I have still to find out what they are.
_Asparagus_
Taking the list alphabetically, the first vegetable to consider is
asparagus. Conover's Colossal seems to combine all the merits of
the several varieties on the market in such a degree as to give it
a place at the head of the list of desirable kinds for ordinary
garden culture. It is tender, fine-flavored, and very productive.
A dozen plants, after becoming well established, will furnish all
that will be required by a family of four or five persons.
In order to secure good crops of this delicious vegetable it will
be necessary to dig up the soil in which it is to be planted
to the depth of two or three feet, and fill the bottom of the
excavation with strong manure. Pack this down firmly, and then
return to the trench the soil thrown out from it, fertilizing this
well as you do so. While asparagus will grow in a soil that is
not at all rich, and will live on indefinitely under all kinds
of neglect and abuse, it must be given plenty of strong food and
good care in order to enable it to do itself justice. I would
not advise attempting to grow it from seed, as it takes a long
time for seedling plants to reach maturity. I would get two- or
three-year-old plants. Set them about eighteen inches apart and
at least four inches below the surface. Keep weeds and grass away
from them. Give the asparagus-bed a place in the garden by itself,
preferably along a fence or in some location where it will not
interfere with other plants which call for the frequent use of
the garden-cultivator. On no account plant it in that part of the
garden where it will be necessary to use a plow, for it is a plant
that must be left undisturbed if you would have it do its best.
Cover the beds with coarse manure in the fall, and work this into
the soil about the plants in spring.
_Beans_
Mammoth Stringless Green Pod matures early, and is very tender,
fine-flavored, and productive. It is a general favorite for the
home garden.
Golden Wax is later than the green-podded variety mentioned
above. It is valuable as a string-bean, and for shelling.
Beans are quite tender, therefore they should not be planted until
the weather becomes warm and settled. Plant in rows two feet
apart, and about four inches apart in the row, or in hills of
three or four plants each. Cultivate frequently during the early
part of summer, throwing the soil toward the plants. Do not work
among them while they are wet from dew or rain.
If a pole-bean is wanted, Improved Lima will be found extremely
satisfactory because of its productiveness and its fine, buttery
flavor. This class supplies the table with shelled beans only, its
pods being too tough to use as a string-bean. Plant in hills of
six or eight, setting a pole six or seven feet tall in the center
of each hill for the plants to climb by.
_Beet_
I would advise two varieties of this vegetable where the garden
is large enough to warrant the use of more than one. Crosby's
Egyptian stands at the head of the list as an early variety. It is
remarkably tender, and has a sugary flavor that is most delicious.
As a second variety I would advise Crimson Globe. This is very
sweet and fine-flavored, and comes to perfection during the latter
part of summer. It is a good keeper, and a quantity of it should
be stored in the cellar for winter use.
Sow seeds in rows sixteen to eighteen inches apart. Sow thickly,
and use the surplus plants as greens while young and tender,
making use of both top and root. Thin to three or four inches
apart.
_Cabbage_
Unless the garden is of considerable size I would not advise
planting this vegetable, because it takes up so much room that
might better be given to other kinds which the housewife will find
more useful. The plants should stand at least two feet apart. Seed
can be put into the ground about the first of May, or plants can
be started in the hotbed if wanted for very early use. Seedlings
can be transplanted as soon as they have made their second leaf.
For a very early variety I would advise Jersey Wakefield. For late
use Late Drumhead or Stone Mason Marblehead--both excellent in all
respects, and fine for winter use.
Care must be taken to prevent insects from injuring the plants
during the various stages of their development. Spray with
an infusion of the tobacco extract known as Nicoticide. This
will effectually prevent the pests from doing harm if applied
thoroughly and frequently.
If cabbage is to be wintered in the cellar, it must be kept
cool and dry. Some prefer to bury the heads in trenches, in dry
locations in the garden. The trench should be about two feet deep.
Spread straw in the bottom of it, and place the cabbage on it,
head down, with the large leaves folded well together. Then cover
with three or four inches of hay, and bank up with soil. Put a
board over this to shed rain. The cabbage will freeze, but if left
in the ground until the frost is gradually extracted from it it
will be found crisp and brittle, and much more satisfactory for
table use than that which is wintered in the cellar. Care must be
taken to exclude rain. If water gets to it it will be ruined. It
is a good plan to cover the trench with oilcloth or tarred paper,
both being waterproof.
_Cauliflower_
This is a favorite vegetable when well grown and properly cared
for. It requires a rich soil, a location well exposed to the
sun, and frequent applications of water if the season happens to
be a dry one. Cultivate as you would cabbage. For early use the
plants should be started in the hotbed, and transplanted to the
cold-frame as soon as they have made their third leaves. Put into
the open ground as soon as the soil is in good working condition.
Set the plants about two feet apart. When heads have formed they
should be bleached by drawing the large leaves together and tying
them with strips of soft cloth.
For a late crop, to mature during the pickling season, start
plants in open ground in May.
The best early variety is Dwarf Erfurt. Autumn Giant is an
excellent late variety.
_Carrot_
This plant likes a deep, warm, sandy soil. Early Short Horn
matures by midsummer. It is rich and sweet in flavor. Red
Intermediate is a later variety, excellent for fall and winter
use. Comparatively few persons give this plant a place in their
gardens, but it richly deserves a place there because of its value
as an article of food, as well as because of its health-giving
qualities. It adds greatly to the variety of the bill of fare, and
where it appears frequently on the table a liking for it is soon
developed, and thereafter it becomes a standard vegetable in the
housewife's list of "must-haves." It adds a delightful flavor to
vegetable soups.
_Celery_
The seed of early celery should be sown in the hotbed. Transplant
the seedlings to the cold-frame and allow them to remain there
until May. Then set in the richest soil at your disposal, six
inches apart in the row. Blanch by setting up boards a foot or
more in width each side the row, allowing an opening about three
inches wide at the top through which the plants can get a little
light. For late and winter use, sow the seeds in open ground in
May. Bleach by earthing up gradually, as the stalks develop,
until you have the plants buried to within a few inches of the
tip of their leaves. Use clean, dry soil in banking the plants.
Sawdust is good, but care must be taken to make use of a kind that
does not have a strong odor. Pine-dust will give the plants a
disagreeable flavor.
For winter use, take up plants, root and all, and pack close
together in boxes and store in a cool, dark cellar.
White Plume is the best early variety. Giant Pascal is probably
the most satisfactory winter variety, but Winter Queen is a
favorite with many. Both are so tender and have such a rich, nutty
flavor that it is not an easy matter to decide between them.
_Cucumber_
For very early cucumbers plant the seed in the hotbed in March
or April, but do not put the plants into the garden until all
danger of frost is over. This plant requires a rich and mellow
soil. It should be set in hills at least four feet apart. It is
a good plan to start the seed in pieces of sod placed grass-side
down. This enables one to move them from the hotbed without any
disturbance of their roots. The cucumber- or squash-beetle often
destroys the plants when they are put in the open ground if close
watch is not taken and prompt effort made to rout the enemy. Spray
with Nicoticide infusion, taking pains to have it reach the under
side of the leaves. Dry road-dust sifted thickly over the plants
is often found quite effective, but because of the inability to
apply it to the under side of the leaves the liquid insecticide
will be found more effective.
Improved Early White Spine is a favorite with all who like a
crisp, tender-meated, finely flavored cucumber. Ever-bearing is an
excellent sort for pickling as well as for use on the table during
the fall, as it continues to bear until frost kills the vines.
_Corn_
Sweet-corn is one of the most delicious of all garden vegetables,
and every garden that is large enough to admit of its culture
should give place to two or three varieties of it. Because of
its tall growth and the distance required between rows it is
not adapted to culture in the very small garden, though I would
willingly go without some of the other vegetables generally grown
there in order to give place to a few hills of it.
Golden Bantam produces ears only four or five inches in length,
but what they lack in size they make up for in tenderness and
sweetness.
Country Gentleman is a medium variety, very tender, sweet, and
juicy.
But the ideal sweet-corn is Stowell's Evergreen. No other variety
equals it in tenderness, sugary sweetness, and rich flavor. It
does not come to maturity until quite late in the season, but it
remains in excellent eating-condition until the plant is killed by
frost.
Do not plant until the weather and the ground are warm--generally
about May 10th at the extreme North. Sweet-corn seed often decays
if put into the ground as early as field-corn. Have the soil
rich and mellow, and cultivate frequently and thoroughly. If a
dry spell comes along make use of the cultivator daily until the
drought is broken.
_Endive_
This plant ought to be grown far more extensively than it is
because it is one of the best salad plants we have for fall and
winter use. Some should be sown in April for use during the
summer, and some in July, for late use. When the plants are two or
three inches high transplant to rich soil, setting them about ten
inches apart. When nearly full-grown, gather the leaves together
and tie them with strips of cloth, thus excluding the light from
the central part of the bunch. It must be blanched before it is
fit for table use. This part of the work must be done while the
plants are perfectly dry. If done when they are wet or even moist,
they will be quite sure to rot.
_Lettuce_
This plant should be started in the hotbed if there is one. The
seedlings should be transferred to the cold-frame before they have
attained much size, and left there until the ground becomes warm.
Very fine lettuce, however, can be grown from seed sown directly
in the open ground about the first of May, if the soil is warm
and rich. A fertile soil is quite important, as it is necessary
to bring on a rapid growth in order to have the plant crisp and
tender. Slow development gives a comparatively worthless article.
The All Heart variety is excellent for spring and early summer
use. It forms a solid head, and is very crisp and tender, with
that rich, buttery flavor that the lover of this plant insists on.
Mammoth Salamander is one of the best late-season kinds.
_Melons_
These, like corn and cabbage, are not adapted to culture in
the small garden because they require more room than it is
possible to give them without giving up other vegetables which
the housewife cannot well afford to go without. But in good-sized
gardens I would advise their culture, because there is nothing
else quite equal to them in delicacy of flavor and luscious
sweetness. They require a light, rich soil. Plant when the ground
is warm, and not before, in hills four feet apart. It is a good
plan to put a generous quantity of manure from the henhouse in
each hill, working it well into the soil before seed is planted.
Put at least a dozen seed in each hill, for some of the seedlings
will doubtless be destroyed by the beetle that works on cucumber-
and squash-vines. Spray all over with Nicoticide infusion as soon
as the first beetle is seen, also shower with dry road-dust. If a
fungous disease attacks them spray with Bordeaux mixture.