How and What to Grow in a Kitchen Garden of One Acre (10th Ed)/The Second Prize Essay
To insure success in horticulture, the first requisite is a deep, rich, well-drained soil. For a garden, nothing can be more important than good drainage. Soil properly drained is warmer, drics faster, and can be worked earlier in the spring; it is easier to work in a wet season, and more open and moist in a dry season. Taking for granted, then, that the ground has perfect. drainage, it should be plowed deeply in the fall, so as to allow the frost to penetrate and sweeten the soil. In addition to this, the frost will be out sooner in the spring, and the superfluous moisture drained off more quickly, thus leaving the land in a workable condition at least a week earlier.[1]
Putting manure on the ground in the fall, or during winter, is a practice I would not recommend, because some of its most valuable portions are sure to be washed into the drains by the melting snow and spring rains, leaving the plants rather a meagre supply of nourishment to draw from when they come to need it most. The proper way to do is to give the ground a liberal spreading of thoroughly decomposed barnyard manure in spring, as soon as the land is in a workable condition.[2]
This should immediately be plowed in, and be followed with a sharp, weighted harrow, to thoroughly pulverize and mix the soil. This is important, as the surface of the soil is not so liable to harden or bake afterwards, if the ground is well worked in the spring. The soil is also permeated to a greater depth by the sun and air, causing healthier and quicker growth, consequently better and earlier vegetables. The form of our one-acre patch should, by all means, be a rectangle, made longer than wide, with the rows running lengthwise, and all perfectly straight, and everything else so arranged that as much of the cultivation can be done by horse power as possible. But let me say right here, that no one should undertake the cultivation of a kitchen garden without being willing to do a reasonable portion of the work by hand. This part of the work can, however, be greatly lessened by using the various labor-saving garden implements, to be purchased at reasonable rates, of most seed firms.
If “variety is the spice of life,” it can certainly nowhere be more desirable than in the kitchen garden, which is to supply our table with its yearly demand for choice vegetables; I say choice, since every one having the care of a garden should strive to grow everything of the very best, and that, too, in great abundance and variety.
The most convenient mode of arranging the different kinds of vegetables is to; 1st, place the perennial plants in one bed, running the entire length of the ground; 2d, Plant the vegetables side by side which are to remain out all winter, so as not to interfere with next spring’s plowing; 3d, Arrange side by side those varieties which require the whole season to mature; and, 4th, put beside each other the quickly maturing kinds, which may be succeeded by other varieties, in order that the ground to be occupied by a second crop may be all in one piece.
The preliminaries being arranged, we are now ready to go into details, and to this end we shall first take under consideration the permanent bed, so called from the fact that it is to contain such perennials as asparagus, rhubarb, horse radish, artichoke, and 
The herbs are placed here because they require a soil especially prepared for them, by the addition of either fine sand or sifted coal ashes, to make it mellow and dry.
ASPARAGUS.
Asparagus, one of the best and earliest of spring vegetables, would be in universal use, but for the prevalent though erroneous idea that it is difficult to grow. Being a gross feeder, the soil can scarcely be too rich. Although the process of deep trenching is now being discarded, yet, to attain the best result it is necessary that a large quantity of rotted manure be worked into the bed, to a depth of at least 18 inches. Instead of losing two years’ time by raising plants from seed, send and get strong two-year old plants early in spring. Set these in the prepared bed, 18 inches apart each way, and about six inches deep. Give frequent and thorough cultivation, and as soon as the tops are ripe in fall, cut off and burn them, to prevent the nuisance of seedling asparagus about the garden. Next spring, and for at least fifteen years after, the bed should give a full crop, and should have a heavy dressing of manure put on each fall, which should be spaded in before the shoots appear in spring, together with a sprinkling of three pints of salt per square rod.
To facilitate gathering, make the bed of such a width as that the centre can be reached from both sides. Cut all shoots as soon as they appear, till the time for the final cutting, which will vary from the middle of May to the middle of June, according to latitude and your fondness for this most delicious plant.
RHUBARB.
Rhubarb, known familiarly as Pie Plant, succeeds best in deep, somewhat retentive soil. Coming, as it does, before berries or fruit, its acid leaf stalks form an admirable substitute. It may be raised from seed, but to get the quickest returns procure strong roots in spring, and plant them three feet apart each way, the ground having first been fertilized and dug to a considerable depth. Never permit a plant to exhaust itself by seed-bearing; stir the soil often, cover with coarse litter in fall, fork it over in the following spring, and you may rely upon a good supply of pie plant for many years to come.
HORSE RADISH.
The best is grown by planting 8-inch lengths of root grown the previous year. These young roots planted in spring, small end down, with the top two inches below the surface, in rich, well-cultivated soil, will form radish of large size and superior quality, in one season’s growth. After having several weeks’ growth rub off the young side roots from the newly planted roots, to increase the size and insure a smooth, well-shaped root. See to it that no roots are scattered about the garden, as every piece of root, however small it may be, will, in a short time, become a strong plant, difficult to eradicate, and thus prove how annoying a good thing is in the wrong place.
GLOBE ARTICHOKE.
The Globe Artichoke is cultivated for its flower heads, which are cooked like asparagus, in an undeveloped state. On account of its hardiness, casy culture and perennial nature, this plant should be more generally grown. Plants raised from seed sown the previous year, set in any good garden soil two feet apart, with slight covering in winter, will remain in bearing a long time.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE.
The Jerusalem Artichoke needs only to be planted in order to thrive. Its tubers can be made into quite palatable pickles, and I have seen instances where, in the absence of cucumber pickles, the artichoke tuber was prepared the same way and used as a substitute.
CHIVES.
Chives are perfectly hardy perennial little members of the onion tribe, and are grown exclusively for their tops, which are used wherever the flavor of onion is required. Planted in small clumps in any common garden soil, they will grow readily, and in time inercase so as to render a division necessary. The tops appear very early in spring, and can be shorn throughout the season, hence this valuable little plant should have a place in every garden.
PARSLEY.
As parsley seed is so obstinate about germinating in spring, it does better if sown in autumn, as soon as ripe. Where that is not possible, the seed may be sown in spring, but “don’t look for the plants till you see them coming,” since parsley seed just comes up when it feels like coming up, and not before. The plants should be given a moist, rich soil and a partly-shaded situation. The curled sorts are ornamental, but the plain-leaved is best for general use in cookery. When once established, a supply can easily be kept up from self-sown seed.[3]
AROMATIC HERBS.
Aromatic or Sweet Herbs are worthy of more attention than they generally receive. If cooks used them more freely, doctors would have less occasion for prescribing them. The soil of the herb bed should be mellow and warm, but not over-rich. Deep, fertile soil produces an increase in size and foliage at the expense of fragrance, strength and flavor. The seeds should be sown as early in spring as the ground can be prepared.
Sweet Basil, Summer Savory, Sweet Marjoram, Sage and Thyme are grown for their foliage, which is used for seasoning, while Sweet Fennel, Dill, Coriander, Anise and Caraway are chiefly prized on account of their aromatic seeds. Aside from being useful for culinary purposes, most of the above-named plants possess valuable properties.
This completes the permanent bed.
Before proceeding any further I wish to have it understood that hereafter, in the course of this paper, all seeds advised to be sown broadcast are to be sown in long, narrow beds, with narrow walks between the beds, for convenience in gathering the crop and to protect the plants from being trodden upon.
Where sowing in drills is advised, it is likewise to be understood that all drills are to be not less than eighteen inches apart, and the cultivation between them to be done with a hand cultivator or wheel hoe, followed by hand hoeing between the plants if necessary.
Where planting in rows is recommended, it is intended that all rows, unless otherwise mentioned, should be not less than two and a half feet apart, to admit of the cultivation with a one-horse plow or cultivator, followed also by hand hoeing around the plants or hills.
Concerning the distance plants should be apart in the rows or otherwise, it may be safely said that each plant should stand so that when fully matured its outside leaves will just touch those of its nearest neighbor. This rule does not apply to onions and root crops, which may stand closer.
Concerning the best varieties of the different kinds of vegetables the reader is referred to the catalogues of reliable seedsmen. I shall recommend such varieties as I know to be good from personal experience.
PARSNIPS AND SALSIFY.
Alongside of the permanent bed, plant parsnips and salsify. Parsnip seed germinates slowly and quickly deteriorates by age, therefore early sowing and seed of unquestionable freshness are of primary importance. The subsoil should by all means be thoroughly loosened by the subsoil plow, unless it is naturally of a loose, friable texture. When it is borne in mind that parsnip roots grow wholly under ground, and when well grown measure over eighteen inches in length, the necessity for this will be seen at once. Sow in drills and thin to fiveinches apart. Parsnips may safely be loft in the ground all winter, as frost greatly improves them in saccharine quality.
Salsify or oyster plant, as the name implies, possesses the flavor of the oyster to a marked degree, and is highly esteemed by many on this account. It should have the same treatment in every respect as directed for the parsnip, and like it, too, is improved by frost. In the ground adjoining the parsnips and salsify, plant such vegetables as lettuce, spinach, radish, peas, bush beans, onions, kohlrabi, early cabbage, cauliflower, early potatoes and sweet corn. These mature nearly in the order named, and in time enough to be succeeded by other vegetables which will be mentioned hereafter.
LETTUCE, SPINACH AND RADISH.
Seed of lettuce, spinach and radish should be sown broadcast and as early as possible, with later sowings at intervals of about two weeks for a successive supply. Soil for lettuce and spinach should be of more than ordinary richness, and should contain sufficient moisture to insure rapid continuous growth. The best lettuce heads are raised by sowing seed in a hotbed and transplanting to the open ground when plants are two inches high. Cabbage varieties should be selected for this purpose. In this way I have grown heads of the New York Lettuce to weigh two pounds each, under ordinary treatment. Hanson, Burpee’s Golden Heart and Perpetual Lettuce are all good sorts. The Cos varieties do best if tied up a few days before using, to blanch all the inner leaves.
The Radish will thrive in any good garden soil, but a light sandy loam is better than heavily manured ground. In order to be crisp and tender, the growth should be rapid and unchecked. I can recommend French Breakfast, Golden Globe, White Stuttgart and Chartiers. The latter is of unusual merit.
PEAS.
As we all want green peas as early as possible, the seed should be planted early—the earlier the better. Peas will bear a great deal of cold without the slightest injury, either in the ground or after they are up. Sow in drills at the rate of one pint of seed to thirty-five feet of drill. To keep up a succession make a sowing of an early, medium, and a late variety at the same time. In about two weeks make another sowing as before. Soil for early varieties should be warm and very rich. Late varieties should be planted deeper than early sorts, but the soil should not be so rich, as late varieties are more productive on moist, cool ground, not over rich. Philadelphia Extra Early, American Wonder and Telephone can be relied upon. After trying various methods for training pea vines I am satisfied that brush is the most effective support. Place a few short twigs or sticks on each side of dwarf peas, to prevent them from leaning over and decaying on the ground, as is often the casc in a wet season.
DWARF OR BUSH BEANS.
Dwarf or bush beans should not be planted before danger from frost is over. Being very tender, nothing is gained by planting earlier. They may be planted in hills one foot apart, with four plants to the hill, but the better way, I think, is to plant in drills, with plants three inches apart in the drill.
Seed should be covered lightly with mellow soil. Beans often fail to come up, from being covered too deeply, especially if there is much rain after planting. Two plantings of both early and late varieties, at intervals of two weeks, will give a supply until pole beans come in season. Beans should never be hoed while the foliage is wet, as that produces rust. Black Wax, Early Valentine and Golden Wax are standard sorts.
ONIONS.
Onions may be raised successfully either from seed or from sets. If to be grown from seed no time should be lost in getting it sown in the spring. Sow in drills and thin the plants when about the size of quills, disturbing the remaining plants as little as possible. For southern latitudes and for an early supply it is better to grow onions from sets planted three inches apart, in drills. Sets are small onions grown the previous year, from seed sown quite thickly. Sets may be planted very early, as they will not be injured even if the ground should freeze after they are planted. Wethersfield and Danvers are good varieties. For extra large specimens, sclect Italian varieties.
KOHL RABI, EARLY CABBAGE AND CAULIFLOWER.
Seed of kohl rabi, early cabbage and cauliflower should be sown in a hotbed, and the plants transplanted to the open ground when four inches high.
Kohl rabi is grown for its turnip-shaped bulb, which is formed above ground, by the expansion of the stem. The bulb should be used while young and tender, as age detracts from its good quality. Set the, plants eight inches apart in the row. For later use sow seed in drills and thin to the proper distance apart. When well grown and properly prepared for the table, the kohl rabi is one of the most desirable of vegetables, and should be in every garden. Early White Vienna is the best variety.
Plant early cabbage in rows, with plants eighteen inches apart in the row. After trying several different sorts I have decided upon Early Jersey Wakefield, Early Flat Dutch, and Fottler’s Brunswick, as the best varieties for this latitude, and, as the cabbage worm has made late cabbage an uncertain crop for several years past here, in southern Illinois, we have planted largely of the Early Flat Dutch cabbage and had it picked and put up before the cabbage worm made its appearance. This I know, from experience, to be better than the use of all the insect powders combined.[4]
To grow cauliflower to perfection, the ground needs extra heavy manuring, and the plants must be supplied with an abundance of water as soon as heads begin to form. Plants should stand the same distance apart as early cabbage. The outside leaves should be pinned together over the centre, to shield the head from the direct rays of the sun, which often cause it to turn green, thus rendering it inferior in quality or entirely unfit for use. Early Snowball and Erfurt are both good and reliable. Nowhere docs success depend more on the quality of the seed than in the cauliflower.
SWEET CORN.
Sweet corn should be planted as soon as the ground is reasonably warm, in hills, three feet apart, three plants to a hill. The season for sweet corn can be greatly prolonged by planting early and late sorts, at intervals of a few weeks. There are many good early kinds, but I think the best late variety is Stowell’s Evergreen, which produces ears of the largest size, that romain in a condition fit for the table longer than those of any other variety of sweet corn.
POTATOES.
If you wish to enjoy new potatoes early in the season, your seed potatoes must be planted as early in the spring as the ground can be prepared. Plant them one foot apart in the row and cover with the corn plow. I would advise the planting of medium-sized potatoes in preference to large ones cut to pieces. If large ones must be used cut them a few days beforehand, so that the newly cut surface may dry before planting, otherwise, there is danger of the pieces rotting in the ground, especially if there is much rain immediately after planting. The Early Ohio gave us excellent returns for several years in succession.
We will next take under consideration that portion of the garden devoted to the vegetables requiring the greater part of the season to mature. The most important of these are:—
EGG PLANTS, TOMATOES, POLE BEANS, BEETS, CARROTS, LATE CABBAGE, CUCUMBERS, SQUASHES AND SWEET POTATOES.
Sow Egg Plant and Tomato seed in a hotbed and remove the young plants to a cold frame when three inches high, from whence do not remove them till the weather is settled and warm.
Egg Plant will repay the extra care it requires, and should be in every garden. Handle the plants very carefully in transplanting, and never remove them to the open ground before the nights are warm. At the North plants may be grown in flower pots plunged in a cold frame till the weather is sufficiently warm. Plants should stand 2½ feel apart in the row, and the soil should be very rich and warm. New York Purple is the leading variety, but those who succeed with the Black Pekin cannot fail to be pleased with its large, glossy fruits.
When all danger from frost is over, carefully transplant the Tomato plants from the cold frame to the open ground, to stand two feet apart in the row. As they grow tie them up on a trellis and remove all superfluous branches, so as to give the growing fruit the benefit of full sunshine, without which it will be of inferior quality and scarcely worth the having.[5] Nothing can be worse than allowing tomato plants to grow along the ground at will without any support. Better it would be not to grow any at all than to degrade them in that manner. Make a small trellis, four feet high, by nailing a few pieces of lath across small stakes driven into the ground. I regard Livingston’s Perfection as an excellent variety, and have grown extra large specimens of the Mikado, which, by the way, seems to have been cast in the same mold as the Turner Hybrid.[6] Be this as it may, I can heartily recommend either variety to all wishing to grow fine, solid, enormous-sized tomatoes.
Pole Beans, as the name implies, require poles or some other support for the vines to twine upon. The poles must be set firmly, to prevent being blown over by the wind. Where poles are not procurable, the vines may be trained upon strings stretched up and down along two wires, which are stretched and firmly fastened to posts or stakes, one wire above and the other below. Pole Bean trellis, seven feet high, can be purchased, and will answer the purpose for which they are intended. The best pole bean of its kind is the Large White Lima. Being very tender, it should not be planted before the ground is warm. The beans will come up sooner if the eye in the seed is placed downward. The seed should be lightly covered with mellow soil, as this bean, considering its size, has less penetrating power in coming up than any other kind. In rainy seasons I have covered the seed with coffee grounds, which never became compact or hard from the beating rains, and nearly every bean came up nicely, while those covered with earth were almost a total failure.[7] The Large White Lima is generally considered difficult to grow, but I cannot say so, as I have grown it without much difficulty, and had beans to perfection by the pailful throughout the summer. Mine were planted in very rich soil and the rows were about four feet apart, three plants to a hill, and the hills two feet apart. If supported by a trollis, beans should be placed one foot apart in the row. The above applies to all pole beans, whether Limas or string beans. Of the latter class of beans I have found White Creaseback a variety of great mcrit. Southern Prolific and Dutch Case Knife are also good. At the North, where the seasons are too short for the Large Lima, the Small Lima or Sieva, as it is also called, should be planted.
Sow Beet and Carrot seed as early in spring as possible. Sow in drills and thin beets to five inches and carrots to three inches apart in the drill. To have Boots early we sometimes sow seed of an extra early variety in the hotbed and transplant to the garden when plants are a few inches high. The same may be done with early carrots. Sow Early Scarlet Horn Carrot for early use and Long Red Coreless for fall and winter. Eclipse is one of the best early Beets and Long Blood Red is the very best late variety.
Sow late Cabbage seed in a seed bed, when danger from frost is over, and when plants are three inches high, plant them in rows three feet apart, with plants 2½ feet apart in the row. Late Flat Dutch, Burpee’s Surehead and Large Late Drumhead are reliable sorts.
Cucumber and Squash seeds should under no consideration be planted before the weather is settled and warm, as the young plants are extremely tender and sensitive to cold. Cucumber hills should be four feet apart each way, and squash hills should be six feet apart. Scatter about a dozen seeds in a hill, and when the second pair of leaves have formed, remove all but three of the strongest plants. No fruit should be permitted to ripen on cucumber vines, as this greatly weakens the plant and prevents it from further setting fruit. Pinching off the tips of winter squash vines when they are about three feet long increases their productiveness. Early Green Cluster, White Spine, and London Long Green are good varieties of cucumbers. The list of desirable squashes is long, but whoever grows the Pineapple and the Brazil Sugar Squash for early use, and the Essex Hybrid and Hubbard for winter use, will not be disappointed.
The term “hills,” as used here and elsewhere in this paper, does not imply heaped-up soil, but simply means that several seeds are to be planted together in one place, on a level with the rest of the ground. This I have found to be better than heaping up the ground to form hills, which soon dry out and are difficult to water.[8]
The only plant requiring hills or ridges is the Sweet Potato. Throw several furrows together with a plow and draw the soil up with a hoe, to form a tapering ridge, two feet high and three foot wide at the bottom. The plants, which are obtained by planting the tubers in a hotbed, are planted two feet apart on top of this ridge. Being of tropical origin, the sweet potato plants should never be planted till danger from frost is over. One hoeing is generally sufficient, as the vines soon cover the ridge, but these should not be allowed to take root, as that diminishes the productiveness of the plant. Late varieties are of better quality than the early ones.
PEPPERS, GUMBO AND LEEKS.
No garden is complete without at least a few plants of peppers, gumbo and leeks. To grow Peppers to perfection, the young plants should be grown in the hotbed and be transplanted to very rich soil, from twelve to eighteen inches apart, according to variety. When they commence blooming, a liberal quantity of hen manure should be strewn around each plant and be hoed in. This will increase the product wonderfully. Burpee’s Ruby King and Golden Dawn are two superb new varieties.
Gumbo, or Okra, is grown for its seed pods, which are used in soups and stews. Plant the seed eighteen inches apart, when the ground is warm, in spring, and use the pods while young and tender.
Sow Leek Seed very early, in a seed bed, in a sheltered place, if possible. When plants are about six inches long, transplant them to trenches six inches deep, with very rich soil at the bottom. Fill up the trenches as the plants grow, and later draw soil up to them. As a result, you will have fine, large leeks, blanched a foot long, which may be kept all winter if dug up with the roots on, and stored in moist sand in the cellar. Aside from being valuable for soups and salads, blanched leek makes an excellent dish when sliced and cooked like green peas. This fact does not seem to be generally known, as well-grown lock is so seldom seen in kitchen gardens.[9]
We will now go back again to the ground adjoining the parsnips and salsify. The early vegetables will mature and be harvested one after the other, so that there will be enough vacant ground in time for—
CELERY, ENDIVE, TURNIPS, WINTER RADISHES, KALE, CORN SALAD, WINTER LETTUCE AND WINTER SPINACH.
Sow Celery seed in a hotbed or cold frame. When a few inches high, plant five inches apart, in a bed, in the open ground, which should be especially prepared for the purpose by extra heavy manuring. Let the plants remain in this bed, to grow strong and stocky. Never let the ground in this bed become dry; give thorough cultivation and cut off the tops of the plants once or twice, to make them grow stocky. When six or eight inches high, lift the plants carefully and set them six or eight inches apart, in trenches a foot wide and fourteen or more inches in depth. Several inches of rotted stable manure should be mixed with the soil at the bottom of the trench. When planting, firm the ground well around each plant Supply enough water to keep the ground at the bottom of the trench very moist all the time. As the plants grow, press soil around the bottom of each plant and tie together at the top with string, to keep the stems straight and in an upright position. The blanching or earthing up is done by gradually filling up the trench with ground as the plants grow. Care should be taken not to get any ground into the hearts of the plants and never to earth up while they are wet. Sowing seed in the open ground and growing plants on the level surface may do for cool northern latitudes, but my experience is that it will not do here in southern Illinois. Boston Market and Crawford’s Half Dwarf are as good as any of the taller varieties, and are more easily blanched.[10]
Seed of Endive should not be sown early, as this plant is grown chiefly for late summer and autumn salad. In this latitude we sow at intervals from the middle of June to the 1st of August. Seed may be sown either broadcast or in drills, but the plants should be thinned so as to stand from six to nine inches apart. It may also be sown in a seed bed and be transplanted to the proper distance apart. When the plants are full grown, tie all the outside leaves together over the heart, to blanch the inner leaves, which will take about a week. To keep up a constant supply, some should be tied up every few days. Never tie up when the leaves are wet or they will soon decay. Green Curled and Batavian are both very good.[11]
Turnip and winter Radish seed may be sown from the latter part of July to the middle of August. If the ground is reasonably free from weed seeds it is advisable to sow broadcast, otherwise it is better to sow in drills. In either case, it is well to remember that the plants should be, like the first settlers, without a near neighbor. The size and quality of the turnips and radishes will depend, to a great extent, upon thin sowing of the seed, or, what is still better, a judicious thinning of the plants when young. The largest and sweetest turnips we have ever grown were of the Purple Top Strap-leaved variety, and were grown as a second crop after onions. The seed was sown broadcast, and no further attention given the plants except thinning while young. In the same manner and on similar soil we raised White and Black Spanish winter radishes of excellent quality, that weighed from four to seven pounds each. The Chinese Rose, though not so large, is the handsomest and one of the best winter radishes grown. The California Mammoth is a superb fall radish, but does not keep well in winter. The White Stuttgart is regarded as a summer radish, but I have had it, grown as a winter radish, to keep firm and solid till April.
Kale, or Borecole, is a valuable plant for spring greens. The variety called Dwarf German Greens is best for this purpose. Sow seed in drills about September 1st, and give thorough cultivation till the approach of cold weather. When winter sets in, give protection with a covering of straw or similar material, put on so as not to smother the plants. The most effective way of doing this is to place a layer of fine brush or cornstalks between the drills, to a height equal to or exceeding the height of the plants in the drills. Then cover all with a layer of clean straw, six inches deep. The object of putting the brush between the drills is to provide an air cavity between the plants and the covering.[12]
Corn Salad, or Vetticost, is a valuable little plant which is used for salad, the same as lettuce. For spring use, sow the seed any time during the month of September, and at the approach of cold weather cover the bed with a few inches of straw or hay. It should be used very early in spring, as it soon runs to seed when warm weather sets in. Although this plant will bear neglect, it will also repay good treatment.
Seed of winter Spinach and winter Lettuce should also be sown during the month of September, and the plants should be protected with a covering of straw, or similar material, during winter. Put on part of the covering when the ground begins to freeze, and as the cold increases, add covering till it reaches a depth of four or five inches. In regions where heavy snowfalls can be depended upon, it may not be necessary to protect any of the above-named plants, but here and elsewhere, where winters are severe and the snowfall light, it is of the utmost importance to provide protection, or no success need be expected. Hammersmith is the best winter lettuce, and Round Leaf and Prickly Winter are two good varieties of spinach for fall sowing.
The beds of kale, corn salad, winter lettuce and winter spinach should be arranged side by side, and alongside of the parsnips and salsify, so as not to interfere with the plowing of the ground in fall and in spring. As some of the parsnips and salsify will be left in the ground to be dug at leisure in spring, it is best to have all these vegetables side by side, so that when the parsnips and salsify[13] are dug, and the crop of kale, corn salad, etc., harvested, the whole ground can be plowed at once.
Before closing, a few words in regard to watering and transplanting may not prove amiss.
The best time for watering is in the evening. Though water may be given to the roots at any time, it should never be sprinkled on the foliage in the hot sun, as that causes brown spots or blisters where it comes in contact with the leaves. More injury than good results from beginning to water a plant, and then not keeping it up till the necessity ceases. As soon as the ground begins to get dry after watering, the soil should be stirred with the hoe. When you start to water a plant, do it thoroughly, so as to give the roots a soaking at every watering, or else do not water at all.
The main points to be regarded in transplanting, are handling the plant carefully, so as to injure the roots as little as possible, planting firmly and shading to prevent the sun from withering or scorching the leaves. It should be borne in mind, that it is not nature’s design that a plant should be transplanted, and we ought to show sympathy for a plant as well as for our fellow-creatures.
And now, having taken a walk with you through the kitchen garden, all I have further to say is, may you be favored with seasonable rain and sunshine, for, be it remembered, without the co-operation of the elements all our efforts are in vain.
- ↑ While, as stated, a well-drained soil is most desirable for the garden, and its value is not to be underrated, yet success in gardening can be had on almost any soil. The more unfavorable the circumstances, the greater credit is due the gardener, and many cannot afford expensive underdraining.—Ed.
- ↑ The suggestion as to applying manure in the spring is good, as far as the well-drained land is concerned; where the land is not well-drained, however, more of the good properties of the manure are retained by applying the coarse manure in the fall, as it then fills the soil with decomposing vegetable matter.—Ed.
- ↑ The parsley seed will germinate quickly if soaked in tepid water for twenty-four hours before planting. We must also take exception to the statement that the plain-leaved sorts are superior to the curled varieties for seasoning purposes.—Ed.
- ↑ The reason here presented for not growing late cabbage, because the worms might damage some of them, is quite original, and about equal to not planting any potatoes, because the bugs might eat the tops. We can hardly conceive of a garden, however small, without late cabbage. For the prevention of the ravages of this pest we would suggest the use of alum water, as being sure, casily applied and entirely harmless to the user.—Ed.
- ↑ It is the extreme richness of the soil, which is claimed by Miss Moll to be requisite to the growth of the Tomato, that, in her case, renders the use of the trellis and pruning necessary, as it induces too rank a growth of vine, covering the ground so that the sun and air cannot penetrate unless the vines are tied up. We can hardly see any degradation in allowing the plant liberty to grow in the manner intended by nature. More than this, as seedsmen, we pride ourselves on the new and improved varieties of Tomatoes that we have introduced, and the finest we have ever grown—finest alike for size, color, quality and productiveness—have been grown on poor clay soil, that looked fairly yellow when at all dry, and we have never been able to equal them on either rich heavy loam, or on light soils. We would not undervalue the tying up of a few plants for early use, but claim that it is unnecessary for the general crop.—Ed.
- ↑ As stated, these Tomatoes were undoubtedly originated from the same stock. We received the Turner Hybrid in the spring of 1884, a small packet of seed being sent us by one of our customers—Mr. J. W. Turner, of Iowa. This seed we had planted, and were surprised at the wonderful growth, size and quality of the variety, but unfortunately there were two distinct colors: some were a rich deep red and some a pale pink, of a not very attractive shade. So we grew it carefully for another season before sending out, that we might have them all of the best color. This, we believe, is not the case with the Mikado, as in our trial the two colors were present, although they both are evidently of the same origin.—Ed.
- ↑ This idea of a mulch of light material to cover the freshly planted beans in a wot season is a very good one; but we would think that saving and applying Coffee Grounds for a bean patch of the size it should be in a garden of one acre, would be a good deal like “emptying a hogshead of water with a teaspoon.” We would suggest the use of sand, sifted coal ashes, chaff or buckwheat hulls, as answering the purpose equally well, and as being much more readily obtained.—Ed.
- ↑ We think that the melons, cucumbers, etc., get a better start (and we would include the pole beans) when the hill for seed is raised slightly above the surface, as it greatly lessens the danger of the young seedlings “damping off,” and instead of the watering, which is here claimed to be necessary, we would suggest a thorough loosening of the soil around the roots.—Ed.
- ↑ Leek is both wholesome and palatable. We heartily endorse the words of recommendation, and trust that many readers will include it in their gardens. Kohl Kabi is another vegetable but little known in America, and which Miss Moil is also fully warranted in recommending.—Ed.
- ↑ The plan here described involves much unnecessary labor. It takes considerable time to dig the trenches, and, unless the soil of the garden wore unusually deep, this depth of trench, fourteen inches, would bring up and mix with the surface a great deal of very poor subsoil. As rich soil cannot be found at this depth, a liberal supply of manure must be put down, for the roots to feed upon, where it will not be available for any future crop, unless the trenches were located in exactly the same spot each year. The increase in the labor of digging for storage would be considerable over the plan of surface culture as recommended in Mr. Darlington’s treatise. Miss Moll gives as a reason the greater heat in her locality, to overcome which we would suggest planting between rows of tall-growing sweet corn, and also recommend the use of some of the self-blanching varieties of celery.—Ed.
- ↑ Endive, commonly known in restaurants as Chicorée, is one of the most attractive and refreshing of salads. It is particularly appetizing when served mixed with lettuce, with plain French dressing.—Ed.
- ↑ This is also sown at the same time as late cabbage, and grown in the same manner, being used as a fall and winter supply of greens, and we think is most palatable in this way.—Ed.
- ↑ In this locality (Philadelphia), parsnips and salsify will start into growth, and become worthless for the table if left in the ground after it has become possible to work it in the spring. For a late supply, the roots should be dug and stored in a very cool cellar. This method does not interfere with the garden being all thoroughly plowed in the spring.—Ed.