Part 2

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_