for October, 1920 



337 



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I B 



I The Month's Work in Garden and Greenhouse | 



I HENRY GIBSON | 



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Fall Phiiitiiii^. — Fall planting has been of slow accept- 

 ance by the average home gardener, because he or she 

 reasoned that it appeared foolish to do planting when all 

 Nature was preparing for a period of rest. Spring 

 seemed ever so much more seasonable when the sun began 

 to make its influence felt, and it made one feel good to be 

 digging, and delving in the soil. Then, while the young 

 people's thoughts were turning to love, the gardener's 

 were turning to the garden with visions of beautiful 

 flowering plants, selected from pages of more or less 

 bulky catalogs. Orders were hastily placed and the 

 coming of the plants impatiently awaited, while in due 

 time they were planted in their appointed places, to 

 slowly recover. But, alas, the days pass with never a 

 bloom, or only scanty ones at the best. Such is only too 

 often the story of hasty spring planting. It is only a 

 matter of time before fall planting will be accepted, by 

 even the most skeptical, as the most reasonable, the most 

 beneficial, and the most satisfactory, in its results for 

 the majority of plants. 



One doesn't have to give very serious consideration 

 to the structure of plants to realize what a severe shock, 

 and setback, it is to a plant to be dug up, shipped long dis- 

 tances, very often without necessary moisture, and then 

 transplanted in a new situation. After recovery from 

 such an experience the plant must immediately send 

 forth its roots in search of nutriment, and begin the 

 tremendous task of readjustment. Yet, withal, how many 

 unconsciously would heap insult upon injury by expect- 

 ing the plant to fill still another office, that of growing 

 apace, and blossoming forth in all its glory the first 

 season. This is what spring planting demands of the 

 plant ; its immediate recovery, and estaljli hment. fol- 

 lowed by profuse bloom, and rapid growth 



By planting in the Fall, however the plant has a 

 much better chance. It is not checked just at a time when 

 its growth is quickening, but is dug up when the work 

 of the )'ear is drawing to a close, and the plant system 

 is [jreparing itself for the Winter. There is still enough 

 heat in the ground to enable the plant to develop new 

 roots, and it can adjust itself to its new surroundings 

 before very cold weather sets in, and thus be prepared 

 with the first rush of Spring to throw all its energy into 

 new growth. There is no question of the superiority of 

 fall planting; it gains the planter a whole season, as the 

 bloom the Summer after planting will be abundant. 



To be denied the joys of the first sj^ring flowers is to 

 miss half the joy of gardening, and this is another dis- 

 advantage that spring planting has. The late flowering 

 plants are favored, while it is then too late for the earlier 

 flowering varieties. Think of missing, for instance, the 

 crocus, tulips and hyacinths, because we omitted to 

 arrange for their coming the previous Autumn. 



So it is with a host of other things : The moss pinks, 

 with their sea of color; the deep blue of the violets, the 

 beautiful Mertensias, the golden bells of the Forsythia, 

 the striking blossoms of the Dogwood, and other early 

 blooming things. Now is the last call ; so plan at once 

 for their reception, and before the ground is tied up per- 

 manently for the Winter by frost your Spring of delight 

 will be practically assured. 



Even if you have all preparations made in advance 

 for fall planting, it may be impossible to do all the plant- 



ing immediately. Unpack the plants at once, taking care 

 to check them up with the copy of the order; wet the 

 moss or burlap about the roots, and heel them in in a 

 shady place. 



Firm planting is essential, and doubly important in 

 fall [ilanting, because loose planting at this season not only 

 delays the plant in getting established, but leaves it liable 

 to swaying to and fro by the winds, and the action of 

 alternate freezing and thawing, that it may die from 

 winter killing, thotigh hardy enough to stand the climate 

 if properly planted. 



A wooden tamper is very useful in setting out shrubs, 

 and one can soon be made out of a piece of wood two 

 inches or so in diameter. 



Before setting out any of the trees or shrubs that have 

 come from the nursery go carefully over the roots and 

 cut back to sound tissue any that have become broken or 

 bruised or are so long as to be unwieldly. Minute roots 

 will start from around these fresh cut just the same as 

 they do at the base of a cutting, so don't be afraid to use 

 your knife. A reasonable trimming back of the top 

 branches is also necessarv', but in the case of early flower- 

 ing shrubs, we do not recommend trimming back, but 

 removing about one-third of the shoots, so as not to cut 

 away all flowering stems. If the ground where the plant- 

 ing is being done is very dry, it will help matters a good 

 deal to water before planting as well as after. Before 

 setting the plant in the hole fill it half full of water, and 

 after this has soaked away, set the plant, throw in soil 

 under the hole until one-half or two-thirds full, then fill 

 with water again. Fill in the soil well about the roots 

 so that no dead air spaces are left, work it in with the 

 fiiigers until you are satisfied that the soil is in contact 

 with eyer>' root. When finished the plant should be in 

 the soil just as firmly as if it had been growing there 

 some time. Leave a loose dirt mulch on the surface to 

 check evaporation of the moisture, and when the ground 

 freezes up apply a mulch of well rotted manure over the 

 whole area planted. 



Vegetable Garden. — While a number of the hardier 

 vegetables may be left out until it is quite late, yet one 

 cannot afl:'ord to take too long chances, as verv cold 

 weather may come overnight, and they will be frozen 

 before you are aware of it. 



In this connection it might be well to have some pro- 

 tc-ctive material at hand in case of a killing frost to 

 throw over the growing things yet in the garden. Wire 

 or string run along the rows of string beans or Limas will 

 keej) the liurlaps or other material from weighting down 

 the plants. A few barrels placed near the egg plants and 

 pcjjpers are easily slipped over them at night. Salt hay 

 makes excellent covering for lettuce, endive or celery not 

 yet put into winter quarters. Spinach may also be cov- 

 ered with hay. as well as that which is to be carried 

 through the \Vinfer. Tomatoes on the trellis may be pro- 

 tected by using mats, burlaps or heavy pajier. but a heller 

 plan is to gather all the fruit and j)lace it in a light airy 

 room where it will ripen perfcctlv. 



.Ml herbs may be gathered and stored for Winter: cut 

 and tied in separate bupches, and hung from the ceiling 

 in the attic until dry, when they may be powdered and 

 put in boxes for everyday use. 



It is not too late to put in a new bed of asparagus. 



