CHAPTER XXVI 



PLANNING THE GARDEN 



PLANNING the garden is good winter work. At any rate, 

 it ought not to be left till planting time. If only we know 

 how much ground we are willing to cultivate, and have 

 studied where our loam is heaviest and lightest, so that we 

 can suit the plants to the soil, we can save much hasty work 

 later. Having measured our garden exactly, we take our 

 pencil and paper, and draw a plan to scale. 



Drawing to scale means that the proportions of the garden 

 on paper are exactly the same as in the field. An inch, or a 

 half inch, or a sixteenth of an inch will represent a foot. 

 The best means for making such a plan is a sheet of paper 

 ruled in small squares, such as you can buy at the stationer's. 

 With this you save much puzzling and measuring, if only 

 you let one side of a square represent a foot or some such 

 definite distance. 



Next we need to make a list of the plants that we shall 

 have. They may be flowers, or vegetables, or both ; but 

 with the list in hand we must make sure that we understand 

 the needs of each one. Plants classify according to their 

 needs. We have already begun to take advantage of this 

 classification by growing in frames the plants that will not 

 stand frost, or that will transplant easily, or that it will pay 

 to transplant. We need now to study the sizes of plants 

 and the room they need, with the length of time that they 



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