A Year's Work in the Vegetable Garden 



By many these small hearts will be preferred to large ones, as more 

 delicate, and therefore a sowing of Tom Thumb may be advised. 



Spinach, New Zealand, can be sown in the open ground in 

 the early part of this month and should be thinned to about a yard 

 apart. The growth somewhat resembles that of the Ice Plant. The 

 tender young tops are pinched off for cooking, and they make an 

 elegant Spinach, which is free from bitterness, and is therefore ac- 

 ceptable to many persons who object to the sooty flavour of ordinary 

 Spinach. 



Tomato. By the third week in May the plants for the open 

 border should be hardened. In a cold pit or frame they may be 

 gradually exposed until the lights can be left off altogether, even 

 at night. A thick layer of ashes at the bottom of the frame will 

 insure drainage and keep off vermin. If the plants are allowed 

 plenty of space, and are well managed, they will possess dark, healthy 

 foliage, needing no support from sticks until they are in final 

 quarters. Do not put them out before the end of the month or 

 the beginning of June, and choose a quiet day for the work. If 

 possible, give them a sunny spot under the shelter of a wall having a 

 southern or western aspect. On a stiff soil it is advisable to plant 

 on ridges, and not too deeply ; for deep planting encourages strong 

 growth, and strong growth defers the production of fruit. Tomatoes 

 are sometimes grown in beds, and then it is necessary to give 

 them abundant room. For branched plants three feet between the 

 plants in the rows, and the rows four feet apart, will afford space for 

 tying and watering. Each plant should have the support of a stout 

 stake firmly fixed in the soil, and rising four feet above it ; and once 

 a week at least the tying should be attended to. As to stopping, 

 the centre stem should be allowed to grow until the early flowers 

 have set. It is from these early flowers that outdoor Tomatoes can 

 be successfully ripened, and the removal of the main shoot delays 

 their production. But after fifteen or twenty fruits are visible the 

 top of the leading stem may be shortened to the length of the stake. 

 The fruiting branches should also be kept short beyond the fruit, 

 and large leaves must be shortened to allow free access of sunshine. 

 Should the single-stem system be adopted, three feet between the 

 rows and two feet between plants in the rows will suffice. On a light 

 soil and in dry weather weak liquid manure may, with advantage, 

 be alternated with pure water, but this practice must not be carried 

 far enough to make the plants gross, or ripening will be delayed. 

 Fruit intended for exhibition must be selected with judgment, and 



