216 Commercial Gardening 



Crepe Cabbage Lettuces, and Radishes, and are maturing a crop of 

 Carrots. Six Cauliflowers are placed in each light, three at the top 

 (north) and three at the bottom (south), while an extra one is placed 

 at each end of the frame. The temperature at this time is from 65 to 

 75 F. The first heads are fit to cut about the third week in March, 

 and the first crop of Cauliflowers is finished about the end of April. 



While this particular crop has been maturing, succession crops have 

 been planted at intervals of about a fortnight in other frames in pre- 

 cisely the same way, so that the Cauliflower season is greatly extended. 



The second early varieties may be sown at the same time as the first 

 early ones, and treated in the same way to produce heads in natural 

 succession. And in February and March and April a sowing may be 

 made of the later varieties to produce plants for the open ground in May 

 and June, to come into successional bearing in autumn. 



Cauliflowers are not only grown in the frames in the way mentioned, 

 but plants are also placed in the spaces between the north and south row 

 of bell glasses that are sheltering Cos Lettuces in early spring. 



From the beginning of February onwards Cauliflowers are also planted 

 about 2J to 3 ft. apart on warm sunny beds or borders on which Radishes 

 and Carrots have just been sown in the same way as under the lights 

 already described. But even the space between the Cauliflowers is not 

 wasted. A Cos Lettuce is planted between every two, while on the margins 

 of the beds or borders a row of Cabbage Lettuces are planted. The 

 diagram will show how this is done. 



O 



Fig. 527. -Diagram showing how Cauliflowers (), Cos Lettuces (O), and Cabbage Lettuces (x) are 



planted on open-air beds 



Thus five different crops are on the same piece of ground at one time: 

 (1) Carrots and (2) Radishes (germinating) and (3) Cabbage Lettuces, 

 (4) Cos Lettuce, and (5) Cauliflower. The Radishes come off first, the 

 Cabbage Lettuces second, the Cos Lettuces third, the Carrots fourth, the 

 Cauliflowers fifth, and then the bed can be turned over easily and re- 

 cropped in a similar way, or with whatever crops the grower thinks will 

 pay him best. And this in the open air in early spring. There is nothing 

 like it in British market gardens, and never was. 



