THE GARDEN WEEK BY WEEK 



may be made. All are good. Two ounces of super- 

 phosphate of lime and one ounce of sulphate of potash 

 may be used per yard of drill when the sets are planted. 

 Hot Beds. — Early March is a good time to make up a 

 hot bed, and those who do not possess a heated green- 

 house will find such a convenience of great advantage 

 in bringing on Tomatoes, Celery, Cucumbers, Melons, 

 Vegetable Marrows, and various half-hardy and tender- 

 flowering plants from seed. A considerable part of the 

 bed should consist of fresh stable manure, without which 

 it would not be possible to get the necessary heat, but 

 some leaves may be added, preferably Oak or Beech. 

 The manure ought be shaken out and turned two or three 

 times before it is made up into a bed, and then trodden 

 down firmly to a depth of three feet, and covered (save 

 for about a foot all round) with a glass frame. Pots or 

 boxes may be stood on the manure when the bed feels 

 comfortably warm to the hand, and the air in the frame 

 smells quite sweet. Cucumbers, Melons, and Vegetable 

 Marrows may all be sown singly in small pots. 



MARCH-Third and Fourth Weeks 



The second half of March will not be less busy than 

 the first, and may be far more so if the weather in the 

 first half is unfavourable for gardening, as is often the 

 case. The latter part of March frequently gives that 

 mixture of warm, sunny days and dewy nights which is 

 so good for gardening. The soil dries and mellows, the 

 air grows sensibly sweeter and more genial. The fact 

 that such conditions are sometimes followed by bad 

 weather in April should not deter the amateur from 

 sowing in March if he gets a good chance, rather should 

 the fear of it act as a stimulus to him, and induce him to 

 142 



