116 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [15:3— March, 1919 



ready for planting, I began by starting at the north end of the rows and working 

 down. 



In the first path of my ground I planted lettuce, the seed of which must be 

 scattered, and raked into the soil very tenderly. In the next patch, I grew 

 string beans which I planted in rows about three inches apart. Our family 

 used all the beans we wanted, and I had some to sell. 



The third patch was planted in dwarf lima beans which yielded a fine crop. 

 I placed the beans in hills with about four or five beans to a hill. 



Lastly I olanted tomato plants, by the shed; and back of all the other 

 vegetables, because they grow big. From these tomatoes, I had two crops. 

 One was the ripe tomatoes that we ate, and the other the green tomatoes. 

 From the latter I picked a basketfuU, from which my mother made fifteen pints 

 of chow chow. One thing that I failed to mention is my cabbage patch which 

 yielded about fifteen heads, each weighing about three or four pounds. 



As this garden was a success I am going to make another one next year. 

 8x\, Wallach School Norman Leaman. 



My First Garden 



The thought of a garden was little joy to me when I was told that the course I 

 was taking included preparing, planting, and caring for one. Being city-bred it 

 was all new and consequently a matter to be approached with considerable 

 trepidation. 



However I plunged in by selecting my patch. I decided that the things I 

 planned to grow should have the best advantages I could arrange for them, so 

 my very small lo by 15 ft. muck plot was chosen in the one spot in the garden 

 which got the best sun and was not undermined by tree roots. I had the sod 

 removed the middle of March and April 14 marked my active entrance into the 

 conflict with a spade for weapon. I wielded it pretty successfully for when I put 

 it up that evening I was more tired, dirty, and interested than I could have 

 believed possible — and although during the next few days the novelty wore 

 oflf of spading the thought of making as much of a success as was possible out of 

 my bit of ground grew apace. My first real planting experience was in setting 

 out two ten foot rows of lettuce plants and it was one that brought more 

 meaning with it than just the starting of green things growing. I was anxious 

 to avoid all possibilities of having the sun scorch them, as they had been well 

 started — so early one evening, in old clothes, I got out during an April 

 shower and planted and the memory of the freshening both the earth and I 

 got that evening will always mean Spring to me. 



My two twelve foot rows of onion sets went in next and my lettuce and onions 

 received my most vigilant care and working up for several weeks until in the 

 early part of May I put in one twelve foot row of string beans, six cabbage and 

 eighteen tomato plants and my garden was complete. I spent, on an average, 

 not more than ten minutes a day on it and it yielded: 



45 heads lettuce, ist crop; 20 heads lettuce, 2d crop. 10 qts. stringbeans, 

 1st crop. 8 qts. string beans, 2d crop. 6 bunches onions. 6 heads cabbage, 

 good, firm ones. 7 pecks tomatoes from which we canned. —4 qts. string bean. 

 6 qts. tomatoes. 3;^ qts. tomatoes preserves. 



I also got sufficient green tomatoes from my vines as I was pulling them up 

 the last of October to make three quarts green tomato pickles. 



