WHAT TO DO WITH A CITY YARD. 51 



The boards should lean against the plants, and may 

 be kept in place by simply piling the earth against 

 them. White Plume and Boston Market are good 

 white kinds, and New Rose a good crimson variety. 



Another crop useful in such a small garden would 

 be spinach. Two sowings in the spring and one in 

 the fall would be best, as city yards are apt to be in- 

 tensely hot in the middle of the day through the 

 summer months. Either of the borders would do, 

 and the first sowing should come as early as the 

 weather will permit and the soil is dry. Make shal- 

 low drills in the soil with a hoe and scatter the seed 

 quite thickly. Cover it lightly and press the soil 

 down firm. The rows can be as close as the width of 

 your hoe. As soon as the plants are three or four 

 inches high, pull out the larger plants and send to 

 the cook. Two weeks later all can be gathered as 

 fast as wanted. In my garden in 1888 the first plant- 

 ing was made April i6th and the first crop was gath- 

 ered May 26th. Two crops of spinach can be taken 

 off before it is time to set out the celery. A fall crop 

 should be sown in any spare place that can be found 

 about September ist. This crop, too, can be planted 

 quite thick and two gatherings made, one to thin out 

 and the second to clear off what is left. Of course it 

 may happen that more can be gathered each time 

 than is wanted. The idea is simply to pick the 

 spinach twice during its growth, at such intervals 

 and in such quantities as may be needed. My fall 

 crop in 1887 was planted September 6th, and was all 

 consumed before the ground froze hard in November, 

 being gathered in all six times, giving about a peck 

 at each picking. In such a city-lot garden the whole 

 of one of the side borders would not be too much 

 space for fall spinach, two sowings being made, one 

 about August 15th and the second September ist. 



