Economizing Space in the Kitchen Garden 



C G. Cooper, Oakville, Ontario 



GENERALLY speaking, the kitchen 

 garden is a small area of land 

 that the owner is desirous of filling 

 as full as possible with vegetables which, 

 when grown, will be close at hand. In 

 the first place, make a path through the 

 centre of the garden leading from the 

 kitchen and also paths leading from the 

 main one in opposite directions. Along 

 the borders of these paths can be planted 

 small fruits, such as black, red and 

 white currants, gooseberries and rhu- 

 barb, at a distance of four feet apart. 



At the farther end of either half of the 

 plot a piece of ground can be kept for 

 an asparagus bed. Next to this bed, 

 sow the different kinds of early vege- 

 tables, digging the ground with a spade 

 or a digging fork. With the latter tool, 

 the weeds will all be thrown out and not 

 cut, as with the spade. Do not dig all 

 the plot before sowing as by this method 

 you injure the soil by tramping on it 

 when sowing. Early vegetables, such 

 as early lettuce, radishes, spring carrots, 

 beets, early peas and onions (both Shal- 

 lot and Dutch, the former for green use 

 and the latter for boiling purposes) can 

 be sown in double rows, ten inches 

 apart, with two feet between each double 

 row. Parsley, cress, endives and herbs, 

 such as savory, sage, thyme and mar- 

 joram, can be sown between the bushes. 



In the centre of the space between 

 each double row, can be planted, in rows 

 one foot apart, early kinds of potatoes 

 that have been sprouted in the house. 

 These can all be dug during the month 

 of July. As soon as dug, fertilize and 

 plant the second time to Winningstadt 

 and Savoy cabbages. A few red cab- 

 bages also can be put in. ' Early cauli- 

 flowers can be placed in one or two 

 spaces. 



As soon as the early vegetables have 

 been used, dig very deeply (one foot, 

 if possible) the space which has been oc- 

 cupied and thoroughly enrich it with 

 rotted manure. Plant in double rows 

 through the centre, three kinds of celery, 

 White Plume, Paris Golden Yellow and 

 Giant Pascal. The two former kinds can 

 be planted on the level ; the latter in a 

 shallow trench, using boards or soil for 

 bleaching purposes. The plants in each 

 row should alternate with those in the 

 next ones. Plant six inches apart in the 

 row. Each space can be filled with this 

 vegetable. Start the plants in a cold 

 frame or hotbed and as soon as large 

 enough, transplant to a space or two be- 

 tween the bushes, where they will grow 

 stocky. About the second week in July, 

 they will be ready for the main rows. 



This plan ensures four crops of vege- 

 tables that can be taken off the same 



Jjiece of ground. After everything has 

 been harvested in fall, manure heavily 

 and dig the soil coarsely so that the frosl 

 in winter may pulverize it. If there 

 are any clay spots in the garden, apply 

 to them some sifted coal ashes. 



On the other side of the main path 

 can be sown double rows of beans, using 

 two kinds, a yellow pod or a wax bean 

 and a green pod variety. About the end 

 of April or the first of May some more 

 lettuce, radish, spinach, late beets, car- 

 rots, parsnips, later varieties of peas, 

 black seed onions and pickling onions 

 can be sown. There should be two and 

 one-half feet between each double row 

 instead of two feet as on the other side, 

 which can be planted to early corn (re- 

 serving two or three spaces) in rows 

 through the centre, three or four kernels 

 in each hill, two feet apart in the row. 

 Half way between each of these hills can 

 be sown vegetable marrow in one row, 

 Hubbard squash, both green and yellow, 

 next, summer squash, next, all at one 

 end of this half of the plot. At the 

 other end, the spaces can be planted in 

 the same way to citrons, water melons 

 and muskmelons. These plants can be 

 raised in a hotbed. Sow the seed in 

 strawberry boxes, three or four in each. 

 These boxes serve the purpose splendidly 

 as, when planted in the ground, the thin 

 wood will decay and allow the roots to 

 expand and grow. The spaces that have 

 been reserved as previously mentioned 

 can be sown to early cucumbers for the 

 table and pickling cucumbers for winter 

 use. 



When sowing the second crop of early 

 vegetables on the last half of the plot re- 

 serve a space one foot wide in the double 

 rows every three feet. In every space, 

 plant one tomato plant, say about the 

 first of June. These can be raised in a 

 hotbed like the others. They should be 

 transplanted six inches apart into cold 

 frames. Keep them cultivated and in 

 readiness for planting. Strawberry 

 boxes can also be used for these. Have 

 three kinds of tomatoes, — pink, early red 

 and late red. On the late ones there 

 will be enough left green for use as 

 green pickles. 



If there is a shed or stable near the 

 garden, pumpkins can be sown close to 

 it and trained up the side and over the 

 roof. If there is a fence, scarlet runner 

 beans can be sown and trained on them. 

 A picket fence is preferable for this pur- 

 pose. 



The system mentioned will give a 

 large quantity of vegetables on a small 

 piece of ground. The amount of manure 

 to be used depends upon the kind of soil. 

 If the surface soil is sandy and resting 



upon a sandy sub-soil, apply manure at 

 the rate of sixty tons to the acre. If the 

 surface is a black loam, with a clay sub- 

 soil, apply forty tons to the acre. If it is 

 clay, on a clay sub-soil, use coarse man- 

 ure at the rate of seventy-five tons to the 

 acre. For the latter type of soil, a lit- 

 tle lime or ashes also would be beneficial. 

 Plow or dig the soil in the fall and place 

 the manure in each furrow. Throw the- 

 soil up loosely so that the frost can pul- 

 verize it. On the last named soil men- 

 tioned, one dressing of manure will last 

 for two seasons. Where poultry is kept, 

 the droppings should be saved. Mix it 

 with sandy soil in equal parts and use as 

 a fertilizer for currant and gooseberry 

 bushes. 



Asparagus Beetles 



Tennyson D. Jarvi>, Ontario Agricultural College 



There are two beetles that feed upon 

 the asparagus plant, both immigrants 

 from Europe. One is known as the com- 

 mon asparagus beetle, the other as the 

 twelve-spotted beetle. They both feed 

 upon this plant alone, the former being 

 found in greater numbers. 



The eggs are dark colored, somewhat 

 spindle-shaped and may be readily ob- 

 served by one end along the shoots. The 

 larvae are of a dirty slate color and ex- 

 ude a large drop of blackish fluid from 

 the mouth on being touched. They ma- : 

 ture in about two weeks, when they go 

 down into the ground, spin parchment- 

 like cocoons, in which they change, and 

 come up as perfect beetles in another 

 fortnight or three weeks. 



The common asparagus beetle is about 

 a quarter of an inch long, blue-black or 

 greenish ; the body behind the head being 

 red with two black spots. The wing 

 covers are yellow with a dark line down 

 the centre of the back. Shortly after 

 emerging the beetles lay their eggs and 

 the insect, in all stages, may be found 

 from about the middle of June till the end 

 of September. The twelve-spotted as- 

 paragus beetle, which differs from the 

 other in being red, with twelve spots on 

 the wing covers, is not so common. 



REMEDIES 



I. Ducks and chickens are very fond 

 of them. 2. During the cutting season, 

 leave scattered shoots to grow as traps. 

 Spray with insecticides or cut down and 

 burn. 3. After the cutting season, or 

 on young plants, dust fresh air-slacked 

 lime, or arsenites, or both, on the plants 

 while the dew is on. Repeat whenever 

 larvae reappear. 



ft is exceedingly important to have 

 vegetables for sale at the earliest possi- 

 ble date in order to catch the highest 

 prices. 



