HAMPSHIRE COUNTY FARMERS' MONTHLY 



HOME MAKING 



EAT VEGETABLES 



FOR HEALTH 



Your Garden can Produce Hnough for 

 the Whole Year 



Authorities agree that for health and 

 strength for our daily work we need at 

 least one vegetable other than potato 

 every day. They urge, and aie sup- 

 ported by much evidence, that for maxi- 

 mum efficiency we should use two vegeta- 

 bles other than potato every day. How 

 may we do this? Of course, the market 

 and the grocery .<tore will provide them, 

 but such a source requires the use of 

 much time and the e.xpenditure of much 

 money to keep the family supply up to 

 this maximum. In addition to this ex- 

 pense of time and money, the quality ob- 

 tained either as fre.sh or canned products 

 is not high. 



It is much better from the point of 

 quality to "grow our own," and in addi- 

 tion the family with a well tilled garden 

 is enjoying much time in the open air, 

 and will save a considerable amount of 

 money. 



This article is intended to discuss the 

 supplying of the vegetable needs of the 

 family of average size — five persons — for 

 an adequate diet throughout the year, 

 using fresh vegetables when in season 

 and storing and canning the .supply for 

 the season when the fresh pioducts are 

 not available. 



Minimum Size of Garden 



A farm or home garden for this family 

 should be 50' x 100' in size. This will 

 give an adequate and continuous supply 

 of fresh vegetables beginning with as- 

 paragus and rhubarb and ending with 

 cabbage and celery. It will also provide 

 a surplus for canning and storing of such 

 materials as may be so handled. It is 

 not advisable to grow potatoes in the 

 home garden, as they require too much 

 room in propoi'tion to the leturns re- 

 ceived. They should be bought during 

 the fall at wholesale prices and stored 

 for winter use. The average family, us- 

 ing a well balanced vegetable supply, will 

 require about 12 bushels for a winter 

 season. 



Asparagus and Rhubarb give tarly Crop 



An asparagus bed may be set out. If 

 two rows 45' long are set 2' apart and 

 the outer one 2' from the edge of the 

 lot, they will, in three years and if level 

 cultivation is u.sed, give a "bed" about 

 5' wide by 45' long. This will provide 

 100 or more pounds of asparagus and 

 will permit of canning 15 pints and leave 

 a liberal supply for use as a fresh veg- 

 etable. 



Rhubarb may be set in the same 5' 

 wide area as is used by the asparagus 



and projecting it 15' further. This will 

 allow for 6 plants and will give a supply 

 for u.se as a fi'esh vegetable and allow 

 enough for canning 15 pints. 



The remaining 40' of this 5' wide strip 

 may be used for winter squash. This 

 will allow for 5 hills and will provide 

 60 to 75 pounds of this vegetable for 

 storage for wintei' use. 



Plant Small Vegetables Together 



One row of onions the full 100' of the 

 lot will give about 75 or 80 pounds of 

 product. This will supply the needs of 

 the family both during the late fall and 

 the winter, as they may be easily kept i 

 in storage. This row should be planted 

 4 ' from the second row of asparagus. 



One full length row of beets may be 

 planted 18 " from the row of onions. This 

 will provide for the needs of the family 

 as a fresh vegetable during the summer, 

 and will allow for canning 12 pints of 

 beets and 10 pints of beet top greens. 

 A second row planted 18" from this first 

 and 50' long will be of a later variety 

 and provide about one bushel for winter 

 use out of storage. 



The remaining 50' of this last row and 

 another row the full 100' planted to car- 

 rots will give enough small ones removed 

 in thinning to produce 10 pint jars and 

 leave about 75 to 90 pounds for winter 

 storage. This row also is spaced 18" 

 from the last. 



The next row is made up of one-half 

 turnips using a winter variety and one- 

 half parsnips. This .should produce about 

 40 pounds of each vegetable. The parsnips 

 may remain in the ground until spring 

 and are thought to have a particularly 

 desirable flavor if so handled. The tur- 

 nips may be stored in the cool room with 

 the other vegetables. 



How Many Peas and Beans to Plant 



2J' from the turnips and parsnips a 

 row of some early vaiiety of dwarf peas 

 may be planted. This should produce ' 

 about a bushel and will give several meal- 

 portions as a fresh vegetable. 



Next in order may be a row of bush 

 beans for similar use. This row is to 

 be 21' from the row of peas. One row 

 of 100' .should produce about two bushels. 

 The space occupied by the.se two rows of 

 relatively early crops may be used later 

 for a second planting of .spinach or for 

 increasing the amount of winter squash. 



A row of some tall variety of peas may 

 be planted next, leaving a space of 3'. 

 These peas will need "bru.shing" and will 

 give about two bushels of product. This 

 will provide a good supply for table use 

 and allow for canning 12 pint jars. 



Grow the Best Sweet Corn 



The next four rows, spaced 3' apart,' 

 should be planted to Golden Bantam corn. 

 Two lows for first planting should give 



a good supply for present use and allow 

 for canning of 30 pint jars. 



The space allowed for late planting of 

 corn should be planted early with two 

 rows of spinach. This will give an ample 

 supply for use as a fresh vegetable and 

 will allow for canning 30 pint jars for 

 winter use. This crop should be cut out 

 of the way in plenty of time for the use 

 of the ground for the late planting of 

 corn. 



Three feet from the corn a row of to- 

 matoes may be put in, using the stake 

 method of handling. An additional half 

 row set 36" away will give a total of 

 about 85 plants and should supply enough 

 for present use and for canning 70 pint 

 jars. The tomato is extremely valuable 

 as a food and should be very freely used. 



The second half of the last tomato row- 

 may be planted to Kentucky Wonder 

 beans as a .source of .second supply for 

 use fresh and to provide for canning 30 

 pint jars. 



The next row, 3' from the tomato-bean 

 row will be early cabbage, 35', and late 

 cabbage, for storage, 65'. This should 

 give plenty for present use and allow for 

 storage of 35 heads. Cabbage is valuable 

 as a food, particulaily if eaten in an un- 

 cooked condition. 



The last row, 3 ' from the cabbage will 

 be partly early and partly late celei-y. 

 About 35' of the former and 65' of the 

 latter is the right amount. The late 

 variety will be transferred to the storage 

 room and u.sed during the winter. 



Many other short season vegetables 

 may be planted or set between rows. 

 Lettuce, radi.shes, etc., lend themselves 

 well to such treatment. 



Home Canning not Kxpensive 



The canning of these crops is not diffi- 

 cult; information on practices is easily 

 obtainable; the results from the view- 

 point of the housewife and her family 

 are much to be desired. Equipment nec- 

 essary for satisfactory canning is present 

 in well equipped kitchens. The only in- 

 vestment necessary is in jars and these 

 do not cost much and may be used over 

 and over again. Good jars may be 

 bought for about $.90 per dozen and i-ub- 

 ber rings cost about $.10 per dozen. Af- 

 ter the first year it will probably be nec- 

 essary to purchase for replacement pur- 

 poses a dozen or two of jars and enough 

 rings for the whole supply. 



Good Storage Important 



Storage facilities for holding the win- 

 ter supply of vegetables in fresh condi- 

 tion are easily installed in the house cel- 

 lar. A cool room 8' x 12' will give ample 

 space for the crops outlined above, in- 

 cluding the canned goods, and also pro- 

 vide room for potatoes that may be 

 bought, as well as a supply of apples 

 and the "egg jar." 



