130 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



May, 1915. 



A portion of the perennial border in tlie garden of Mr. J. B. Spencer, tjttaw.i. -v description 

 of this garden was published In the April issue of The Canadian Horticulturist. 



Vegetable Gardening for Town and City Lots 



W. T. Macoun, Dominion Horticulturist, Ottawa, Ont. 



IT is desirable to plan the gar- 

 den some time in advance in 

 order to be able to lay it 

 out to the best advantage. It should 

 be planned to provide for a good 

 assortment of vegetables, for a regular 

 and continuous supply, and for the great- 

 est quantity from the land available. The 

 appearance of the garden should also re- 

 ceive some consideration. Certain kinds 

 of vegetables only take a comparatively 

 short time in which to mature; some 

 kinds succeed best in the cooler parts of 

 the season, either in spring or late sum- 

 mer; others need the hottest weather to 

 reach their greatest perfection; while 

 others require both the cool weather of 

 spring and the warm weather of summer 

 to complete their growth. 



The seed of some kinds of vegetables 

 may be sown as soon as the ground is 

 dry enough in the spring, while the seed 

 of others should not be sown until dan- 

 ger of frost is past. In order to get the 

 best results, the seed of others must be 

 started in a hotbed, greenhouse, or ordi- 

 nary house and the plants well advanced 

 before they are set outside. Warm soil 

 is just as essential to the success of some 

 , vegetables as freedom from frost, and 

 even if protected from frost they will not 

 do well unless the ground is warm. 

 Some vegetables, such, for instance, as 

 celery, require considerably more mois- 

 ' ture than others. 



Seed to be sown (early in spring) : 

 Beets, carrots, lettuce, onions, parsnips, 

 peas, radishes, kohl-rabi, garden cress, 

 salsify, spinach, parsley, and leeks. 



Seed sown (in hotbeds, but plants will 

 stand some frost) : Cabbage, cauliflower, 

 celery. 



Seed to be sown (after danger of frost 

 IS over, unless protected): Beans, corn 

 cucumbers, melons, potatoes and squash. 



(Seed of late cabbage is not sown until 

 May, but the plants will endure frost, 

 and seed of Swede turnips should be 

 sown late, though turnips will stand 

 frost). 



Seed sown in hotbeds, but plant will 

 not stand frost: Melons, egg-plants, 

 peppers . 



Some plants require a much longer 

 season than others, hence in planning 

 the garden this should be taken into con- 

 sideration . 



As previously stated, a small garden 

 should be arranged with a view to hav- 

 a good assortment and a continuous sup- 

 ply. It should be planned so that vege- 

 tables having a long-growing season, 

 such as beets, carrots, parsnips and on- 

 ions would be grown at one side or end 

 of the garden so that there will be no 

 rows scattered here and there to make 

 the garden look patchy during late sum- 

 mer. A small bed of asparagus and some 

 rhubarb roots are desirable if the garden 

 is to be permanent, and these should be 

 put about a foot and a half from one of 

 the boundaries so that they will not in- 

 terfere with the vegetables planted every 

 year. 



Vegetables can be planted much closer 

 in a garden than under field culture, 

 where most of the work is done with 

 horses, hence a foot or fifteen inches is 

 far enough apart for the rows of a good 

 many kinds. 



Following is a suggested arrangement 

 of a small garden, about thirty-three by 

 thirty feet, but many other plans could 

 be made. No provision is made for 

 paths, but if a narrow path is found 

 necessary, it can be put in where seems 

 most convenient. The seeds of the kinds 

 to be sown earliest are sown in one part 

 of the garden and the later sowings and 

 plantings in the other so that the ground 



can be newly worked if necessary for the 

 later sowings. 



For best results the surface soil should 

 be kept loose and free of weeds during 

 the summer, by means of the rake and 

 hoe. 



Fertilizing Made Plain 



John Gall, Inglcwood, Ont. 



It would be worse than useless to give 

 liquid manure to tender plants, such as 

 young seedlings, or newly potted plants 

 in which root action has made very little 

 headway. Never use liquid manures 

 when the soil is dry or parched. For 

 example, if it be desired to stimulate the 

 growth of sweet peas in dry, hot weather, 

 it should be the rule to thoroughly soak 

 them a day previous to that on which 

 liquid manure is to be applied to the 

 roots. This rule applies equally to 

 greenhouse plants as to the stronger- 

 growing plants outside. 



Study the requirements of your plants 

 which you desire to stimulate ; give 

 stronger doses to gross-feeding subjects 

 than to weaker-growing plants, and, 

 above all, stop the use of stimulants as 

 soon as the highest stage of maturity is 

 attained. 



The Vegetable Garden 



Don't sow seed on poorly prepared 

 land. It means more work and often 

 poor returns. 



Plan severa;! sowings of peas, beans, 

 spinach, com, radish, and lettuce. 



Cabbage, cauliflower, and kohl rabi 

 may be set out early in May. 



Hard«n off all plants before setting 

 in the open ground. This is done by re- 

 ducing the amount of water given and 

 giving more air to the plant. It is 

 simply a hardening of the tissues to 

 withstand field conditions better. 



Swiss chard, or leaf beet, makes ex- 

 cellent greens and will last muoh later 

 in the season than spinach. 



Treat all potatoes before planting 

 with corrosive sublimate or formalin 

 for scab. Then plant on clean land. 



A planting of sweet corn should be 

 made as soon as all danger from frost 

 is over. 



Late cabbage may be sown in the 

 cold frame or open ground. 



Keep the cultivator busy in both 

 garden and orchard. It pays. 



Keep a sharp lookout for the cut 

 worms. They will soon be active. 



Plant spinach, radish, lettuce, onions, 

 peas, and other early garden vege- 

 tables. 



Start a few muskmelons, cucumbers 

 and watermelons in pots or bo"xes m 

 the cold frame. 



The hop vine, wild cucumber, car- 

 dinal climber, and morning glory are 

 good annual vines to use as screens. 



Cut asparagus just below the surface 

 of the ground rather than break it. 

 Breaking is apt to injure the crowns. 



