August, 1916. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



183 



An Amateur's Homemade Greenhouse 



F. E. Ellis, Peterboro, Ont. 



THE two and one-half dozen to- 

 mato plants growing in our 

 backyard garden wei-e started 

 by a neighbor of ours in a simple green- 

 house of his own construction. They 

 are even more vigorous and promising 

 this year than those we grew last j'ear, 

 although then we had a bumper 

 crop. Our asters, which will soon 

 show a beautiful bank of bloom on two 

 sides of the house, have also made an, 

 unusualh- satisfactory growth. The 

 cold weather that we have had does 

 not account for their success this year. 

 We attribute it also to the exception- 

 ally strong plants which we secured 

 from this same neighbor. Our neigh- 

 bor is Mr. A. McKenzie. The story of 

 his success with his greenhouse is an 

 interesting one. 



Mr. McKenzie is a foreman in one 

 of the big factories of our city. Gar- 

 dening has always been his favoritq 

 hobby. His backyard has always pro- 

 duced abundantly of the many good 

 things that gardens grow when given 

 intelligent management. Last winter 

 times were dull and the foreman and 

 men of the factory in which Mr. Mc- 

 Kenzie was employed, were working 

 on part time and short pay. Mr. Mc- 

 Kenzie decided, therefor^, to turn his 

 hobby to profitable account. In the 

 time that would otherwise have been 

 idle on his hands, he constructed a 10 

 X 15 foot greenhouse in one corner of 

 his backyard. Much of the material 

 was obtained from odds and ends 

 around his house. In this he installed 

 a small jacket heater and ran a couple 

 of wires from his residence to light the 

 greenhouse. The completed house, as 

 seen in the illustration herewith, cost 

 about fifty dollars for materials. 

 As soon as the house was completed 



it Avas put into use. During the lats 

 winter and early spring, thousands of 

 plants of such vegetables as tomatoes, 

 caulitlower, cabbage, onions and pep- 

 pers wei;e grown and hardened off in 

 six cold frames which had been built 

 in conjunction with the house. Plants 

 of such annual flowers as asters, car- 

 nations, stocks and lobelia, were also 

 grown for sale. Geraniums and foliage 

 plants were also grown to a limited ex- 

 tent. Mr. McKenzie took the very best 

 of care of his greenhouse stock, hard- 

 ening it carefully in the cold frames. 

 When he started he did not know 

 where he was going to find a market 



for his stock, but customers came 

 readily and naturally and he disposed 

 of it all among his neighbors and could 

 have sold many more plants had his 

 producing capacity been greater. 



Mr. McKenzie plans to start his 

 greenhouse earlier in the season next 

 year. If others who purchased plants 

 from him have had as good success as 

 we have had, he again should have no 

 trouble in disposing of his stock. This 

 year, of coui-se, Mr. McKenzie had a 

 considerable outlay in building his 

 greenhouse and it will add but little to 

 his income. Next year, however, with- 

 out further capital expenditure to make 

 and as a result of experience gained 

 this year, he expects to find his green- 

 house a source of considerable revenue 

 as well as a pleasant hobby. 



Garden Reminders for August 



J. McPherson Ross, Toronto, Ont. 



IHIS month is the clearing house 

 for the garden, for our successes 

 and failures are so well defined 

 by this time as to enable us to profit 

 by this year's experiences in next 

 year's operations. A garden diary is 

 a useful thing to keep, as the mere act 

 of writing down sundi-y notes of the 

 different operations or certain facts in 

 regard to the -various plants serves to 

 impress them on our mind, and adds 

 to the store of knowledge which time 

 and experience gives to the most skil- 

 ful of gardeners. 



While our garden now is at its best, 

 with its flowering results, we can see 

 how best to make changes for the bet- 

 ter another year. By changing such 

 a tree or shrub, creating a new bed 

 here, or a border there, we can im- 

 prove on the picture the garden now 

 presents. We cannot too strongly ad- 

 vise the garden maker to plant in 

 masses or groups whenever po.ssible. 



A simple Breenhou.se, erected at an expen.se of about fifty dollars, by Mr. A. McKenzie, of I'eter- 

 boro, Ont., who may be seen in the doorway. (Note accompanying article.) 



While every plant or shrub is desirable 

 in itself, still a dozen plants in bloom 

 of one variety in color has more efi'ect 

 than a dozen plants each different in 

 kind. For instance, the African tamar- 

 isk is a dainty shrub with fine heath- 

 like foliage, with spikes of delicate 

 pink flowers. It grows into a tree-like 

 shrub, most graceful in character, and 

 is always beautiful. As an individual 

 shrub, best plant a dozen of them in a 

 row, or in a group, and it makes a pic- 

 ture indescribably beautiful, calling 

 forth loud expressions of admiration 

 from the least observant. 



This is the time to stimulate your 

 dahlias with copious waterings of liq- 

 uid manure, or failing that, place a 

 liberal mulch of well rotted manure 

 around the base of the plant in a sau- 

 cer-like depression made in the soil to 

 hold the water. 



Sow seeds of all the biennials and 

 perennials. If this is done in the early 

 part of the month you will have plants 

 strong enough to prick out into a cold 

 frame or well prepared bed of good 

 .soil. Pansies, daisies, campanulas, fox- 

 glove, sweet william, pyrethrum, and 

 many other garden favorites may be 

 thus reproduced by the hundred for 

 permanent planting in the borders. 



In the latter part of the month one 

 can get a border ready for planting 

 during September of such varieties of 

 perennials as they desire. In order to 

 have good lasting I'csults it will pay to 

 do it thoroughly by trenching it. 



Trenching is a term used by garden- 

 ers when they dig the soil at least two 

 spades deep, incorporating at the same 

 lime a liberal coating of well rotted 

 manure. Sueh a spot, of course, .should 

 lie well drained. Preparing the ground 

 this way is particularly useful if of a 

 stitif or clayey nature. Breaking up 



