Book of Gardens 



9S 



Above is the other half of the garden, adjoining that on the opposite page. Tv.'0 and a half feet is the space represented between 

 the Swiss chard row on that page and the line of tall late peas. The scale of feet is the same throughout both halves of the 



chart — r to each of the vertical divisions 



be out of the way before this shade becomes 

 too dense. 



Certain of the plants shown are, of course, 

 started in "flats" or seed boxes, and trans- 

 planted later to the places the}' occupy on the 

 plan. Among these are the tomatoes, radishes, 

 cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce. The melons 

 and squash particularly should have well en- 

 riched soil. A good method of handling them 

 is to plant the seeds late in April where they 

 are to grow, and cover them with portable 

 glass-topped frames which will give them a 

 higher temperature and can be removed as the 

 weather grows warmer and the need for them 

 gradually ceases. 



The July 1 5th stage finds the garden yield- 

 ing crops while at the same time twent}'-odd 

 feet are devoted to newly planted vegetables. 

 These latter occupy the space which has been 

 vacated by the cabbage, cauliflower, peas, early 

 beets and carrots, lettuce and kohlrabi. Here 

 is an example of succession planting, a prin- 

 ciple whose intelligent application is essential 

 to the garden of 100 per cent productiveness. 

 "Keeping the ground at work" connotes the 

 maximum yield of vegetables, which can be 

 obtained only by carefully planning for con- 

 tinuous succession. 



By the middle of August the whole garden is 

 carr\-ing its full load, for the melons and other 

 vine crops have so nearly attained their growth 

 that they have spread over all the surface al- 

 lotted to them. The development of the other 

 rows is so clearly shown on the chart that it 

 requires no further detailed explanation here. 



A careful study of the allotment of space to 

 the various vegetables will repay, because the 

 distances between rows are the minimum which 

 can exist in the successful garden. Where the 

 available space is less limited, somewhat larger 

 spaces may be permitted, though they will avail 

 little except in making for greater ease in cul- 

 tivation. In this connection it is well to re- 

 member that too wide spaces between the rows 

 give an opportunity for weeds to develop which 

 only extra cultivation of the ground can hold 

 in check. 



Another point to note is the grouping of most 

 of the taller and more spreading crops at the 

 ends of the garden, thus leaving the central 

 portion for a concentration of smaller things. 

 The chief reason for this is that the tall growers 

 are mainly long-season crops which cast con- 

 siderable shade in which lesser vegetables could 

 not thrive. The grouping of the corn and 

 melons results from the fact that these vege- 

 tables succeed well in close proximity to each 

 other — in fact, the melons, cucumbers and 

 squashes can overrun the corn rows without 

 detriment to anything concerned. 



No provision has been made for the small 

 fruits, herbs or such things as asparagus, which 

 require specially prepared soil in an area all 

 to themselves. For reasons which need not be 

 gone into here it is inadvisable to combine 

 plantings of vegetables and cane fruits. The 

 latter should constitute another garden, or else 

 be used merely around the borders of the vege- 

 table area where their roots will not interfere 

 with the cultivation of the soil in which the 



annual plants are growing. The same rule 

 applies to fruit trees; and as for strawberries, 

 they need a section quite their own. The space 

 needed for the herbs, of course, is so limited 

 that they may be planted almost anywhere 

 around the edges where there is an unoccupied 

 bit of ground. 



Potatoes, it will be noted, have not been in- 

 cluded in this h3'pothetical garden. While 

 these vegetables are usually the first thing that 

 the beginning gardener thinks of growing, they 

 should by no means be his first actual choice 

 in the majority of cases. Great as has been the 

 popularity of potatoes, the fact remains that 

 growing them has decided drawbacks. Failure 

 to appreciate these has brought about innumer- 

 able disappointments, to say n^idiing of the 

 waste of time, space and seed. 



Potatoes cannot be simply planted in any old 

 piece of ground and expected to grow properly. 

 For one thing they need considerable room, as 

 well as prompt and thorough cultivation at the 

 right times. They are subject, also, to attacks 

 by insects which will quite destroy the plants if 

 spraying is postponed or done in a half-hearted 

 sort of way. In certain seasons — sometimes 

 apparently because of the weather, and at 

 other times for no evident reason at all — the 

 plants will be struck by blight which may 

 seriously injure the crop if it does not actually 

 destroy it. For the returns to be commensu- 

 rate with the labor involved, soil and weather 

 conditions must be right, and you must un- 

 derstand and be able to give the attention 

 demanded. 



