Using Glass for Early Flowers and Vegetables 



T. SHEWARD 



IN THE January magazine we gave instruc- 

 tions for the making of the hotbed to be 

 ready for use early in March. In that place 

 also, page 162, may be found the general 

 routine instructions for the handling of seeds and 

 seedlings. At this time it will be necessary only 

 to make reference to the handling of particular 

 crops. 



Although the hotbed may be used to a certain 

 extent as a substitute for a greenhouse, it is of 

 course available only on a much smaller scale. 

 The greenhouse itself offers many more con- 

 veniences; and, where it is not entirely devoted 

 to the cultivation of ornamental plants and 

 flowers, it can be made useful in supplying the 

 outdoor garden with plants for early use. In the 

 space below the benches the owner can force 

 rhubarb, asparagus, and seakale by the simple 

 expedient of digging up clumps from the garden 

 and putting them into the warmer condition 

 under the benches. On the benches themselves, 

 various vegetables may be grown to perfection — 

 tomatoes, beans, lettuce, cucumbers, cauliflower, 

 radishes, etc. 



GETTING RESULTS IN A GREENHOUSE 



T^RENCH beans in pots. Sow three to five beans 

 ■*■ in a four inch pot (Fig. 17) and pot into eight 

 inch pots when the first rough leaf forms, using a 

 mixed soil — one- half loam, one-half well rotted 

 manure or leaf mould, and some bone meal 

 added. Water well and when the beans have 

 formed (Fig. 18) use weak manure water. 



Seakale, rhubarb, and asparagus. Stand these 

 under the benches and cover with a few inches of 

 soil or sand and keep well watered. Hang sack- 

 ing in front (Figs. 7 and 9). In forcing asparagus 



use strong roots (Fig. 5), small ones (Fig. 4) will 

 not force well. 



Strawberries. For forcing these are layered 

 into three inch pots in August (Fig. 10) and potted 

 on into six inch pots, using well rotted manure 

 and plain loam. Firm potting is essential. 

 Force these in batches and stand on the shelves 

 near the glass in pans of water (Fig. 11 and 

 Fig. 12). Use manure water when the berries 

 have formed. Good varieties for forcing are 

 usually of the European type of berry. 



Potatoes in pots offer quite a delicacy. Use 

 twelve inch pots, half filling them with soil and 

 plant one potato in each pot. Use a light rich 

 soil such as very old hotbed soil broken up and 

 passed through a one-quarter inch sieve. Choose 

 an early variety and start the tubers in a box with 

 some sand in the bottom (Fig 13) and place near 

 the glass on a shelf. When they have just started 

 (Fig. 14) they are ready for potting. Do not use 

 drawn and weak specimens (Fig. 15). Fill the 

 pots to within two inches of the top with soil 

 when the potatoes are growing well and keep well 

 watered. 



POSSIBILITIES OF A HOTBED 



"YVTHEN forcing in a hotbed cover the sash 

 * ' with mats or sacking to keep the frame 

 dark. To make a hotbed use one load of fresh 

 stable manure to each sash desired. Shake it 

 up well and pile three feet high and one foot wider 

 than the frame on each side. If the sash used is 

 six by three feet, the bed would be eight by five. 

 Pack it well by treading and ramming; and stand 

 the frame on top. Over the manure put three 

 inches of soil or sand. 



Seakale roots may be purchase from the seed 

 store. Force by making a bank of soil at the back 



of the frame and lay the roots in a slanting direc- 

 tion six inches apart, add more soil and make 

 another bank about six inches from the first, lay- 

 ing the roots as before until the frame is full (Figs. 

 1 and 2). Lay the roots flat (Fig. 2) if more 

 convenient. Water the soil well and keep the 

 roots dark by laying sacks or boards on top. 



Asparagus. Force asparagus by putting the 

 roots close together in the frame and covering 

 with a few inches of soil, or by putting the roots 

 in boxes (Fig. 3). Put them in the frame as 

 required and keep well watered. 



Rhubarb and seakale can be forced by covering 

 the roots with a box or barrel; and then covering 

 with manure and leaves (Fig. 8). Another way 

 to force seakale, asparagus or rhubarb is by digging 

 a pit about two and one-half or three feet deep 

 and putting the roots in the bottom. Lay planks 

 over the top of the pit and place manure on top 

 (Fig. 6). 



Potatoes. Start the tubers in boxes and plant 

 into the hotbed about one foot apart. In plant- 

 ing these put three inches of soil (old hotbed 

 manure if possible) over the manure, then plant 

 out the potatoes one foot apart each way and 

 cover with another six inches of soil and level 

 (Fig. 16) Sow radishes over the potatoes for a 

 catch crop. Let in plenty of air on warm days 

 and close the frames about three o'clock in the 

 afternoon. Keep well watered. 



Violets. If runners are taken in the spring 

 (Fig. 20) and planted in good well manured gar- 

 den soil, strong clumps will be ready for forcing 

 in the fall, and grown in frames will flower all 

 winter. Make up a hotbed as described above 

 and put on six inches of soil, planting the clumps 

 about one foot apart (Fig. 19). Water well and 

 keep the frames well aired on warm days. 



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