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THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



November, 19 10 



Keeping Celery Over Winter 



THE most important work to be done in Novem- 

 ber is storing the celery crop for the winter. 

 There are several important points to be remem- 

 bered. First of all it must be kept from freezing, 

 and free from excessive moisture; both will cause 

 it to rot. On the other hand it must not be kept 

 too dry or too warm, or it will get tough and stringy 

 and lose that rich nutty flavor. It should go in 

 the trenches with the roots in a fairly moist con- 

 dition, and the stalks dry. 



I have tried storing celery in almost every con- 

 ceivable way — have stored in cellars; have 

 built low-shed roofs where protection could be 

 afforded from the weather, yet a low temperature 

 maintained by means of ventilation; I have left 

 it in the trenches where it was growing and have 

 covered with dirt, leaves and litter. But where 

 a lot of celery is grown for winter use I prefer 

 putting it in outside trenches. I make one trench 

 large enough to accommodate the entire crop — 



Celery: covered for tne winter. Litter piled on top 

 of mound of earth 



I usually grow from five to six thousand heads — 

 and cover the celery with dirt and later with leaves 

 and litter. 



A trench is staked out about ten feet wide, as 

 long as desired, and about eighteen inches deep, 

 the soil being thrown to one side until needed again. 

 I then lift the plants with a ball of earth. Some 

 growers shake the celery so as to remove the dirt; 

 this may be all right when the crop is grown on a 

 large scale for market, and quantity and not 

 quality is the maxim. If you want the best celery, 

 leave the soil on the roots, and if it is moist it 

 will supply the celery with what little moisture 

 is required in the trench. Pack the plants in the 

 trench one row at a time, and just far enough 

 apart so that they don't touch each other. 

 Then if one head rots it won't spoil the adjoin- 

 ing ones. Cover the row with enough soil to 

 prevent the next row from coming in contact 

 with it. The soil used for covering should be 

 moderately dry. 



After throwing the soil on the row, firm it slightly 

 with the foot, place another row in position, and 

 soon until it has all been stored. Sprinkle the soil 

 over the plants on top, and give it an opportunity 

 to work its way down among the stalks. Don't 

 throw it on, but fill the shovel and hold it over 

 the celery, rocking it from side to side so that 

 no stalks will be broken. Don't forget that the 

 plants should be perfectly dry. Do not do this 

 work in the morning, but let it go until noon so 

 that any moisture that has gathered in the hearts 

 over night may dry out. If the plants were to 

 be stored in a cellar a little moisture wouldn't be 



narmful, but even then if there is any present in 

 the heart it is liable to start decay. 



After the trenches are covered with soil, about 

 a foot of leaves or rough litter is added, which in 

 turn is covered with about four inches of soil. 

 The leaves or litter form an air space through 

 which it is hard for frost to penetrate. The celery 

 will keep just as well if enough dirt is piled on top 

 to prevent freezing, but it would necessitate 

 considerable digging when the celery is wanted 

 for use. By using a course or two of leaves or 

 salt hay or anything of that nature that will not 

 pack solid, frost will be kept out just as well. The 

 trench should be mounded up in the centre so 

 that all moisture will drain off. 



For a very small garden, where but a few heads 

 are grown and which are usually disposed of by 

 the middle of January or thereabouts, I would 

 advise covering the celery in the trenches where 

 it is grown. This saves the trouble of lifting and 

 storing the plants, and the celery keeps better 

 than if kept by any other method; but, as I said 

 before, it is very troublesome to get out of the 

 trenches when you need it. For small gardens, 

 where but a few heads are required at a time, 

 this is not much of a consideration. Cover the 

 plants to the top with earth and cover liberally 

 with litter or leaves, throwing a little soil on top 

 to keep the leaves from blowing away. This 

 will be found sufficient for any ordinary weather, 

 but if real winter sets in and you still have celery 

 in the ground, don't hesitate to use more litter. 

 The frost must be kept away. But with all 

 possible care a few heads will get frozen. Don't 

 throw them away, but plunge them in cold water 

 out-of-doors and if they are not frozen too badly 

 this will thaw them out and make them fit for 

 use. Don't put frozen celery in the sun; in ten 

 minutes it will look and taste like a wet rag. 



MULCHING STRAWBERRIES 



Now is the time to cover your strawberry bed 

 for the winter. After the ground freezes mulch 

 with a few inches of well-rotted manure. The 

 plants will get the benefit from it, for the winter 

 rains will wash the fertilizing qualities into the 

 ground, and tlie roots will devour it in early spring. 

 In placing your mulch always keep it away from 

 the crown of the plant as it causes decay if it gets 

 in there. After the mulch has been applied, 

 cover the bed lightly with an inch or two of salt 

 hay or straw. If this is put in too heavily it will 

 pound down the plants and make them suffer for 

 lack of air. Lay a few light twigs on top to keep 

 the straw from blowing around. Bean poles are 

 too heavy; use pea-brush. 



Most gardens have a fruit border either in or 

 adjoining the garden. Mulch this at the same 

 time, using good manure and putting on about 

 four inches. 



Any bare ground can be trenched now for 

 the winter; this will do more to rid the soil of 

 cutworms and other pests than all the various 

 things recommended for doing it in spring . By 

 waiting until now you catch the worms before 

 they have an opportunity of going deeper, as they 



are asleep for the winter. Make the trenches 

 about two feet apart and two feet deep. Or else 

 plow the ground well, using a subsoil plow so as 

 to loosen the ground as deep as possible. Trench- 

 ing, however, is preferable. 

 Long Island. W. C. McCollom. 



A "Don't" for Gardeners 



DON'T hesitate to ask a friend for plants and 

 seeds, of which it is plain to see that he 

 or she has "enough to give away"; the miserly 

 gardener is the exception. 



On the other hand go slow, dead slow, about 

 asking friends to remember you, when they "sepa- 

 rate" such and such a plant, or "save the seed" 



A strawberry bed mulched for the winter, the hay 

 having been lifted in front to show the depth of 

 the mulch 



of some other. Ten to one, if you had the plain, 

 ordinary gumption of your friend, those very same 

 plants would be in your garden. 



So, as a rule, don't tax your friend's generosity, 

 patience and memory in such circumstances. 

 Put the names down in your garden note-book, 

 and, when the proper time comes, order the plants 

 and seeds from a good house, just as your friend 

 has had the forethought to do. Why bother 

 some one else, and perhaps wait for years, for a 

 "piece" of fraxinella when you can buy a good 

 plant for fifteen cents; or for potential seed of 

 platycodon, that takes time and thought to gather, 

 preserve and, the chances are, deliver as well, 

 when a whole package is yours for a nickel. 



Getting plants of sentiment is one thing; but 

 don't make your own garden a garden of other 

 people's inconvenience. 



New York. H. S. A. 



I 



Storing celery in an outside trench to be later covered with earth and litter. Leave a little soil on the 

 roots and be sure the plants are perfectly dry before storing 



