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S GARDENS EVERYWHERE 



HOW A CHILD CAN PLAN AND MAKE 

 SEED ESTIMATES FOR HIS GARDEN- 

 PROBLEM OF STARTING AND MAINTAIN- 

 ING CHILDREN'S GARDENS— A NEW FEA- 

 TURE: THE CHILDREN'S GARDENS' COR- 

 RESPONDENCE BUREAU 



Conducted by 



ELLEN EDDY SHAW 



New York 



Children's Gardens 



MARCH is an excellent month in 

 which to prepare for the outdoor 

 garden work. People usually begin to 

 think about the real outdoor gardens in 

 May. It is then too late to start one's 

 thinking. May is a month of outdoor 

 action. So one must have done all pre- 

 paratory thinking before that time. 



There are many questions which you 

 will wish to ask concerning this work. 

 We have not space in the magazine to 

 take up point by point all the phases. 

 So if you wish to get advice and help 

 on your special problems write now 

 to the "Children's Gardens' Correspon- 

 dence Bureau." 



As you read a little of the following 

 story about the Trinity Garden, questions 

 will come to your mind. This story 

 of a first year's garden struggle is printed 

 both to encourage others in the starting of 

 a garden for children and to serve as a 

 basis of estimate. 



There are certain things that are nec- 

 essary in all community gardens. First 

 the garden area should be fenced in. 

 Thus temptation is put out of the way. 

 Fences of fine meshed chicken wire five 

 feet in height are excellent. If the chosen 

 spot has been a dump heap for years you 

 cannot expect the children to do all the 

 cleaning of the grounds. Ploughing and 



In Melrose, Mass. city water is used in this way 

 for watering school gardens 



harrowing are also men's work. The 

 main and side garden paths should be 

 carefully defined before the children start 

 work. Be sure to buy good tools. Make 

 an estimate of the amount of seed required. 



The water supply for the garden is one of 

 the matters to have settled before you go 

 ahead with work. Two of the pictures 

 shown here give different methods of 

 supplying water. Water pipes were laid 

 in the Trinity Garden and taps placed here 

 and there. The other method was used 

 in the Women's Club Children's Garden 

 in Melrose, Mass. Permission was given by 

 the city to use the water pipe shown in the 

 picture. A garden in New Rochelle, N. Y. 

 under the auspices of the National Plant, 

 Flower and Fruit Guild, had permission 

 from the city to take water from one of 

 the city hydrants and from this fill large 

 casks which were placed within the 

 garden. The children filled their watering 

 cans from these casks. Certainly the 

 water problem is a very necessary one to 

 solve. Besides all these matters, plan for 

 good summer supervision. Ask us the 

 questions you wish concerning the start 

 and maintenance of a community garden. 



Next month we shall take up home 

 gardens. The methods presented will be 

 those used in different places where the 

 work has been carried on with success. This 

 work is a most important one. City and 

 village improvement is really based on the 

 civic pride of individuals. Home gardens 

 stimulate civic pride. 



The Trinity Garden School 



'T'HE following account is taken from a 

 J- report that was a requirement of our 

 children's garden contest in 1910. Dr. 

 M. Louise Greene, who wrote it was the 

 director of the Trinity Garden located in 

 Morris Cove, New Haven, Conn. This 

 garden is an outgrowth of the work of 

 the Trinity Parish Vacation Cottage. It 

 is first year work done under certain 

 difficulties. It should stimulate others 

 to start similar work. 



Dr. Greene says: "The original condi- 

 tion of this land was a rough, weedy, rank 

 grass land, where twitch grass, briars, rag- 

 weed and others held high carnival. A 



88 



woven wire fence costing $69 replaced the 

 3-foot border that up to 1909 surrounded 

 the field with an impassable barrier of road- 

 side vines, weeds and small shrubs — even 

 seedling locusts and a few small trees. 

 Gates cost $25. A privet hedge costing 

 $50 was set on the north and south lines. 



The plowing and land preparation cost 

 $15 and $45, with the fertilizer costing 

 $9 extra. 



Water was installed by a hydrant in 

 both the southeast and northwest corners 

 of the lot, at a cost of $118. This location 

 of hydrants, together with some 175 feet of 

 hose, made it possible to reach all but 

 about 40 feet of both the cottage garden 

 and the garden school area. The watering 

 of the whole garden, in any adequate 

 degree, required nearly four hours, and it 

 suffered from lack of assistance in this 

 matter. The pressure of water was too 

 great to allow much use of the hose by 

 children except when under individual 

 and constant supervision. Tubs were at 

 each hydrant for the filling of water cans 

 and for the washing of vegetables. The 

 children were required to put twelve 

 6-quart watering cans upon each 8 x 16 ft. 

 garden and upon the smaller ones, pro- 

 portionately. 



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In this garden the children fill their watering 

 cans from large casks 



