230 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



June, 1918 



War Garden of one patriotic citizen, Mr. E. 



S. Burke, of Cleveland, O., occupying the erstwhile flower beds on the front lawn. 



effectively so 



The vegetables were used as ornamental plants, and 



Products Should Be "Strictly Fresh" 



ANOTHER factor which makes for success 

 in saving for winter is to have all the 

 products as freshly gathered as possible. 

 Vegetables which have been allowed to wilt 

 are more difficult to keep successfully and are 

 not as good a quality as those which are 

 absolutely fresh from the garden. The 

 importance of this is often not realized. 



?=-• Planning for the Winter Tables. 



TV/TUCH of the same ground can be used a 

 ■L^-* second time for the winter crops; but 

 they should be put in specifically for winter 

 use, and so timed that they will be ready 

 when they can best be utilized. The best 

 dates for planting may be found by referring 

 to the planting table on the preceding page. In 

 the following paragraphs there are suggestions 

 as to when the different vegetables should be 

 used and just what varieties to grow for winter. 



Beans:— Easily saved in the dried state by storing, or by- 

 canning or dehydrating. The snap or butter varieties can be 

 had at any time during summer up to frost. If wanted dry- 

 plant rather early. Stringless Green Pod, Brittle Wax or similar 

 types are good for either drying or storing — or, if space is limited, 

 Kentucky Wonder, Meccaslan or other pole varieties may be 

 used if gathered zvhen young and tender. For use dry, Kidney, 

 Navy and "Boston pea" Beans and Dwarf Horticultural and 

 bush limas are the bush sorts; while Horticultural Case Knife 

 and the Limas may be grown on poles. The surplus of the 

 early varieties should be picked and carefully dried, as most of 

 them can be kept for winter use or to supply seed for the follow- 

 ing season. 



Beets: — Beets for winter should always be grown espec- 

 ially as a late planting if wanted for storing; early sowings get 

 too old and tough. Beets for canning and drying should be 

 used while very young and tender. This may seem wasteful 

 at first sight, but it is not. The ground will be occupied for 

 less time, a greater number of plants can be had to the foot of 

 row, there will be less waste in preparation. Dark Red Ball 

 and Detroit Dark Red are superior sorts for winter use. 



Brussels Sprouts: — One of the easiest of all vegetables to 

 grow for winter as it merely has to be left in the open and gath- 

 ered as wanted up to the mid-winter holidays. 



Cabbage: — While one of the regular "winter" vegetables 

 cabbage cannot be grown as profitably in the home garden as 

 many other things since it is usually obtainable in the markets at 

 reasonable prices and is of good quality. Any surplus cabbage, 



can be saved by dehydrating. If there is room, make a special 

 planting for winter of some good keeping sort such as Copen- 

 hagen Market, Flat Dutch or Danish Baldhead — the latter 

 while being the hardest heading does not mature as readily in 

 some sections as the Flat Dutch. For extra fine quality, grow 

 Savoy or Wrinkled; this is especially good for dehydrating. 

 Cabbage plants started in June in the seed bed, may be set out 

 amongst other maturing crops in late August. 



Carrots: — While always obtainable in the markets, it is 

 hard to get them small enough for canning to be of good quality. 

 They are easily kept by dehydrating. For winter, make a 

 special planting of Danvers Half Long, New Amsterdam or 

 Coreless. Sow late enough so that the roots will just reach good 

 table size by freezing weather. 



Greens: — Under this heading is included such things as 

 spinach, beet tops, Swiss chard, kale, Chinese cabbage and so 

 forth. All of these may easily be canned or dehydrated. Sur- 

 passes from the garden may be saved by the latter method 

 during the summer and a specially late planting made for canning 

 to mature just about freezing weather. 



Okra: — May be either canned or dehydrated or simply dried — 

 in the latter case, the pods are simply strungon a line. The regu- 

 lar summer planting will furnish plenty for putting up for winter. 



Onions:— -The tender white varieties which do not keep well in 

 a fresh state may be saved by dehydrating. A planting now 

 will give small, tender onions for pickling. 



Parsnips: — Parsnips almost invariably are planted too early 

 for best quality for winter keeping. There is still plenty of time. 

 They are one of the easiest vegetables to grow and so hardy 

 that they can be left in the ground over winter although part 

 of the crops should be taken up and put in a trench or in the 

 cellar to be used during midwinter, when they cannot be readily 

 gotten at out of doors. 



Peas: — Planted in late July or in early August will give a 

 fall crop. Surpluses from the summer crops already sown may 

 be used, but do not expect a good quality of product from peas 

 that have been allowed to get tough and hard on the vines. 

 British Wonder, Blue Bantam and Laxtonian are fine quality 

 dwarf sorts, while Gradus, Thomas Laxton and Alderman are 

 among the best of the tall growing varieties for late use. 



Peppers: — Make a second planting to furnish fruits late in 

 the fall. 



Potatoes: — While potatoes are, of course, ordinarily kept 

 by storing, they are easy to dehydrate. While both the Irish 

 and Sweet potatoes are usually planted quite early in the spring, 

 the tubers from late planted crops while not so large will be of 

 better keeping quality than those which have fully matured. 

 The Irish potatoes (early varieties, of course) may be put in as 

 late as the first week in July and will make a good crop under 

 favorable conditions. 



Salsify or Oyster Plant is similar to the parsnip in its 

 habits of growth and in its facility to withstand freezing weather 

 without injury. Make a generous planting now for roots of 

 the finest quality for winter and next spring. 



Spinach: — A July or early August sowing will produce a 

 supply in time to be canned before freezing weather in the fall. 

 It can also be dehydrated very readily. All Seasons and 

 Victoria are good varieties for late sowing. 



Squash. — While the bush sorts require a great deal of room, 

 there are a number of dwarfs which produce heavily in propor- 



tion to the amount of space they occupy such as Fordhook and 

 Dehcata. As they are quite "early" varieties, they may be 

 sown for several weeks yet to give a fall supply. 



Tomatoes: — It often happens that the early, planted crops 

 get through yielding before fall. To be sure of having enough 

 for pickles and for canning, make a second planting at about 

 this time. Chalks Jewel, Matchless, Stone or Coreless will 

 make a good variety for a second planting. 



Turnips require but a short time to mature a crop, so that 

 they may be planted after most spring and summer vegetables 

 and still have time to mature. Turnips are excellent winter 

 keepers, and where there is storage room, that is the sim- 

 plet way to save a crop. They can, however, be either canned 

 (use only quite young ones, of course) or dehydrated. The 

 regular varieties of turnips grow so rapidly that special care 

 must be taken to get them while they are still small and tender. 

 It is better to delay sowing until about midsummer and then 

 to use a medium sized variety of excellent table quality, such as 

 Amber Globe, Strap Leaf, or White Egg. 



The New Garden Song 



J. L. Davis, Kentucky 



{Written to the tune of "Over There") 

 Johnnie get your hoe, get your hoe, get your 



hoe; 

 Mary dig your row, dig your row, dig your row; 

 Down to business girls and boys; 

 Learn to know the gardener's joys! 

 Uncle Sam's in need, pull the weed, plant the 



seed; 

 While the sunbeams lurk do not shirk, 



Get to work. 

 All the lads must spade the ground, 

 All the girls must hustle round. 



CHORUS 



Over there, over there! 

 Send the word, send the word over there — 

 That the lads are hoeing, the lads are hceing, 

 The girls are showing ev'rywhere, 

 Each a garden to prepare, 

 Do your bit so that we can all share 

 With the boys, with the boys, the brave boys, 

 Who will not come back 'til it's over, over 

 there! 



