A Few-Hours-a-Day Garden— By Nat s. Green, e* 



Awarded one of the five equivalent prizes in our Most Productive Half Acre competition. 



OUR garden plot is situated on the 

 brow of a high hill overlooking the 

 Little Miami River, 14 miles north- 

 east of Cincinnati. It is somewhat 

 irregular in shape, making 

 it somewhat difficult to 

 obtain the exact area, but 

 by cutting off a strip at 

 one end I was able to get 

 the size accurately. The 

 area is approximately 20,- 

 500 square feet or a little 

 less than half an acre. 

 The land slopes in three 

 directions but not enough 

 to wash the soil badly or 

 to make cultivation diffi- 

 cult. There are trees 

 growing around three 

 sides of the garden, some 

 within forty feet of it, but 

 as the nearest ones are 

 down hill from the g irden 

 their roots do not cause 

 any appreciable trouble. 

 The shade, however, does 

 affect the vegetables on 

 the east, south and south- 

 west portions of the gar- 

 den to some little extent. 



The soil of this plot, 

 when we acquired the place several years 

 ago, was a heavy clay loam that had been 

 neglected for years and was in bad shape. 

 The subsoil is yellow clay. The plot formerly 

 had been used as a garden but as little 



manure or other humus making material 

 had been applied the ground had become 

 too poor to grow vegetables and was aban- 

 doned. D uring the past four years by clear- 



The flowers shown here followed Telephone peas. Permanent vegetables beyond 



ing, draining and liberal manuring we have 

 lightened and enriched the soil until it is 

 in very good shape, except one corner 

 which is still too heavy to grow most veg- 

 etables well. On parts that showed an 



acid condition, lime and ashes were used, 

 and to provide humus rye was grown and 

 plowed down. In addition several tons of 

 manure (all we could spare) from the barns 

 were applied every winter 

 and spring, and hen 

 manure scattered on the 

 ground as it was removed 

 from the poultry houses. 

 Last winter and spring 

 about five tons of stable 

 manure were spread on 

 the plot, being hauled out 

 at various times as it 

 accumulated. The ground 

 was broken up March 23d. 

 Some parts were rather 

 wet, but there were some 

 things we wanted to plant 

 early and as there was no 

 prospect of better weather 

 soon I plowed the entire 

 plot. As things turned 

 out the early plowing did 

 as well as later, for un- 

 favorable weather made 

 191 1 one of the worst sea- 

 sons in years for spring 

 plowing. Considerable 

 dragging and repeated 

 harrowing were neces- 

 sary to get the ground in good shape. As 

 soon as it was prepared I made furrows 

 with a wheel hoe and 

 planted 



Planting plan for Nat S. Green's Ohio garden for the year of the prize contest s== 



two double rows of Prolific 

 Early Market peas. I also 

 sowed broadcast a strip of 

 kale and one of spinach, raking 

 in the seed. I had never before 

 tried broadcasting them but 

 they grew all right. Norwood 

 Dwarf Curled kale and Blooms- 

 dale Savoy spinach were used. 

 On March 26th, there was rain, 

 which stopped garden work; but 

 on April 1st I sowed radish and 

 lettuce, protecting the rows or 

 rather strips three and two feet 

 wide, with canvas held up on 

 short stakes; and set out the 

 early cabbage and cauliflower 

 plants. Also sowed more 

 spinach During the following 

 two weeks there was so much 

 rain that all garden work was at 

 a standstill. 



Earlier in the season there had 

 been done some work that should 

 be mentioned here. Atthesouth- 

 west corner of the garden is an 

 offset that cannot be conven- 



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