Chapter VIII 



I 



PEAS AXD POTATOES 



"A garden is the personal part of an estate — that area 

 ivhich is most intimately associated zcith the private life of 

 the home.'' 



i'lp'^^EAS, like onions, are hardy, and 

 r^M I early varieties should be sown in the 

 ^^^F open ground just as soon as soil 

 I conditions will permit — in Alarch or 



I Jl early April in the North, and in De- 

 f 'iJ. cember, January or February far- 



.'^ Y ther south (according to latitude). 



A too rich soil is not good for 

 this crop, I have discovered, for an excess of nitro- 

 gen is likely to cause the plants to "run all to vines." 

 A light clay loam is desirable if extra early peas are 

 wanted. Peas are nitrogenous — that is, they have the 

 power of gathering nitrogen from the air. 



Rows in the small garden may be about three 

 feet apart for single rows of tall-growing varieties, 

 that are to be supplied with some support for the 

 vines to climb upon. (Rows of dwarf varieties 

 might be narrower.) A method often practised, 

 however, is to plant double rows (about eight inches 

 apart) with aisles about three feet wide (six inches 

 wider would be better for horse cultivation) between 

 each two double-rows. The vine support for this 

 double row^ is placed in the center of the eight-inch 

 space, so that vines in both rows may climb on the 

 one support (and thus form a single trellis of vines 

 from a double row of plants). 



