The Growing of Vegetables 
By Edwin Jenkins, Massachusetts 
THE growing of vegetables is a matter of increasing 
interest among all classes. This is forced upon us 
partly by the high cost of living, bringing home to 
everyone the value of vegetables in meeting and, in some 
measure, overcoming the situation. Among gardeners 
we are finding that our em]iloyers are demanding a better 
succession of all the vegetables and of the highest quality. 
Exhibitions, also, have, in recent years, been a factor in 
encouraging employers and employes to study the means 
of producing vegetables of greater merit. 
Quality is produced in vegetables (generally speaking) 
by being grown in a rich soil with abundant moisture 
and sufficient heat to promote rapid and uninterrupted 
growth. 
Naturally, it is not always possible to control all these 
factors at all times, but the nearer the grower comes to 
so doing, the nearer perfection will be his vegetables. 
Right here is where 
many of the growers fail 
in keeping up supplies. 
We must have a plan, 
and such vegetables as 
lettuce, beets, carrots, 
radishes, peas, beans 
(string), corn, cauli- 
flower, early cabbage 
must be sown at regular 
(though varying for most 
of the kinds) intervals 
through the growing sea- 
son. 
Hot beds and cold 
frames are among the 
most serviceable aids to 
the vegetable grower 
that are in existence. V>y 
means of the former we 
can get an early start, 
defying a certain amount 
of frost and cold, and by 
the time the weather has 
become sufficiently warm, 
so as to do away with 
the need of hot beds, the 
frames come in fine for 
lettuce and radishes for 
the whole s u m m e r, 
where, owing to the generally greater richness of soil 
and proximity to water, far better and surer crops of 
lettuce may be had through the hottest weather than 
can be had in the open garden. Needless to say, dur- 
ing this period the sashes are dispensed with. With the 
advent of fall, cauliflower and even celery, as well as 
endive and other crops, can be grown to perfection in 
frames with the protection which may be afforded 
with coinparative ease. 
The effect of richness on quality has been referred to 
previously and it is hardly possible to overdo the manur- 
ing of the vegetable garden. Fifty (50) tons of good, 
well-rotted, farm-yard manure is not excessive for most 
gardens — if this is spread and plowed in during the fall 
— something is gained in the way of forwarding the 
spring work, but this is not always possible and if it is 
done in the spring possiblv there is less loss from the 
leaching of the manure. Whether the garden is dug with 
a spade or fork, or whether it is plowed — dig deep ! or 
plow deep ! — as deep as possible without turning up too 
A l\ 
much of the infertile subsoil, 'i'oo much stress can hardly 
be laid on this matter of getting the greatest possible 
depth of soil so long as it is fertile. 
Vegetable gardens should be treated to a dose of lime 
at least as often as every three years — one-half ton of 
buried lime per acre spread evenly over the plowed 
ground and harrowed or raked in. 
Plan the garden planting as early in the season as pos- 
sible, making a record of all the important crop plantings, 
both as to time of sowing or planting and the location of 
each main crop. This, so as to rotate the crops around 
the garden in such a way that several years elapse be- 
tween the same crop occupying the same spot. If the 
garden is large enough to allow a crop of clover to be 
grown annually on a difTerent piece and this clover 
plowed or dug in, the soil will be cleansed and renovated 
in a wonderful way, and in the long run the clover 
crop will pay as well as 
any. 
Vegetables for 
ExiIUUTION 
Exhibition vegetables 
cannot be grown in the 
ordinary way any more 
than fine exhibition 
menus or any other ma- 
terial whatsoever that is 
out of the ordinar3^ 
Therefore, if ordinary 
methods will not suffice, 
we must, perforce, resort 
to methods extraor- 
dinary. 
Securing good strains 
of seeds from reliable 
firms is the first step. 
Then onions and leeks 
must be sown early in 
]'"el)ruary if full time for 
maturing such varieties 
as Ailsa Craig or Gigan- 
tic Gibraltar Onions or 
Lyon Leek is to be al- 
lowed. Onions and leeks 
must be kept growing in 
flats or pots until planted 
out earh" in May. After planting syringe daily in fine 
weather until the plants have made a good start. 
Water about every other week with weak liquid ma- 
nure and keep a lookout for thrips. which are a very 
common pest on onions and leeks. Forceftd syring- 
ing or hosing is about the easiest way of combating 
thrips, but sometimes it is necessary to use some of 
the prepared remedies, such as Aphine, to keep them 
in check. Onions are planted a foot apart on well 
manured land and should be ready to lift in August so as 
to thoroughly ripen. Leeks, on the other hand, should 
be planted about 15 inches apart in a trench about 8 
inches deep and gradually earthed up as they grow. 
Brussels Sprouts are frequently a failure, because they 
are started too late. March 1 is about right for sowing 
these and "The Wroxton" is one of the best varieties. 
Plant about 30 inches to 3 feet apart and put a stake to 
each plant ; feed well, and look out for a gray aphis, 
which plays the mischief with sprouts from Julv on to 
October. L^se the tisual remedies for aphis. 
Winning Collection of Vegetables Exhibited by Ediiin 
Jenkins at the Lenox, Mass., Flui\.'er Shoz^: 
89 
