224 
GARDENING CALENDAR FOR MAY. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Sow beans, beet, borecole, brocoli, cabbage, 
carrot, cauliflower, celery, chervil, cress, en- 
dive, herbs, kidney beans, lettuce, mustard, 
peas, radishes, spinach, scarlet runners, turnip, 
and vegetable marrow. 
Plant and Transplant artichokes, asparagus, 
basil, cabbage, capsicums, cauliflowers, celery, 
kidney beans, leek, lettuce, love apple, onions, 
parsley, potato, New Zealand spinach, sea kale, 
and Swedish turnip. 
General Directions. — Clear, trench, and 
then dung and dig the ground for the winter 
crops, as brocoli, Brussels sprouts, &c. Bear 
in mind the necessity of systematic rotation ; 
that is, repeat not the same crop nor any of 
its allies on the same soil, but rather substitute 
plants as different in constitution as possible : 
for instance, any of the Brassica tribe may 
come after Legumes, but brocoli should not 
follow cauliflowers, nor peas beans, and so on. 
It is commendable, especially in small gardens, 
to intermix the crops, that is, to plant or sow 
the taller crops, such as kidney beans, or peas, 
so wide apart as to admit of two or three 
rows of cabbage or lettuce being introduced 
between them. This will be found beneficial 
for all, by admitting the light and air more 
freely, by which abundant and healthy crops 
will be realized. Attend in due time to thin- 
ning and pricking out seedling plants ; and 
hoeing and stirring the soil after rains. Keep 
down slugs, by sowing fresh slaked lime over 
the garden late at night or early in the morn- 
ing ; decoy them and other vermin by laying 
down broad pieces of wood, slate, greased 
leaves, handfuls of seeds, &c. ; dust over all 
the seed beds with wood ashes, soot, &c. 
Water every thing that is transplanted, unless 
the planting is succeeded by a good rain, which 
is best. 
Artichokes (Globe) may yet be planted 
from strong suckers ; the sooner the better. 
Asparagus newly planted, should be mulched 
and watered with manure and salted water ; it 
may yet be transplanted. Some prefer to thin 
out the young plants where sown, but this 
should not be done unless the ground was tho- 
roughly prepared. When cutting from the 
established beds, do it so as to thin the plants 
evenly according to their strength. 
Basil, — Plant out on a warm spot, say one 
row along the bottom of the south wall, or in 
rows fourteen inches apart, and eight between ; 
keep some in pots under glass. 
Beans. — If much in request make another 
planting ; top them when in flower : it is 
questionable whether there is much benefit 
derived from earthing up, but to hoe and clean 
the soil well is certainly beneficial. 
Beet for pickling, does not require a very 
rich soil ; sow these at ten inches apart. Sow 
the main winter crop ; the white Silesian beet 
is excellent : allow eighteen inches between 
the rows. 
Borecole, which includes the various kales, 
may be sown now ; and as these are among 
