BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN 
LEAFLETS 
THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 
Series V Brooklyn, N. Y., April 25, 1917. No. 4 
THE SMALL VEGETABLE GARDEN 
The Site. — When selecting the position for the vegetable garden 
(if there is any choice), one should be chosen that is open to air 
and sunshine, and sheltered from north and northwest winds; at 
the same time bearing in mind the fact that without good soil of 
fair depth (eight to twelve inches) large crops cannot be expected. 
The Soil.— The soil is of primary consideration in the success- 
ful cultivation of vegetables, and thorough preparation is essential 
for the best results. 
If time and labor are available, it will pay to stir up and 
pulverize the ground to a depth of eighteen inches or two feet, an 
operation known as trenching, or double digging. It is carried 
out by first opening a trench at one end two feet wide and one 
foot deep and carrying the soil so obtained to the other end of 
the plot that is to be trenched. The bottom of the trench is then 
dug up with a spading fork and all clods thoroughly pulverized. 
A layer of well decayed stable manure three inches thick should 
then be placed in the trench. Continue the work by opening up 
another trench two feet wide and one foot deep, using the soil so 
obtained to fill up the first trench. Dig the bottom of the second 
trench, apply manure, and continue operations until the end of 
the plot is reached, when the soil taken from the first trench will 
be available for filling the last made trench. 
If for any reason it is not possible to trench the plot, the next 
best thing is to cover the surface of the ground with well decayed 
manure three inches deep and then spade it in, burying it as 
deeply as possible. 
