CHILDREN’S NUMBER 
BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN 
LEAFLETS 
THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 
Series II Brooklyn, N. Y., April 1, 1914 Number 1 
BACKYARD GARDENS 
It is possible to have a garden out in the backyard, even if 
that yard is in poor condition. The very first thing to do toward 
making a garden is to clean up the yard. All rubbish, all sticks, 
and large stones must be removed; then the soil conditions are 
seen just as they exist. City backyards usually have very poor 
soil. But even in this soil certain seeds will develop and produce 
fairly good plants. 
You need some tools for your work. Your father’s spade or 
spading fork will answer. If it is possible, buy a combination 
hoe-rake. It is a hoe and a rake combined, and it costs seventy- 
five cents. Then buy a ten-cent weeder. 
Choose the very sunniest spot in the yard for the garden. If 
this be a first year for gardening, do not attempt to cultivate too 
large a piece of land. A strip ten by twenty feet is quite large 
enough for a first attempt. And if your garden soil be very poor, 
try a plot five by twelve feet. 
Border planting is pretty and effective. This sort of planting 
means that you cultivate a narrow bed all around, or on three 
sides of the yard close to the fence. The border should be from 
three to five feet in width. 
After the spot is chosen and measured, drive stakes down 
