The Garden Magazine, September, 1923 
15 
Lest Early Frosts Catch Us Unaware 
Get ready to protect such plants as Cosmos, Dahlias, etc., from early 
frosts. Ofttimes after a single killing frost, fine weather con¬ 
tinues well into October. 
Protection may be given by muslin screens, windbreaks, smudge 
fires; or by allowing the irrigation system to run over the plants 
overnight, etc. A little ingenuity will accomplish much. 
Remove all dead leaves and plants at sight; don’t get careless because 
the period of early frost approaches. 
Hedges, etc., to be clipped for the last time, and any not attended to 
previously to be clipped, at once. Late growth from late clipping 
makes the whole plant tender and more susceptible to winter cold. 
Storage places for such plants as Hydrangeas, Bay-trees, Oleanders, 
etc., to be got ready. 
Harvesting Your Potatoes 
Potatoes to be dug and stored if a suitable place is available; otherwise 
better leave them in the ground as long as the weather is not too 
wet. When digging do not leave the tubers exposed to the sun and 
air all day, but only long enough to dry them thoroughly. After 
storing, pick over at intervals and remove any rotted tubers. 
The Valuable Cover Crop 
After harvesting the crop of potatoes sow Rye on the plot immediately. 
This advice applies equally to any other part of the garden from 
which the crops have been removed. 
Don’t let the orchard lie bare all winter, but sow Rye, two bushels to the 
acre, mixed with Vetch. 
Cover crops are beneficial not only to the ground when turned under 
in the spring, but they keep down weeds, prevent erosion, and make 
the garden clean and attractive looking during the fall and winter. 
Make it a rule not to let the winter find any part of the garden 
without a cover crop. 
The Indispensable Frame 
If you have no frames, now is the time to get some. They can be put 
to excellent use during the next two or three months. 
Old sash to have broken glass replaced and other repairs made. 
Lettuce, of the heading type, sown outdoors any time up to the middle 
of the month, and transplanted to the frames when large enough 
to handle, will furnish a supply of salad until Thanksgiving. 
Radishes to be grown between the plants while they are small. 
Pansies, Myosotis, English Daisies, etc., sown last month and big 
enough to handle, to be transplanted into the frames for wintering. 
Hydrangeas and Christmas Peppers to be lifted from outdoors, potted, 
and placed in a coldframe and shaded until reestablished. 
Anemone japonica to be propagated from root cuttings and over¬ 
wintered in a coldframe. 
Early planted cold storage Lilies to be carried along in a cool house. 
Formosum Lilies to be planted for Easter flowering. Set them in 
frames with excelsior or other covering. Avoid too rich soil, 
and have good drainage. 
The Winter Garden Under Glass 
Eternal vigilance is the price of success with greenhouse crops at this 
time. Watch Carnations for green fly and thrips; Roses for green 
fly, red spider, and mildew. Sow some trailing plant alongside 
the benches of the Carnations and Roses. Sweet Alyssum and 
Candytuft will do among the Carnations, and Nasturtiums are 
very good in the rose house. Sweet-peas can be grown along the 
purlin supports of the carnation house; be sure to get a winter¬ 
flowering strain—there’s a reason! 
Bulbs for winter forcing to be potted or boxed up as soon as they arrive, 
for the sooner they are planted the sooner they will begin to make 
a mass of roots so essential to successful forcing. Prepare a rich 
friable soil and see that the receptacles have ample drainage; 
after planting water thoroughly. If the bulbs can then be placed 
in a trench or cellar, and covered with a foot or more of coal ashes 
or soil, so much the better. 
Stocks, Nicotiana, Schizanthus, Annual Larkspur, Gypsophila, etc., 
to be sown at intervals to keep up a supply of flowers. Mignon¬ 
ette is not a “cropper” so one sowing will suffice. 
Cutting of choice Pentstemons to be rooted now and wintered over in 
a cool house. 
Make preparations for planting indoors field-grown Violets; Pansies and 
Mignonette are good companion plants. 
Chorizemas and Ericas to be kept in the coolest house possible. 
Annual Lupines to be sown for flowering in March, April. Another 
batch of Sweet-peas to be sown. 
Late flowering Cosmos to be transplanted from outdoors to some posi¬ 
tion under glass. Chrysanthemums grown to single stem for 
large flowers, to have side shoots and extra buds scrupulously 
removed. Support the stem as required, and feed freely. 
Take available cuttings of Geraniums and put them in the propagating 
bench to remain for the next few weeks. 
Pot-up sufficient stock plants of Heliotrope, Ageratum, Fuchsia, Coleus, 
Salvia, Abutilon, etc., to provide cuttings later. 
Snapdragons may still be planted for winter flowering. 
Primulas and Cinerarias to be repotted as required. Cyclamen should 
now be in their flowering pots. 
Summer flowering bulbs, such as Achimines, Gloxinias, Gesneria, 
Tuberous Begonias, etc., as they pass out of flower to have the 
water gradually withheld until they have time to ripen up. Place 
in some dry corner of a cool house, where they will be free from 
drip. 
Spanish Iris for forcing to be planted in flats five inches deep, covering 
the bulbs with two inches of soil. Keep outdoors, but be prepared 
to protect from drenching rains during November. The first 
planted ones may be put in a cool greenhouse in December, where 
the night temperature never exceeds 45-48 degrees—any higher 
temperature is ruinous. The first batch will bloom the middle of 
March; succession batches taking less time. Aflat 24 x 12 inches, 
will hold from 60 to 70 bulbs. 
Gardenias to be ventilated with care as the days get shorter, and the 
nights cooler. A little heat is necessary during the night. The 
plants will have made many roots by this time and a top-dressing 
of one part well-rotted cow manure and two parts new loam ap¬ 
plied half an inch thick and repeated at intervals will help. Main¬ 
tain a night temperature of 68-70 degrees and keep the atmos¬ 
phere moist. 
Make out the list of shrubs needed for forcing during winter and 
spring. Mark any in your own gardens for lifting and potting 
next month; place orders promptly for others. 
Sowing Vegetables Inside for Cold Weather Supply 
Tomatoes for forcing to be sown at once. Red Currant, Red Cherry,. 
and Yellow Cherry are useful for salads, and are very effective for 
garnishing. 
Cucumbers to be sown at once. They make excellent companion 
plants for Tomatoes in the warm end of the house. Box in the 
pipes under the Cucumbers to provide bottom heat. 
Carrots, Radishes, and Parsley to be sown as early in the month as 
possible; Beans the latter part of the month and successions every 
three weeks; Beets toward the end of the month. 
Fruit Trees for Forcing to be Repotted 
Pot fruit trees now outdoors will be ripening their wood during Septem¬ 
ber. Remove any suckers from the base; keep free from insects; 
water copiously; the sun will do the rest. 
Do the annual repotting at the end of the month—-no need to wait 
until the leaves have all fallen provided they have had good care 
and growth has “ ripened-off.” Turfy loam three parts, wood 
ashes one part, and a six-inch potful of bonemeal to each bushel 
of soil, well mixed together, make a very good compost. 
Strawberries and Melons 
Strawberries for winter forcing to be taken up and potted into six- 
inch pots; use heavy loam; pot firmly. 
Melons being “finished” under glass often show a tendency to crack 
as the fruit begins to ripen. This is attributed to an excess of sap 
just at a time when nothing above normal is required. If detected 
in time, cutting out a V-shaped portion of the stem of the lateral 
carrying the fruit will be advantageous. Keep the house a trifle 
cooler, and the roots somewhat drier; but do not dry out. 
The Cellar Has Its Uses 
New Mushroom beds to be spawned when the temperature has re¬ 
ceded to 85 degrees. Do not cover the bed for a few days until 
the temperature has fallen several degrees more; then case it over 
with virgin loam an inch and a half thick. The crop will be 
ready to pick in six weeks, under favorable conditions. 
It will be advisable to dampen the surface of the beds together with the 
walls, etc., if the cellar be not naturally damp. Keep the tempera¬ 
ture at 60 degrees at all times. Continue to prepare new beds. 
