Your Saturday Afternoon Garden 
PREPARING ONIONS AND CELERY FOR' STORING—CARE OF THE TENDER CROPS BEFORE THE FIRST 
FROST—YOUR LAST SHOT AT WEEDS 
D. R. E d s o n 
B ESIDES the regular work of caring for the growing crops 
and putting in a last planting of radishes, peas and spinach 
in time to mature in your locality, there are four Saturday 
afternoon-sized jobs which you should attend to this month, 
whether they are done Saturdays or not. They are: preparation 
of onions and celery for storing later on; saving for winter use 
such things as cannot be stored, by canning; gathering the tender 
crops which might be injured by frost, and making ready for 
storage. 
Onions are like chickens, in that they always seem to do well 
fcr the beginner, as though purposely trying to lead him on to 
try his hand with them on a larger scale. Under favorable con¬ 
ditions onions yield enormous crops; and a few rows in the 
back garden will often supply enough 
bulbs to last through the winter, if 
properly handled. But the beginner 
often loses them after they are fully 
grown and matured for the want of 
taking the proper measures before stor¬ 
ing them for winter. Towards the last 
part of August or first of September, 
if they are planted in good time, the 
tops will begin to fall over and dry up; 
and if one attempts to pull one of the 
bulbs, it will be found to come up verv 
readily, all the roots having disap¬ 
peared. To the beginner it might seem 
that the natural thing was to let them 
stay there; this, however, would be 
pretty sure to mean a total loss. The 
bulbs should be gathered as soon as 
they come up readily, and spread out 
on a tight, dry floor under cover — but 
freely exposed to the wind and air. If 
there are too many, or if no such place 
is available, they may be piled along 
narrow rows, several inches deep in the 
center. They should be turned over 
with a rake — use a wooden one or a 
wire-toothed lawn rake, so that the 
bulbs will not be bruised or pierced — 
In handling squash and pumpkins be careful not to bruise the shell. A bruise 
means a decayed spot, and in storage one decayed fruit spreads the infection 
As melons, pumpkins, cucumbers and squash will continue to ripen in storage, be 
sure to harvest them before the first hard frost 
every day or so, in order that the sun 
will have a chance to get at them all 
and dry them off thoroughly. If put 
under cover where they are not in the 
way, they may be left until the tops are 
dried off thoroughly and one has time 
for cutting them off. If outdoors, how¬ 
ever, the tops should be cut or the 
onions stored, temporarily, as soon as 
possible. Once dried, wet weather will 
make them sprout most amazingly; and 
if they begin, it is almost impossible to 
get them again into good condition for 
winter storage. No matter how dry they 
may appear to be, they should never be 
placed where the air does not have free 
access to them. Use slat barrels, or, 
better still, onion crates, which can 
usually be bought at the grocery stor.e 
for ten cents apiece and which are ideal 
for handling them. In this way, they ; 
do not have to be handled over again 
later, when time comes for putting 
them into their winter quarters. 
The celery should be making very 
rapid growth by this time, and that de¬ 
signed for early use should be gone 
over frequently to keep the earth well 
drawn up to the foliage. Even where it is to be blanched with 
boards or individual bleachers, it will be a big help to have the 
hearts and the bases of the stalks well blanched and the latter 
held in an upright position before the finishing touches are put 
on. Blight, the disease most likely to injure celery, should be 
controlled by an ammoniacal copper carbonate spray. This is 
made by mixing two fluid ounces of ammonia into two gallons 
of water and adding two teaspoonfuls of copper carbonate in 
enough water to make a thin paste. Stir this into the ammonia 
water until it is thoroughly dissolved. This will make the right 
amount for an ordinary hand-compressed air sprayer and will 
nicely cover the row or two of celery in the home garden. It 
should be applied often enough to keep the new growth covered. 
This spray is a substitute for Bordeaux arid will not, like the 
(Continued on page 56) 
When the onion lops begin to fall over in early September, 
pull up the bulbs. The roots by this time will have dis¬ 
appeared. Collect and dry out under cover 
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