Home Vegetable Gardening, F. F. Rockwell [popular novels .txt] 📗

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is bright and warm, begin watering towards evening instead of in early

morning, as you should have been doing through the winter. If proper

attention is given to ventilation and moisture, there will not be much

danger from the green plant-louse (aphis) and white-fly, but at the

first sign of one fight them to a finish. Use kerosene emulsion,

tobacco dust, tobacco preparations, or Aphine.

 

Seed sowing. Under glass: tomato, eggplant and peppers. On sod:

corn, cucumbers, melons, early squash, lima beans.

 

Planting, outside. Onions, lettuce, beet, etc., if not put in

last month; also parsnip, salsify, parsley, wrinkled peas, endive.

Toward the end of this month (or first part of next) second plantings

of these. Set out plants of early cabbage (and the cabbage group)

lettuce, onion sets, sprouted potatoes, beets, etc.

 

In the Garden. Cultivate between rows of sowed crops; weed out

by hand just as soon as they are up enough to be seen; watch for cutworms and root-maggots.

 

Fruit. Thin out all old blackberry canes, dewberry and raspberry

canes (if this was not done, as it should have been, directly after the

fruiting season last summer). Be ready for first spraying of early-blossoming trees. Set out new strawberry beds, small fruits and fruit

trees.

 

MAY

 

Keep ahead of the weeds. This is the month when those warm,

south, driving rains often keep the ground too wet to work for days at

a time, and weeds grow by leaps and bounds. Woe betide the gardener

whose rows of sprouting onions, beets, carrots, etc., once become green

with wild turnip and other rapid-growing intruders. Clean cultivation

and slight hilling of plants set out are also essential.

 

The Frames. These will not need so much attention now, but care

must be taken to guard tender plants, such as tomatoes, eggplant and

peppers, against sudden late frosts. The sash may be left off most of

the time. Water copiously and often.

 

Planting, outside. First part of the month: early beans, early

corn, okra and late potatoes may be put in; and first tomatoes set out

—even if a few are lost—they are readily replaced. Finish setting out

cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, beets, etc., from frames. Latter part of

month, if warm: corn, cucumbers, some of sods from frames and early

squash as traps where late crop is to be planted or set.

 

Fruit. Be on time with first sprayings of late-blossoming

fruits—apples, etc. Rub off from grape vines the shoots that are not

wanted.

 

JUNE

 

Frequent, shallow cultivation!

 

Firm seeds in dry soil. Plant wax beans, lima beans, pole beams,

melons, corn, etc., and successive crops of lettuce, radish, etc.

 

Top-dress growing crops that need special manure (such as nitrate of

soda on onions). Prune tomatoes, and cut out some foliage for extra

early tomatoes. Toward end of month set celery and late cabbage. Also

sow beans, beets, corn, etc., for early fall crops. Spray where

necessary. Allow asparagus to grow to tops.

 

Fruit. Attend to spraying fruit trees and currants and

gooseberries. Make pot-layers of strawberries for July setting.

 

JULY

 

Maintain frequent, shallow cultivation. Set out late cabbage,

cauliflower, broccoli, leeks and celery. Sow beans, beets, corn, etc.,

for late fall crops. Irrigate where needed.

 

Fruit. Pinch back new canes of blackberry, dewberry and

raspberry. Rub off second crop of buds on grapes. Thin out if too many

bunches; also on plums, peaches and other fruit too thick, or touching.

Pot-layered strawberries may be set out.

 

AUGUST

 

Keep the garden clean from late weeds—especially purslane, the hot-weather weed pest, which should be always removed from the

garden and burned or rotted down.

 

Sow spinach, rutabaga turnip, bush beans and peas for last fall crop.

During first part of month, late celery may still be put out. Sow

lettuce for early fall crop, in frames. First lot of endive should be

tied up for blanching.

 

Fruit. Strawberries may be set, and pot-layered plants, if

wanted to bear a full crop the following season, should be put in by

the Thin out and bag grapes.

 

SEPTEMBER

 

Frames. Set in lettuce started in August. Sow radishes and

successive crop of lettuce. Cooler weather begins to tell on late-planted crops. Give cabbage, cauliflower, etc., deeper cultivation.

“Handle” celery wanted for early use.

 

Harvest and store onions. Get squash under cover before frost. From the

15th to 25th sow spinach, onions, borecole for wintering over. Sow down

thickly to rye all plots as fast as cleared of summer crops; or plow

heavy land in ridges. Attend to draining.

 

Fruit. Trees may be set. Procure barrels for storing fruit in

winter. At harvest time it is often impossible to get them at any

price.

 

OCTOBER

 

Get ready for winter. Blanch rest of endive. Bank celery, to be used

before Christmas, where it is. Gather tomatoes, melons, etc., to keep

as long as possible. Keep especially clean and well cultivated all

crops to be wintered over. Late in the month store cabbage and

cauliflower; also beets, carrots, and other root crops. Get boxes,

barrels, bins, sand or sphagnum moss ready beforehand, to save time in

packing.

 

Clean the garden; store poles, etc., worth keeping over; burn

everything else that will not rot; and compost everything that will.

 

Fruit. Harvest apples, etc. Pick winter pears just before hard

frosts, and store in dry dark place.

 

NOVEMBER

 

Frames. Make deep hotbeds for winter lettuce and radishes.

Construct frames for use next spring. See that vegetables in cellar,

bins, and sheds are safe from freezing. Trench or store celery for

spring use. Take in balance of all root crops if any remain in the

ground, except, of course, parsnip and salsify for spring use. Put

rough manure on asparagus and rhubarb beds. Get mulch ready for

spinach, etc., to be wintered over, if they occupy exposed locations.

 

Fruit. Obtain marsh or salt hay for mulching strawberries. Cut

out old wood of cane-fruits—blackberries, etc., if not done after

gathering fruit. Look over fruit trees for borers.

 

DECEMBER

 

Cover celery stored last month, if trenched out-of-doors. Use only

light, loose material at first, gradually covering for winter. Put

mulch on spinach, etc.

 

Fruit. Mulch strawberries. Prune grape-vines; make first

application of winter sprays for fruit trees.

 

AND THEN

 

set about procuring manures of all kinds from every available source.

Remember that anything which will rot will add to the value of

your manure pile. Muck, lime, old plastering, sods, weeds (earth and

all), street, stable and yard sweepings—all these and numerous others

will increase your garden successes of next year.