GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES STANLEY C JOHNSON, D.Sc, F.R.ES. GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES NORTH Seed -p - . ; * ictY s-ni f> s BeetYoots. tKis "vjcccf ; A.-netfl PLATE 1. Plan for a Ten Rod Allotment. GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES A Practical Handbook for Allotment Holders and those wishing to Grow Vegetables in Small Gardens WHAT TO GROW WHERE TO GROW WHEN TO GROW HOW TO GROW BY STANLEY C. JOHNSON, D.Sc., F.R.E.S. Author of " Nature Photography," " Pond and Stream Life," etc. WITH 119 DIAGRAMS LONDON T. FISHER UNWIN, LTD. ADELPHI TERRACE 'Y ^0 FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1918. X ICU'i-T U R E DEFT, > M ~ ^ f (All Rights Reserved.) "Every encouragement should be given to the movement on foot for the purpose of creating a National Union of Allotment Holders. Those little cultivators did splendidly last year and, on what appears to be good data, it is estimated that they came in to the extent of nearly three-quarters of a million persons. Although it is not possible to estimate the addition this meant to the food supply of the country, it must be extraordinary. " England is a land of good gardeners, and the skill, industry and ingenuity with which the most unpromising plots were attacked augurs well for the possibilities attending an extension of the move- ment. Those who have watched serious elderly men and laughing school children working with equal ardour at the unpromising allot- ment will not only be highly pleased with the results, but filled with confidence that soil of any kind can be attacked with the certainty of making it contribute to the food supply of the country." Country Life. 4139L4 CONTENTS I. PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS . . . II. PLANNING THE GROUND .... III. PREPARING THE SOIL .... IV. TOWN ALLOTMENTS .... V. MANURES ...... VI. HOTBEDS AND COLD FRAMES ... VII. FRESH VEGETABLES ALL THE YEAR KOUND VIII. SEED ECONOMIES ..... IX. FOES AND FRIENDS OF THE VEGETABLE GROWER ...... X. HINTS FOR EXHIBITORS .... XI. THE CABBAGE OR BRASSICA FAMILY. . XII. PEAS AND BEANS ..... XIII. POTATOES ...... XIV. THE ONION FAMILY . . . . XV. CARROTS, PARSNIPS, AND BEETROOTS . XVI. CELERY AND CELERIAC . . . . XVII. ARTICHOKES ...... XVIII. VEGETABLE MARROWS, SQUASHES AND CUCUMBERS. ..... XIX. INDOOR AND OUTDOOR TOMATOES . . XX. MUSHROOM CULTURE . . . . XXI. SALAD VEGETABLES ..... XXII. USEFUL HERBS ..... XXIII. MISCELLANEOUS CROPS . . . . XXIV. VEGECULTURE MONTH BY MONTH . . APPENDIX I. DISEASES AND PESTS WHICH ATTACK VEGETABLES . . . . II. A TIME-TABLE OF GROWTH . . INDEX 13 23 28 40 44 55 62 66 71 76 82 95 104 119 129 138 143 147 152 158 164 170 174 181 193 195 197 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE PAGE 1. PLAN FOR A TEN ROD ALLOTMENT Frontispiece 2. METHODS OF DIGGING .... 31 3. HINTS ON DIGGING AND SOWING ... 35 4. TABLE SHOWING DEPTH TO WHICH SEEDS SHOULD BE SOWN . . . .61 5. HINTS ON THE CARE OF SEEDLINGS. . . 69 6. HOTBEDS AND COLD FRAMES ... 79 7. HINTS ON THE TREATMENT OF BRASSICAS . 93 8. HINTS ON STAKING PEAS AND BEANS . . 97 9. HINTS ON POTATO GROWING . . . 105 10. HINTS ON GROWING ONIONS . . .123 11. HINTS ON GROWING CARROTS, PARSNIPS, AND BEETROOTS 131 12. CELERY, VEGETABLE MARROWS, AND CUCUM- BERS 141 13. TOMATO CULTURE 153 14. MUSHROOM CULTURE 159 15. HINTS ON THE GROWTH OF RHUBARB AND SEAKALE . ; . . . .175 16. FOES OF THE VEGETABLE GROWER 185 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES CHAPTER I PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS DURING the year 1916 the knowledge became common that, if food were not to be the deciding factor of the War, it was the clear duty of all to take a hand at growing produce. Thousands of us readily responded to the new demands ; those who possessed gardens pushed the pretty flowers and the attractive shrubs to one side and planted more useful crops in the vacant spaces ; we dug up lawns and sowed them with potatoes and filled our window boxes with onions and carrots. But valuable as this new movement was, it did not go far enough, for a family of four or five cannot exist on the vegetables grown in the average town or suburban garden. Accor- dingly, the cult of the allotment sprang into being, and now it is the exception rather than the rule to find an able-bodied householder who has not an interest in a plot which he tends with loving care on Saturdays, Sundays, and whenever else he has a moment to spare. That the country is much indebted to the allotment- holder no one can gainsay, for during the first season of the movement 180,000 war-time plots were worked U \G$Q?V YOUR OWN VEGETABLES .iii$e the: Cultivation of the Land Order, representing 1S,S6B acres.' l Ad,d to this the gardens which from one end of the country to the other were devoted to vege- culture and we are able to form some idea of the tremendous amount of food that was grown privately in the first year of great need. Securing a Plot. The demand for plots which started so well shows no signs of abating ; in fact, during the next two or three years, apart from the issue of the War, we may anticipate a great influx of eager recruits, all keen on making their little patch a friendly rival to the Garden of Eden. Newcomers should apply to the Local . Borough or Urban District Council, or Parish Council for a holding. These authorities have power to commandeer land for the provision of allotments of not more than five acres in extent, and, if these bodies do not act, the would-be allotment-holders may demand them to. Failing satisfaction from this quarter, the County Council should be requested to act and, if this body cannot or will not make the necessary provision, the final court of appeal is the Board of Agriculture. The London County Council, it may be mentioned, can provide holdings, but is in no way obliged to. The Vacant Land Cultivation Society, 14, Bucking- ham Street, Strand, will also attend to the wants of Londoners. As may be expected, some authorities are doing but little to foster the movement whilst others are leaving no stone unturned to make it a deserving success. Birkenhead's activities in this direction have been so thorough that the Journal of the Board of Agriculture PEBLTMINARY CONSIDERATIONS 15 has seen fit to detail them at length in a recent article. Here are the facts as summarised in The Smallholder. At the beginning of the year the Local Council appointed an Allotment Committee, which was given full power to act. This Committee immediately (1) secured stocks of implements in order to forestall attempts to raise prices or any failure to obtain supplies ; (2) obtained firm offers of seed and accepted quotations ; (3) organised manure supplies ; (4) ar- ranged for bringing-on under glass (in consequence of the late start) large quantities of plants for spring planting ; (5) prepared schemes which were laid before the inhabitants. The Committee then turned its attention to effecting the fullest possible increase in the number of allotments in the town. To every man or woman who desired one an allotment was offered, with the result that in three months' time about 2,500 allotments were under cultivation within the Borough. The principles on which the Committee worked were as follows : (1) It selected and tested all land in order to ensure reasonable returns for the labour spent on it. (2) An economic rent was charged so that serious cultivation might be safeguarded. (3) A water supply was provided. (4) Professional advice was available for those who needed it. (5) And the work of each plot-holder was periodically inspected in order that the best interests of the community might be preserved. The Committee took up in other ways the work of food production. Schemes for school gardens, to be used for food production, were prepared and approved by the Boarl of Education. The land was provided by 16 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES the Committee, and cultivation went on during school hours. The Volunteers were approached, with the result that digging took the place of drill. The girls in factories did their part as did those engaged in large shops, the heads of the establishments arranging with the Committee for land and organising their own staffs in cultivation. Men, also, who had been exempted by the Tribunals, gladly gave spare time to the work. Birkenhead estimated that these activities accounted for one-fifth of the town's vegetable needs ; such is their splendid record which other authorities might well copy. As a rule, the would-be allotment-holder will be offered no choice in the selection of the plot offered him. Should, however, he be able to exercise a preference, he ought to make as careful a survey of the ground as time will permit. The plot should be situated as close to his house as possible. Unless it is within convenient dis- tance, it will be robbed of countless little visits during the season which are so necessary to the nursing and tending of delicate plant-life. It should enjoy an open situation. Overhanging trees cause a deal of trouble ; they cut out the sunlight, they ruin crops by dripping on to them, they scatter their leaves in the fall and their flowers in the summer, and so cause unnecessary and often harmful litter, and their roots rob the ground of moisture and nourishment. Walls and fences, too, are unwelcome when they screen the sunny-side of the plot, but they certainly prove advantageous in keeping out trespassers, both human and otherwise. If the ground is not flat, a plot in a dip or hollow should be avoided, as it will PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS 17 probably be damp and cold, especially in the winter, when the best of conditions are absolutely essential to the well-being of whatever crops are still bedded out. A plot on a gentle slope has much in its favour if it faces towards the sun, but not otherwise. Any aspect from north-east to north-west vid the north is likely to prove unsatisfactory, as it will not get its fair share of warmth and sunshine. Of course, a plot that runs sharply down the side of a hill or embankment will give a good deal of trouble and prove very wasteful of space. The posi- tion of the plot with regard to roads and paths is another matter for consideration. A dusty highway, littered with paper and leaves, will provide the allotment-holder with all sorts of vexations when gusty weather sets in. But the most important considerations of all bear on the composition of the soil and its covering. Grass will probably be the most likely surface covering of the plot, but there is grass and grass. Turf of the kind we find on lawns it will naturally be coarser is as easy as any material to deal with. It should be skimmed off the surface and buried face downwards when digging the holding (Plate 3, Fig. 3). Should wireworms be present in any quantities these are tiny things about three- quarters of an inch long, of a shiny yellow chestnut colour, possessing a few hairs on the body it will be well to shave the sods off the surface fairly thinly, turn them upside down and leave them so for a week. The birds, especially plovers, rooks, and starlings, will come and make many a meal ofE them, much to our satisfaction. Then it will be well to sprinkle Vaporite, lime or soot, and give the land a dressing of superphosphate at sowing 18 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES time. When the grass is of the couch or twitch variety a good deal of trouble may be anticipated unless the creeping roots be skimmed off the surface and buried two feet or more down or thrown on a bonfire and burnt. The latter plan is the better, though more tedious, as the ashes from the fire provide a valuable potash of which the country is now very short. Rank weeds, such as thistles and docks, should be dug out with as much of their roots as possible ; it will be a false economy of time to snap off the heads and leave the roots to continue growing. Now as to the soil. Where such is possible, itjwill be an admirable plan to dig two or three holes about three feet deep, in various parts of the holding. By inspecting the sides of the holes, we may learn the depth of the top spit, the composition of the under layers, and, if we leave the holes open for a day or more carefully covered over at nights, of course we may get to know whether drainage is good or bad. Black soil is usually considered of great merit, the reason being that it contains a high percentage of humus, a vegetable constituent of the soil which, by a gradual process of decay, liberates carbonic acid and so manu- factures a necessary ingredient of plant food. Humus, it may be said, is generated by returning to the soil all kinds of vegetable refuse and by supplying dressings of stable manure. Black soils, also, are the warmest as they absorb the rays of the sun and so retain heat. Red soil is chiefly due to the presence of iron in one or other of its forms. When the texture of the ground is good, the iron compounds will serve to keep the soil PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS 19 suitably moist and so make for fertility. Brown and yellow soils are usually due to lesser quantities of iron. Clays which, when cut with the spade, show iridescent shades of purple, blue, and green should be avoided, as these are sure signs of bad drainage and poor aeration, conditions which are disastrous to plant growth. The Necessary Tools. The new hand at growing vegetables will probably welcome a few hints regarding the tools he requires for the work. First of all, let us consider the spade. This should be of a weight to suit the capacity of the one who has to use it, and to him it should seem neither light nor heavy, but easily manipu- lated. The length of the wooden arm varies with every spade, and unless a convenient size be selected it will mean much unnecessary backache and other discomforts. The shape of the handle, either D or T shape, matters little, but unless it is well rounded and smoothed it will cause unnecessary blisters and otherwise damage the hands. Of course, a thorough rubbing with fine glass paper may do much towards putting a roughly made article into good condition, but it is j ust as well to save this bother by getting a serviceable implement at the time of purchase. Then let us look at the rivets which fix the metal to the wooden part. Are they firm and sufficiently stout and does the arm look as though it might snap where they pass through ? These are questions the buyer should ask himself. The shoulder of the blade, too, requires attention. If it has a narrow flattened platform or ridge on which the foot of the digger presses it will cause less harm to his boot than if it is innocent of this device. B 2 20 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES Obviously the thing to do is to reject a spade without the platform and select one with it. At the time of buying it will be well to get the dealer to put a slight edge on the blade it should be ground from the back for this will make digging much easier than if the edge is blunt. Much that has been said of the spade applies with equal force to the fork. Of this implement there are many patterns, the differences lying chiefly in the shape of the prongs. For general work a border fork, as it is described, in the catalogues, with four oval prongs, is the most serviceable article. The kinds known as digging forks, though ours will be required for digging, are too un wieldly unless we are possessed of unlimited muscle. A potato fork with flat prongs, though very useful when a great number of tubers have to be dug, is more of a luxury than a necessity. We must not begrudge paying enough to procure a good article when buying either a fork or a spade, for one, well made, costs less than two, poorly made, and lasts longer. Both these implements can prove a source of much danger if not carefully handled. During the intervals between use, they should be forced into the soil or placed on the ground so that the edge of the blade or the tips of the prongs are not pointing upwards. When not in use they should be housed where children cannot get to them. Next comes the hoe. Two of these will be required ; one, with the metal face almost at right angles to the handle, is useful for earthing-up, drawing drills, and dragging weeds towards us, and the other, a Dutch hoe, which is worked with a pushing action, serves for uproot- PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS 21 ing weeds and slicing the surface of the ground. Both must be provided with long handles. For working the surface of the ground into a fine condition, preparatory to seed sowing, a ten-prong iron rake is a useful article. A shorter handle is required for the rake than the hoe. A hand trowel and/o?& are necessary for a multitude of purposes. We must select specimens that have the wooden handles firmly fixed and the metal portions in one piece. Less necessary but yet highly useful is a wheelbarrow for carting soil, manure, and produce from one part of the ground to another. The metal varieties are best but more costly and noisy than the wooden ones. Which- ever kind is purchased it should not be left standing from day to day in the open. This is an article which allotment-holders might well secure on co-operative lines. Galvanized zinc water cans are far preferable to the painted kinds. They are more expensive, it is true, but last much longer and stand rougher usage. The three- gallon size is probably the most serviceable. The rose must be capable of being unscrewed, for we require it on when watering in the usual way and off when giving supplies of liquid manure. It is impossible to do without a guide-line when planting seedlings or sowing seeds in drills. This useful article may be made at home by cutting off two one-foot lengths from an old broom handle, sharpening an end of each and joining the two by means of twenty feet of stout twine, not rope. A lath for measuring is also necessary. A long pea- stick, marked off in half feet, will serve admirablv. 22 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES Dibbers or dibbles become moat useful articles in the spring when it is time to put seedlings in their permanent quarters. They cost about a shilling, but one may be made quite easily from the snapped-off handle of an old spade or fork. A child's sand-spade can be converted for use as a dibber in about ten minutes. A sieve renders very valuable service. If the kitchen article cannot be commandeered when required, we may fasten some fine-meshed wire netting to a stout wooden frame and then fix high sides to the frame. A couple of metal handles screwed to the edges will complete a most useful article. A knapsack sprayer is needed where potatoes are largely grown. As it is an expensive instrument, allotment-holders might raise a common fund and pur- chase this and other costly articles with the money, using the equipment in common. Having obtained the allotment, noted its peculiarities and purchased the necessary tools, the holder's next step is to cultivate the little plot to the utmost of his ability. If he requires information beyond that which is given in the following pages, he should turn to the leaflets issued by the Board of Agriculture and, when a difficulty arises, state his case to the patient Editors of either The Smallholder, Food, or Amateur Gardening. CHAPTER II PLANNING THE GROUND THE plot being made over to you, you will naturally be keen on getting to work, but do not be in too great a hurry. First of all, procure a ball of string, twelve yards long, make knots in it at every yard and fix a little wooden stake at either end. Go down to the holding and measure the plot. Probably it will be a five or ten rod allotment. Five rods is a trifle small, but ten rods will be a good workable size. If it is of the latter dimensions and well proportioned, it will be just about big enough to serve as a tennis court. Take the ball of string and measure the ground ; the dimensions of a ten rod plot will probably be twenty by fifteen yards or thereabouts. The first thing is to cut the plot into two and run a path down the middle. Before deciding which way the path is to go, remember that the rows of plants must run as nearly north and south as your plot will allow. Therefore the path, which need only be wide enough to take a wheelbarrow, should go east and west. Having arranged this little matter, take a sheet of paper, sketch out a rough plan and mark in the path. You now have two strips of land, twenty by seven yards, or fifteen by nine and a half yards, accord- ing to which way the path runs. In the following 24 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES considerations we will devote our attentions to the twenty by seven sections, this being the more prefer- able shape. You must now decide what plants you intend growing. Of course you will want some rhubarb and a few herbs. If there is an odd corner to the ground, reserve it for these useful and necessary articles ; if not, cut off a six foot strip from the regular plot and plant them there when the proper time comes. This little patch is decided upon at the outset as it will remain where it is for many seasons and will not enter into the scheme of rotation which is explained below. Remembering the potato crisis of the winter of 1916-7 you may feel inclined to plant the whole of your remain- ing ground with these useful tubers and so get a really good supply. No doubt you would obtain enough to satisfy your wants at the end of this season but you would not be able to grow a satisfactory crop of them next year or the year after, and all allotment holders must look, at least, two years ahead. Nearly every plant, it may be well to state, takes properties out of the soil peculiar to itself ; if you plant potatoes this year, the special requirements of potatoes have almost dis- appeared from the ground at the end of the first season. The second season, the special requirements are only sufficient to rear a poor crop and in the third year they may be entirely absent, and so you get no crop at all. But the special requirements of other plants are still present in the ground and the soil will be capable of growing good crops of them although it failed you with potatoes. The upshot of all this is that, as a general PLANNING THE GROUND 25 rule, it is unwise to plant any particular vegetable on the same piece of ground more often than once in three years. Now as potatoes are a valuable crop, mark off a third of your ground, less the strip for rhubarb and another strip of equal dimensions for a seed bed, and reserve it for this year's tubers. The second third will do for next year, and the last third for the year after next. After that, you will go back to the first third and so continue the rotation. The whole of this year's potato patch may be devoted to main-crops or main-crops and earlies, but, before deciding on this point, you will do well to read the chapter devoted to them later on. Take your plan of the allotment and mark off two yards down one side of the path for rhubarb and twelve yards for potatoes. Now turn to the strip on the opposite side of the path. Mark off twelve yards and reserve this space for cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli, and turnips. You have left a strip of six yards by the potatoes and eight yards close to the cabbage patch. Put twelve yards of this down for parsnips, carrots, beetroots and onions, reserving the remaining two yards for a seed bed. The plot being carefully divided, call the potato section, A ; the long-rooted vegetable section, B ; and the cabbage family section, C. Let us now consider A, B, and C in more detail. A is to be sown with potatoes, but between the rows of main-crops sow also spinach and lettuces. They will be gathered before the potato haulms have grown to any size. B must be shared between parsnips, carrots, beetroots and onions. Give parsnips four yards, carrots three yards, onions three yards, and beetroots two yards. If Jerusalem artichokes 26 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES are appreciated, shorten the space for beetroots and plant a few of these along the edge of the plot. C is reserved for cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli, and turnips. Give cabbages five yards, cauliflowers two yards, broccoli three yards, and turnips two yards. No space has yet been found for beans and peas. Steal a narrow strip of ground all along the north or western edge of the plot and raise these leguminoseB there. Keep a copy of the plan you have drawn up so that next year you will know exactly how to arrange the second season's crops. Where A comes this year, next year it will be B and the year following C. Similarly B becomes C and A in the two ensuing seasons and C changes to A and B. The bean and pea plot will remain in the same situation, but it is well to dig in a good deal of fresh soil each year. These are the broad lines on which you must arrange your cropping. It is a scientific but somewhat wasteful method which in these days of scarcity may be departed from on occasions. For instance, sow lettuces between parsnips as the latter are slow growing ; put broad beans between rows of potatoes ; fill up the plot cleared of potatoes or onions with broccoli, Brussels sprouts, borecole, etc. ; plant vegetable marrows where the seedlings have gone from the seed bed ; grow leeks on a disused broad bean bed ; sow winter spinach after turnips ; plant endives after shallots and celery after spring cabbages. Keep the ground always as fully occupied as possible. A careful system of rotation is of no avail unless it be supplemented with suitable manuring. Each year, dig plot A as deeply as the soil will allow and incorporate, in PLANNING THE GROUND 27 the previous autumn, some stable manure ; dig plot B, but, as carrots, parsnips, etc. do not appreciate manure, withhold it ; and dig C as deeply as the soil will permit and incorporate large quantities of stable manure and vegetable refuse. CHAPTER III PREPARING THE SOIL THE soil is composed of countless microscopic par- ticles which are separated one from another by equally microscopic spaces of moist or dry air. Day by day the tendency is for these particles to settle down, to become closer to each other, and, in the process, to drive out, more and more, the intervening air compartments. Now air, especially moist air, is- a necessary factor for plant growth ; therefore, as the soil settles, it gradually loses its capacity for producing crops. In order to restore this constant loss, digging and trenching is resorted to. Digging, we are frequently told, should be performed to a good depth, but unless this little piece of advice be supplemented with common sense, it will lead to more harm than good. What, then, is the rule which should be observed ? On no account should the subsoil be brought to the surface and the surface soil buried below the subsoil. The former has been cultivated, contains humus and is, probably, in a fair condition of friability, but the latter has been hidden from the sun and air through countless ages and, more than likely, possesses little in the way of plant food. If the layer above the subsoil is deep, that is, three or more feet in depth, there will be little need to interfere with the subsoil itself, but in many gardens and allot- PREPARING THE SOIL 29 ments it will not reach down a foot. When such is the case it will be the duty of the grower to do all in his power to increase the depth of the surface soil. The obvious but most expensive way of doing this is to pur- chase one or more loads of loam and to spread it all over the ground after the latter has been dug. Where such is out of the question, and it will be on most allotments, the uppermost layers of the subsoil, if of a clay nature, should be well broken up and mixed with vegetable refuse, the least useful grades of animal manure, cinders, and the contents of the dust bin, so long as this does not include tins, broken glass and other unassimilable material. Where the subsoil is sandy, anything that makes for adhesion, such as cow manure, may be worked in with advantage. The effect of this operation will be to increase gradually the depth of the surface soil and to loosen or bind the subsoil as the case may demand. Draining the Plot. Before commencing the actual task of digging it will be well to give an eye to the drainage of the land. On most plots the natural filtering away of the water will prove sufficient, but to a piece of ground that is waterlogged, and consequently sour, some attention must be paid. In such a case it will prove advantageous to dig out a fairly deep hole in the lowest point of the plot and to partially fill it with coarse cinders, broken bricks, damaged flower pots, tree branches, old tins, and a few small wooden boxes. When these have been thrown in lightly, the soil is covered over them and the hole filled up. This will probably serve to drain the plot, but where extra 30 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES measures are deemed necessary, deep but narrow trenches should be cut leading from various points to the excavation, always, of course, provided with a down- ward run. The trenches must then be packed with cinders and tins, as mentioned above, and be finally filled over with soil. These arrangements will take some little time to carry out and will prove an arduous business, but the land so treated becomes sweeter, better aerated and far more fertile. Digging the Plot. Let us now turn to the digging operations. We take our implements to the cabbage patch or, as it was designated in the previous chapter, plot C. This patch must be d ug deeply and well manured . The best thing to do is to turn it over in the late autumn, repeating the work before sowing or planting time. If this is impossible, it should be dug in late December only. According to whether we intend digging the plot once or twice so must our work be regulated. Plate 2 (Figs. 1 4) illustrates the process of double digging. Each figure shows three layers of soil : the surface soil, the second or under spit, and the subsoil. Go to one end of the plot the lower if the ground be not level and dig out a trench two feet wide and two spits deep (Fig. 1). Cart the removed soil to the far end of the plot. Fork B and C and mix them well with a plentiful supply of manure. Then transfer the portion of soil marked D in Fig. 1 to its position in Fig. 2 and give it manure following this by the removal of portion E in Fig. 2 to its position in Fig. 3. From this, it will be seen that as the work proceeds, the second spit comes to PBEPABINO THE SOIL 31 \i &^ Vz SS 1 'M sm 1,3. Wfr B ^ ^^ ^ v M x PLATE 2 Methods of Digging. 32 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES the surface, the surface soil, after being manured, goes to the second spit and each portion of the subsoil is forked and manured as it is uncovered. Immediately after this late autumn digging, the ground is steeply ridged to present as great a surface to the frosts as possible (Plate 3, Fig. 4), and then, in spring, is dug again but not necessarily manured. The second digging will proceed on the lines of the first, and in this way the two upper layers of soil return to their original positions. When time permits of only one digging, we must follow the instructions pictured in Figs. 5 to 8. Dig out trench AB and fork and manure portion C (Fig. 5). Then transfer portionD from its position in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6, and add manure. Now fork and manure E, also transfer F, as shown in Fig. 6, to its position in Fig. 7, and turn over G from where it stands in Fig. 7 to its position in Fig. 8. Proceeding along these lines, we turn over the two top layers of soil, keeping them in their respective positions and, at the same time, the subsoil is forked and manured. Ridging follows as before and, when the surface is hard with a spell of frost, plot C must be well limed. When this portion has been attended to, we turn to plot A and treat as before but add no lime. Plot B is finally dealt with, being dug lightly on the surface, with no manure added. We must remember that the letter- ing of these plots changes from year to year so that all the portions of the allotment receive their due share of attention in the course of three years. Never dig the ground over when covered with frost or snow ; to turn in cold material may retard the sowing time by weeks. Never walk unnecessarily on the surface PREPARING THE SOIL 33 when it is wet ; treading consolidates the soil and closes up the air spaces. Other things being equal, dig heavy soils as long as possible before sowing, but sandy soils as near to sowing time as convenient. Force the spade or fork vertically into the soil ; a slanting cut will make for shallower working (see Plate 3, Figs. 1 and 2). Let the ground stand uncropped as little as possible, for uncovered soil is apt to have its supply of nitrates washed away. Sowing. When the ground is sufficiently warm for the reception of the seeds, the surface should be raked and smoothed down. All lumps and stones should then be cleared away and a fine crumbling state of the earth pro- vided . Do not, however, work the surface into a powder, for when a shower comes and the sun follows, a hard tough skin will be formed which no seedling will have the power to force its way through. If lumps are left, it is quite impossible to sow finely and in straight lines, and more important still, the seeds can never be surrounded by soil as they should be. Between the lumps the interstices will catch the moisture and probably rot the delicate growths. Moisture, however, is necessary to promote germination, but the old jingle is worth remem- bering : " Sow in dry and plant in wet is a golden rule you should never forget." In most cases, it is advisable to sow in drills or lines, using a length of twine to serve as a guide ; broad casting is a wasteful method which should be seldom adopted . At present there is a shortage of seed as well as an increased demand, so it is impera- tive that no waste be permitted. Penny packets of many varieties will provide quantities sufficient for most 34 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES allotment holders and those who devote themselves to gardens. To buy larger quantities is therefore wasteful and even unpatriotic. When sowing do not trample on the ground, but provide yourself with a plank and stand on that (Plate 3, Fig. 5). As a row is completed press it slightly with another plank in order that the seeds may be nicely tucked up in their beds. If birds are troublesome, and they will be where lettuces, peas, beans, and onions are concerned, you must thread the rows with cotton in some such way as suggested in Plate 3, Figs. 7 and 8. The wary old starlings which sit on adjacent trees, watching you insert your beans and other seed, will then be hindered in their endeavours to secure a free meal. Sometimes you will find it necessary to make a sowing in pans or pots under glass. When so doing (1) provide sufficient drainage; (2) use a sandy loam; (3) some well-rotted manure will prove beneficial; (4) press the surface after sprinkling the seed ; (5) give frequent supplies of water of a mild temperature; (6) and do not forget that air is necessary for growth (see Plate 5, Figs. 1 and 2). Much other matter dealing with the operation of sowing will be found tabulated at the end of this book. Treatment of Seedlings. It is highly imperative that the frail and delicate nature of seedlings be recog- nised. First of all they must be given adequate but not excessive supplies of water in dry weather. However, it is the simplest thing in the world to abuse the water- pot, for by undue supplies of liquid the roots become drawn to the surface and lose the power of searching PREPARING THE SOIL 35 / / PLATE 3. Hints on Digging and Sowing. Force the spade into the ground as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 will not provide for a sufficiently deep cut. When digging turf land bury the sods, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3. Throw up all ground that is standing idle during the winter in ridges (Fig. 4). When sowing stand on a plank and do not walk on the soft earth (Fig. 5). Sow fine seed as suggested in Fig. 6. Figs. 7 and 8 show ways of protecting seeds and seeldings from the ravages of birds. o2 36 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES. deep down in the soil for their own requirements. Too much water, also, has the effect of caking the surface skin of the ground and making it non-porous. Lastly, watering in the early part of the season may reduce the temperature of the soil and check growth. Thinning is another matter that requires attention. This should be done as early as possible after the tiny plants show themselves. Aim at two things when performing the work. Try to leave the seedlings an even distance apart, and, as far as possible, pull out the straggling, twisted, unhealthy specimens, preserving those that are erect and robust. Do the work after a shower or watering and be careful to press the soil around the remaining crop. When transplanting seedlings, lift them with as big a ball of soil as you can (see Plate 5, Fig. 10) ; if the earth is crumbly and falls away use the water-can on the seed- bed about a quarter of an hour prior to transference. Do not plunge the roots in a hole that is too small for them, but allow plenty of room. Most plants do better when the surface immediately around the stem is con- caved (Plate 5, Fig. 8) ; this dip conserves the moisture and permits of a slight earthing up of the stem later on (Plate 5, Fig. 9). Autumn crops which are likely to remain in the ground during frosty weather should be planted in V-shaped trenches ; this affords them much protection against the inclemencies which are sure to follow. In hot weather, when transplanted seedlings are liable to flag before they have become established, some form of protection must be given. Make two long skeleton frames, say aix by one foot, nail some calico over them PKEPARING THE SOIL 37 and hinge the long sides together. Stand this con- trivance over a row of seedlings which has just been put into the ground whenever the sun is strong enough to produce flagging (Plate 5, Fig. 3). Hoeing. The value of constant and repeated hoeings can only be appreciated by those who practise this gentle art. As we have said before, the soil gradually settles down and loses its aeration ; this happens more on the surface than anywhere else. When the hoe is used to scratch, chop or flake the upper layers of the ground, porosity is restored and the plants gain thereby. Weeds. Not only is the hoe a valuable tool for increasing the fertility of the soil, but it is, also, the best implement we can use for tearing up shallow-rooted weed s. Give each weed two strokes with the hoe, one to sever the leaves from the root, the other to damage the root itself. Weeds are often left in the ground to increase and multiply at their own will. This is a most short-sighted policy, as where one of these useless plants is grown something of value might be thriving. In a general way weeds absorb moisture and take up plant food ; they crowd the crop, screening it from the light ; they often harbour insect pests which, in time, infest the vegetable crops ; and frequently they taint the flavour of our produce. The following methods of suppressing these undesir- able encumbrances of the ground are suggested by the Board of Agriculture : 1. The most obvious mode of suppressing weeds is to prevent their seeding. When it is recognised that an ordinary charlock plant produces more than 38 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES a thousand, and a moderate-sized poppy at least ten to fifteen thousand seeds, the force of the adage that " one year's seeding is seven years' weeding " is obvious. Further, as many weeds produce seeds which do not germinate uniformly, the mischief is greater than at first sight appears, for they may lie dormant in the soil and, come up subsequently at inconvenient times. The prevention of seeding should extend to weeds growing in hedgerows, and on roadsides and waste places, etc. 2. Deep digging is sometimes resorted to with con- siderable success, many weeds rotting when deeply buried. Others, however, remain dormant under such conditions, without losing their vitality, and may sub- sequently be brought to the surface. Shallow cultiva- tion and the preparation of a good tilth are more advisable, as by this means the seeds are encouraged to germinate, when they may be destroyed by further stirring the soil. Such a method, taking care to keep the seeds near the surface, will clear the ground of many annual and biennial weeds, such as poppy, charlock, and some species of thistle. 3. The eradication of perennials, such as couch, bind- weed, and creeping-thistle, needs careful and well- directed effort. These plants are propagated by under- ground runners bearing buds, and the best treatment where they are concerned is shallow ploughing and thorough cultivation, the weeds being collected and burnt. Or the weeds may be brought to the surface and left to the drying effects of wind and sun. 4. Hand-pulling and total removal of weeds is the most efficient means of destruction and one that may be PREPARING THE SOIL 39 practised where the area of land under cultivation is not great. 5. Judicious cutting with spade, hoe, or scythe will destroy all weeds, but ill-timed cutting only encourages what it is desired to suppress. Many weeds when cut near the ground send up new stems, and these are pro- duced at the expense of food stored below the ground in the previous season. The growth of these secondary stems weakens the plant as a whole, and if, when pro- duced, they are immediately cut off, and the process repeated, total destruction will be the result, no matter what the plant may be. The first cutting should be early in the year, and as often after that, throughout the summer, as new shoots appear. If left too long they may either seed, or again store up food in the roots in preparation for the next season's growth. One cutting in the case of perennials is quite valueless. CHAPTER IV TOWN ALLOTMENTS SINCE the spread of the allotment movement, plots have come into being in all sorts of unlikely places, but of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, which we have seen in the last twelve months those that have sprung up amidst the bricks and mortar of congested towns are probably the most difficult and heart-breaking to bring to a successful issue. As there are many plots situated in surroundings such as we have mentioned, and as the people who work them are usually more heroic than skilled, a few hints may be specially given for their benefit. Lack of proper soil and want of pure air are the two chief factors which the town grower must try to fight. Without sufficient soil nothing can, of course, grow and when all the tins and other refuse have been cleared from a site there has often been precious little left in which to rear things. But some soil always remains after the rubbish has been cleared, and if this is well worked up with a cartload or two of good road sweepings the land will soon begin to show its worth, especially if the subsoil was first well broken up but not brought to the surface . In and around London the plots are usually of a clayey nature and can be materially benefited by a TOWN ALLOTMENTS 41 dressing of lime or the addition of a cartload of chalky soil, but the lime must not come into immediate contact with the manure of the road sweepings or the ammonia in the latter will be driven off. Put them on the land a month apart or more, if convenient. Such a plot should be dug as early in the year as possible in order that it may become friable and in good condition by sowing time. All the rules laid down for proper cultivation in earlier and later chapters should be carefully observed so that skill may atone for initial drawbacks. And, as the depth of the soil is slight and the roots will find little inducement to burrow deeply, a good deal of watering will be neces- sary. Of course, much will depend on the judicious selection of the seeds. Always choose those that are known to do well in shallow places ; i.e., sow globe beetroots rather than the long-rooted varieties, give preference to stump-rooted carrots over the long kinds, and pick one of the kohl-rabis, the bulb of which grows entirely out of the ground, instead of long turnips. The lack of pure air is perhaps a harder thing to fight than a deficiency of soil. In such plots as we have here in mind the young seedlings often come along full of promise, but before maturity is reached their pores become clogged with soot and dust and they die away. All that the grower can do is to rear hardy stock which is known to mature quickly. If, for instance, he sows in gentle heat, transplants to a cold frame, and then beds out, the crop will stand a far better chance of being a good one than if the seeds are sown in the ground in the first place. It will have a better start and be ready for gather- ing some weeks earlier, every day of which period means fewer clogged breathing pores. Of course, proper atten- 42 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES tion to artificial feed ing helps to quicken a crop, so this should be practised, with those vegetables which admit of it. Some workers cover up their vegetables, such as cabbages, with paper bags, in which tiny holes have been drilled, when fogs and frosts are feared. This simple form of protection saves many heads of produce when the bad weather begins to set in. Some crops should not be attempted at all, either because of their sensitive nature or their long period of growth. Cauliflowers, for instance, are fairly sensitive and are of little value except when quite clean, conse- quently they will not do well unless grown in good weather and enveloped in bags, as suggested above. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts take too long to grow and are damaged before full maturity is reached. Spring cabbages will thrive well enough, bat the autumn and winter varieties need coddling to get through the incle- ment weather, but they can be pulled through with care . Savoys are a safe crop, but turnips are not satisfactory. Runner beans prove a great success, and the grower should plant as many of these as he can sow around the walls, fences, etc. Peas are less prolific, but well worth attempting, though it is wise to remember that, even under good conditions, a foot of ground given up to beans produces more edible matter than an equal space devoted to peas. Broad beans are apt to bring forth a crop of black fly but few beans, and are hardly worth attempting. Onions are usually successful, especially if small and medium-sized bulbs are appreciated. Leeks do well as a winter crop, perhaps because they thrive on soot. Lettuces, if grown quickly in spring and summer, give ample satisfaction, and the same may be TOWN ALLOTMENTS 43 said of radishes. Where a few frames can be had, good tomato plants may be reared. Potatoes are a doubtful crop. We have seen fair yields with early and second early varieties, but main-crops are less satisfactory. The town allotment-holder must guard against spar- rows and mice. The former will ruin his beetroots and lettuces unless he scares them away by means of dangling scarecrows or keeps them off his produce by threading a number of cotton strands along the rows. The mice will dig up the peas and beans as soon as they are set, but not if rolled in red lead, which is a dangerous poison needing careful storage. Phosphorus paste spread on little pieces of meat or cheese will kill the vermin but will also injure cats or dogs, and even children, and, therefore, cannot be recommended. Traps should be used instead. CHAPTER V MANURES FOB proper growth every plant requires the following ten foods, viz. : Oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, potash, phos- phoric acid, lime, magnesia, iron, and sulphuric acid. (Three additional foods may be mentioned, but they possess little interest for those who grow on allotments and in vegetable gardens ; they are silica, chlorine, and sodium.) Of these ten ingredients, the first three are derived by the plant from the air and from the water drawn in by the root system. The fourth, nitrogen, is obtained partly from tlie air and partly from the soil. The fifth, sixth, and seventh, i.e., potash, phosphoric acid, and lime, are taken from the soil, but are generally found there in insufficient quantities for producing abundant crops. The last three, magnesia, iron and sulphuric acid, also come from the soil, but they occur abundantly. From this summary, it will be noted that the first and last group of foods need not trouble the vegetable grower as they are always obtainable under natural conditions. With the two middle classes, however, that is to say, nitrogen, potash, phosphoric acid, and lime, MANURES 45 conditions are different. They are constantly being used up either by plant growth or by climatic processes, and, therefore, if we desire to produce satisfactory crops it must be our first care to make up from time to time whatever deficiency arises. This business when per- formed rationally, that is to say, when due regard has been taken of the need of the particular soil and the special requirements of the crop to be grown on it, may be called the science of manuring. Many growers are somewhat averse to thinking scientifically when dealing with their plots and crops. They know that manure is a good thing for growing plants and, accordingly, they distribute manure along the drills or trenches. Their fathers did so and so did their forefathers, and they will follow their footsteps. Were they to spend a moment or two in deciding the qualities of their particular soil and in noting the varying require- ments of the crops to be grown, not only would they effect a great saving in manures, but they would also raise crops which, having been better satisfied, would give far finer yields. First of all, then, the grower must get some idea of the quality of his land. In made-up gardens, this will be rather difficult, for the soil will have been usually imported. Still its qualities can be noted and a fair impression gained. With allotment holdings, however, the land will be usually the natural soil of the district and its constituency can then be ascertained fairly correctly. To assist in arriving at some useful conclusion, we may say that, in a general way, most sandy soils lack 46 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES nitrogen, potash, and lime. The green sand of Kent, Surrey, Bedfordshire, and Cambridgeshire contains, however, an abundance of potash. The Bagshot sands of Essex, Surrey, and South Hampshire are deficient in phosphates ; in fact, few parts of the country stand in need of more scientific manuring than these. The dark red sands and loams of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Hereford, Monmouth, parts of South Wales and parts of the Scottish border are well supplied with phosphates and often with nitrogen, but they lack potash and lime. The lighter red sands of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, and Cheshire are always in need of strong dressings of lime and often of potash. Chalk soils contain a sufficiency of phosphates and lime, but are lacking in potash and nitrogen. Clay soils are the reverse of chalk soils, being poor in phosphates, rich in potash, and fairly well supplied with nitrogen, though the latter, owing to the cold nature of the ground, is seldom available for plant growth until late in the season. Certain clays are very deficient in lime, par- ticularly those in South-east Essex, Mid-Kent, South Hampshire, West Devon, Cornwall, the shaley clays of North and South Wales, those on the coal measures in Lancashire, South-west Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham. Clays usually containing plenty of lime are found in East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottingham- shire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and parts of Somerset and Devon. The boulder-drift clays capping the hills of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire are usually adequately supplied with lime. The fen soils contain almost all the food requirements of plants, but nitrogen is found in MANURES 47 excess and lime is somewhat deficient. Finally, where loams and mixed soils exist, their qualities vary according to whether the clay, sand, or chalk predominates.* With this rough but useful sketch of the soil values of the greater part of our country, it should be possible for the grower to form a useful opinion of his own particular plot. If he concludes that it lacks one form of food, it will be his duty to supply it, but if it is rich in another he will not waste his time and money in adding to its richness. Having decided in what essentials our land is deficient, the next matter is to find which manure will provide it with the ingredients lacking and at the same time give to the crops which we have decided to grow the special foods they need. In order to be able to do this a knowledge of the composition and peculiarity of each manure is necessary. The following notes will prove a helpful guide : Farmyard Manure is a good all-round manure for giving a new lease of life to ground that has been much cropped. It contains a high percentage of nitrogen and much potash and phosphates. It not only enriches the soil with these necessary ingredients, but has a mechanical effect as well, for it makes ground more workable, keeps it moist and adds humus. Horse manure breaks up heavy soils, makes them more porous and better aerated, whilst sheep and cow manure do better on light soils, making them more retentive. Again, horse and sheep manure is fairly dry, but cow and pig manure is wet, a fact which makes the former very * W. M. Tod in " The Farmer and Stockbreeder Year Book," 1910. 48 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES suitable for the composition of hot-beds and all systems of forcing. When kept for a considerable while horse manure is valuable for potting if mixed with good loam. Farmyard manures are usually dug into the ground in autumn and winter. Fowl and Pigeon Manures are a great deal stronger than the above, with much the same constituency, i.e., they are rich in nitrogen, potash and phosphates. Two pounds of the former and one of the latter will prove a good general food for each square yard of the allotment or garden. They must not be used in the green state, but kept, preferably for some months, in a dry condition in boxes mixed with dry soil. Night Soil is a useful manure of much strength. It contains a high percentage of phosphates with ample lime and potash. If mixed with lime it need not be dug into the ground for some weeks, but winter is the cor- rect time for using. It is chiefly valuable for vegetables which grow to a considerable size. Fish Manure is rich in phosphates, but contains a considerable percentage of lime and nitrogen. If used in an unprepared state, it must be dug into the ground with no loss of time on account of the unpleasant smell. Sandy soils derive most benefit from its use, especially if applied in winter. Dried Blood is a good nitrogenous manure, but usually difficult to obtain and store. It should be used sparingly, say two ounces to the square yard, and applied in the growing season. Seaweed is an almost complete manure, and therefore of the greatest value. It is especially rich in potash, with fair proportions of nitrogen and phosphates. MANURES 49 Potatoes and beetroots thrive extremely well when treated with it. Liquid Excreta are extremely rich in nitrogenous matter and, therefore, are of much value if applied sparingly and well diluted. They are best after storing three weeks at the very least, six weeks for preference especially when a small quantity of sulphuric acid is added to fix the ammonia. Growing crops of the brassica family thrive well when fed with this form of manure. Bones contain an extremely high percentage of phos- phates and are, in consequence, a most useful food for plants. In the uncrushed state, however, they take many years before being assimilated, a drawback which does not apply to bone flour. The steamed varieties of the flour have been deprived of the fatty substances and are far more attractive in consequence. Dissolved bones are supplied in a commercial form. This manure con- tains a slightly lower percentage of phosphates than the steamed bone flour ; it is also of an acid nature, and, therefore, must not be used on land lacking lime. Basic Slag is a phosphatic manure derived from transforming pig iron into steel. Its influence on soils is somewhat erratic, but we may safely say that on most lowlands it is highly useful though of little value on dry uplands. As a dressing where club root disease is feared it is most beneficial, but must be withheld from land treated with sulphate of ammonia. Superphosphate was a cheap and extremely valuable phosphatic, quick acting manure which formed an autumn or spring dressing. Since the War it has been somewhat difficult to obtain. 50 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES Kainit and Muriate of Potash are potassic manures which were obtained chiefly from Germany. Accord- ingly, they are at present extremely scarce. Sulphate of Ammonia is a cheap nitrogenous manure which is a by-product of coal gas. Applications should be given to the ground either shortly before sowing or whilst the crops are growing. It is easily obtained at the present time and is, therefore, taking the place of nitrate of soda, which is almost unprocurable. Lime may be obtained in various forms, i.e., quicklime, ground lime, slaked lime, ground limestone and gas lime. It is a valuable ingredient, being not only a plant food, an insecticide, and a soil sweetener, but has the power of acting on organic matter already in the ground, forcing it to decay and so providing quantities of plant food which, though present in the soil, were unassimilable. Lime also has the power of breaking up stiff land and giving it warmth and a better drainage ; it liberates potash from clay ; it gives binding qualities to sand and thus enables it to retain manures far more satisfactorily. Clearly lime is one of the most valuable chemicals which the grower can give to his lands, but it must be used with caution. Never put it into intimate contact with animal manures or it will drive off the ammonia ; use it sparingly for potatoes or scab will appear, and keep it away from tender root stocks. As a rule, the ordinary forms should be used as a top dressing about fourteen days before the final digging, but gas lime, which is a most powerful insecticide, should be on the ground six months before planting time. Soot, when collected from household flues and kept for a fortnight is a very useful manure, being fairly rich MANURES 51 in nitrogen. Its chief properties, however, are (1) a strong insecticide, and (2) a warmth-giver to cold ground. The latter property is due to its great power of absorbing the sun's rays. Every particle of this material should be collected periodically, carefully stored in a dry shed, and used as required. It may be given as a dressing to land just as the crops are coming through or placed in little rings close around plants to which slugs are very attentive. Soot water, made by soaking a peck of soot in forty gallons of water for a fortnight, is a nourishing food for growing crops. Salt may be used with beneficial results where it is desired to liberate potash and lime from the soil and present it to the plants in an assimilable form. It increases the power of soils to retain moisture, a most valuable property in cases of dry lands. As an insecti- cide its qualities are obvious. Peas and beans are much benefited by its use. Ash is good if applied with care. Coal ash serves to break up heavy soils and is thus most beneficial, but the sulphur contained by it is harmful, injuring young plant growths and neutralising the effects of lime. Wood ash, the residue of the autumn bonfire, is highly valuable, especially just now, as it is rich in potash. It should be collected, stored in dry tins, and applied during the spring and summer. Vegetable Refuse, i.e., the leaves collected in the autumn, especially oak leaves, the refuse from cabbage and similar plants, hedge clippings, the grass thrown out of the mowing box, and all such matter is highly useful and should be preserved in a pit or cage. Every fort- night, whilst additions are being made to its bulk, a few 52 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES handfuls of salt should be sprinkled on the surface and then the whole mass turned with a fork, in order that complete rotting may be effected. This manure is rich in nitrogen ; it may be used for digging into the trenches ; for mixing with stable manure to form a hot-bed ; or when completely rotted, for potting. Green Manuring is a cheap and valuable way of restoring to overworked or poor ground the nourishment so necessary for producing abundant crops. Instead of purchasing farmyard manure or any of the artificials which to-day are somewhat expensive, we sow one of the following (the quantities are per square rod) : On heavy and medium soils, Red Clover, 2 ozs. ; Lucerne Alfalfa, 3 ozs. ; Spring Vetches (from February to June), | pint ; Winter Vetches (from September to February), 1 pint. On light, sandy soils, Lupins (blue), J pint; Red Clover, 2 ozs. ; Lucerne Alfalfa, 3 ozs. The above will provide almost unlimited supplies of nitrogenous matter. If we desire to increase the humus in the soil, we sow On heavy and medium soils, Giant Rape, 1 oz. ; White Mustard, 2 ozs. On light, sandy soils, Buckwheat, | pint. Some of the above seed are not easily procurable, but supplies are available at the Eastern Counties Farmers' Co-operative Association of Ipswich. Green manuring (1) improves the mechanical con- dition of both light and heavy soils ; (2) the surface of the land is given a protective covering during the worst months of the year ; we should note that bare soil loses nitrates and lime, but covered soil does not in anything MANURES 53 like the same degree ; (3) weeds are stifled and killed ; and (4) the root stocks of the green crop burrow deep into the ground, break up the subsoil and make way for our real crops. There is no necessity to dig the land before thickly sowing the above seed, but when it has grown and the land is required for vegetables, the surface is well turned and the green matter dug in. Not only must the grower who wishes to proceed on scientific lines consider the value of the various manures at his disposal in connection with the composition of the land, but he must also bear in mind that some manures tend to assist the spread of certain diseases whilst others operate as checks to them. Accordingly, if such diseases are likely to occur, he will have to regulate his manuring accordingly. For instance, acid manures, though valuable in themselves, are amicable to the spread of club-root. We must, therefore, withhold dissolved bones, superphosphate, sulphate of ammonia if this dread com- plaint is prevalent and use basic slag or steamed bone flour instead. Again, where diseases occur through the land degenerating into a sour condition, lime must be used freely as a dressing. And where blight is trouble- some the potato crops must be fed liberally with potash in order to make them robust and more immune. Lastly, we may point out that artificial manures should not be placed together in a haphazard way. Sulphate of ammonia must not be mixed with a manure holding free lime, notably . basic slag and precipitated phosphate. The immediate result of making such a mixture is the liberation of free ammonia. If it is 54 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES desired to apply sulphate of ammonia with one of these substances to any particular area, the phosphate should be put on a month or more before the other substance. Sulphate of ammonia may, however, be mixed with the other ordinary manures, such as superphosphate, dis- solved bones, bone meal, kainit, sulphate and muriate of potash, and nitrate of soda. Nitrate of soda should not be mixed with superphosphate, dissolved bones, or dissolved guano. Not only may such a mixture result in the loss of nitrogen, but the mass is apt to become sticky and difficult to sow. Superphosphate and dis- solved bones should not be mixed with basic slag or precipitated phosphate, as this results in the soluble phosphate of the superphosphate or dissolved bones becoming insoluble. Potash manures (kainit and sulphate or muriate of potash) should not be mixed for more than a few hours with any " dissolved " manure (e.g., superphosphate and dissolved bones), not because anything is lost, but because the mass is apt to become smeary and unsowable. The last two paragraphs are quoted from a Board of Agriculture Leaflet. Other matter bearing on the sub- ject of manures and manuring and published by the Board which the grower should study is : " The Purchase of Artificial Manures ; " Leaflet 72, eleven pages. " The use of Artificial Manures;" Leaflet 80, twelve pages. " Farmyard Manure; " Leaflet 93, seven pages. " Fer- tilisers for Market Garden Crops"; Leaflet 106, eight pages. " The Uses of Lime ; " Leaflet 170, six pages. " The Use of Waste Organic Substances as Manures ; " Leaflet 175, seven pages. CHAPTER VI HOTBEDS AND COLD FRAMES THE value of a hotbed can hardly be over-estimated as, with its assistance, we may raise all sorts of seedlings and thereby save much money and economise precious time, also, should we feel disposed, we may rear on it quite a large number of limited crops out of season, when they are scarce and expensive. But, as with all things that possess such obvious attractions, the hotbed has its limitations. If you can only devote your Saturday afternoons and a chance evening or two during the week to garden work, then the hotbed is not for you. It must have care lavished on it night and morning and frequently at mid-day. Perhaps you can attend to it before and after business, then enlist the sympathies of the housewife, talk to her romantically about the tender young carrots and crisp little lettuces you mean to rear and she will willingly fulfil your instructions while you are away from home. The hotbed is a very primitive way of growing with the aid of heat, but it still holds its own against warmed greenhouses, which are too apt to produce leggy plants by the aid of greedy and every devouring coke furnaces. The first thing to do if you mean to construct a hotbed is to go to a local housebreaker who has a stock of old window frame. Pick out one that is strong without 56 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES being heavy, with three long panes or six square ones ; carry it home and repair the panes, if any are broken, and put as much fresh putty into the headings as is necessary to make them watertight. If you care to give it a coat of white paint, both top-side and under- side, so much the better. The next step is to construct a wooden frame to fit around the window. The latter, we should remember, must tilt forwards both to run off water and to catch the oblique rays of the sun. Therefore, make the frame a foot deep at the front, eighteen inches at the back, and sides to accommodate the slope. Put four stout legs, one at each corner, and make them run down about twelve inches below the lower edge of the frame. Around the upper edge of the frame put a flange of wood to support the window. Having completed the frame, the bed must now be constructed. About two cartloads of fresh stable manure, containing a fair proportion of long straw will be necessary. Heap it up close to a wall or other form of shelter where the coldest winds will be cut off, but see that the site is not near to your own or someone else's dwelling-house. Once every two days during the course of a week the material should be well turned and shaken. If any leaves are handy, work them into the mass, for they will make the heat more equable and lasting. When undue dryness is observed in the heap, add water sparingly. The manure being well mixed, the bed may be laid out. With a prong of the fork, scratch on the ground a rectangle two feet longer each way than the wooden frame. Then place little mounds of manure along the sides of the rectangle and push the straggling pieces of HOTBEDS AND COLD FRAMES 57 straw inwards ; they will help to bind the mass. The outside edge being banked, the interior is levelled up. This done, the edge is again turned to and banked higher and the interior again levelled. Between each layer the mound is beaten down sufficiently to make the whole fairly clinging. When all the manure has been used, rake out the loose pieces from the sides, scrape up any portions that have fallen on the ground and place them on the top of the heap. Without loss of time, place the frame on the mound and force the legs into position, but do not let them break away the sides of the heap. Rest the window or light on its beading, prop it open an inch or more and leave for three days. At first, the temperature in the frame will rise to 70 or perhaps 80, but on the third day it should fall to about 65. When this temperature remains constant place a three-inch layer of good loam over the surface of the manure, and the next day the hot-bed will be ready for use. As to the things which we may grow in this frame a good many suggestions will be made in later chapters dealing with vegetables individually. Here we may describe the raising of a crop of carrots or potatoes out of season. In December, one of the French forcing varieties of seed, such as Red Carrot or Grelots, is sown in the frame, thickly. For the first week or ten days the window is kept closed, but as soon as the seedlings show through the soil, it must be opened daily, or as often as the weather permits. If the temperature in the frame falls below 60, remove some of the manure 58 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES which banks up the sides, and replace it by a fresh hot supply. Thin out the carrots when necessary and water constantly, but do not use ordinary water drawn from the tap. Keep a canful in the frame and use that. Instead of carrots we may grow potatoes, but in this case the soil lying on the manure mound must be at least eight inches deep. Thetubers arepreviously sprouted and treated in accordance with the rules laid down in Chapter XIII. When the haulms grow up to the glass the whole frame should be slightly and frequently raised and extra manure placed around the outside. French growers do not pull up the entire roots when the tubers have reached a fair size. They grope about in the soil with their hands, pulling out the matured specimens, leaving the remainder to grow on. Whatever the crop, we must do all in our power to preserve a temperature of about 65 within the frame. When frosts are likely or snow may fall, keep the window shut and cover up well with old carpets, which must be weighted down in windy weather. Or if the mid-day sun is a trifle powerful, cover the glass with newspaper in order that the temperature may not mount up and kill the tender plants. On all suitable occasions air must be let into the frame. Where manure cannot be obtained in ample quantities, an economical hotbed may be made by digging a rec- tangular pit ; placing a window light over it and lining the inside with fermenting material. The earth sides will conserve the heat, and so the need for manure is lessened. A hotbed is, however, an impossibility with many growers, but all should possess a cold frame. This very HOTBEDS AND COLD FRAMES 59 useful article may be made on the lines suggested for the frame which covers the hotbed but, in such a case the long legs which project into the mound of manure should be cut short at the edge of the side planks. Personally, we have derived much service from an old window sash light reposing on a large shallow box which has had the top and bottom removed. Other such makeshifts may be readily constructed by the ingenious reader. In winter it is well to run a low wooden wall all around the improvised frame, a foot away from it. The intervening space is filled in with ashes or compressed leaves. This arrangement will help to keep out frosts and provide much more genial quarters for the growing crops. Such a frame will help to rear a multitude of young plants at almost any time of the year. It will prove invaluable for hardening off the seedlings in spring, and will serve a useful purpose for completing the growth of all sorts of things that cannot be pushed on to maturity in the open, before the bleak weather sets in, in the late autumn. Take autumn lettuces, for instance ; a good crop of them may have been grown in the open but, at the end of the season, there are about two dozen stray plants scattered about the bed. They are not sufficiently developed for table purposes and if left to their own devices will be speedily killed off. Lift them with a good ball of soil enveloping each root and plant in the frame, allowing plenty of elbow room. Give air daily and water frequently. A nice little supply of matured specimens will be available later. Perhaps you have some cauliflower seedlings which are deteriorating owing to the autumn gales. Do not place 60 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES any stable manure with the soil of the frame but throw in a few handfuls of steamed bone flour and soot and dig them well together. Then plant the cauliflowers about six inches apart. Give them plenty of air and water in genial weather. When frosty, cover the frame with old carpets or matting. Transplant in the open in spring, when a very early supply will be available. Winter spinach may be sown in the frame and grown there to maturity. Sow in late September or early October in rows about eight inches apart, and cover up with the siftings from an old manure heap. Give plenty of water and as much air as possible ; thin out if required. Carrots will also do well in the cold frame if sown before mid- October. Choose the stump-rooted varieties and give no manure but a dressing of soot. Keep the bed moist and grow the crop as near the glass as possible. Many other vegetables, beyond those mentioned here, will readily answer to treatment in cold frames. The above are merely given as typical of what can be grown. HOTBEDS AND COLD FRAMES 61 PLATE 4. Table showing Depth to which Seeds should be Sown. CHAPTER VII FKESH VEGETABLES ALL THE YEAR ROUND ONE of the greatest errors which the beginner makes when he first crops an allotment is to grow a quantity of vegetables which all mature within two or three months of the year. As a consequence, he has a surfeit of fresh food from July to September, or perhaps October, and during the other eight months an unpleasant shortage is experienced. Clearly, it should be his aim to produce supplies all the year round, and with a view to assisting him to this end the list which follows is appended. In the brief space at our command we are only able to give the more usual periods of sowing, planting, and gathering, but, in the chapters which follow many further sugges- tions are offered to enable the grower to rear produce out of season and so lengthen the periods of gathering as stated below : Beans, Broad. Sow late February, gather June to August. Sow in October, gather early in spring. Beans, Runner, etc. Sow May, gather August to October. Beetroots. Sow end of April, gather July to October. Borecole or Kale. Sow April, plant June, gather Decem- ber to March. Broccoli. Sow April, plant June, gather September to December. Sow later kinds April, plant June, gather January to April. Sow still later kinds May, gather April to June. FRESH VEGETABLES ALL THE YEAR 63 Brussels Sprouts. Sow January, plant April, or sow April, plant June, gather October to March. Cabbages. Sow end of March to July, gather March to December. Carrots. Sow early April, gather June to September. Cauliflowers. Sow as for Sprouts, gather June to late October. Celeriac. Sow March, plant May, gather October. Celery. Sow March, plant May, gather October to February. Chinese Artichokes. Plant spring, gather October. Chives. Sow mid-spring, gather autumn. Coleworts. Sow July, plant September, gather winter. Cucumbers. Sow late February, plant May, gather July to September. Endives. Sow June or July, gather October to January. Garlic. Plant March, gather September. Jerusalem Artichokes. Plant spring, gather October to January. Kohl-Rabi. Sow May, gather August. Leeks. Sow February, plant autumn, gather November to February. For small produce, sow March, plant September, gather September to December. Lettuces. Sow January to September, plant March onwards, gather all the year round. Mushrooms. Plant July to February, gather August to March. Onions. Sow early March until late August, gather all the year round. Parsnips. Sow end of February, gather October to March. Peas. Sow March and April, gather June to October. Potatoes. Plant earlies March and April, and gather June. Plant lates in May and gather July to September. Radishes. Sow March to May, gather May to July. Rhubarb. Plant early spring, gather February to June. 64 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES Savoys. Sow early summer, gather October to February. SeaJcale. Plant May, gather January to April. Shallots. Plant February, gather July. Spinach. Sow summer kinds in February, gather April to September. Sow winter kinds in early August, gather October to March. Squashes. See Vegetable Marrows. Tomatoes. Sow January, plant May, gather July to September. Turnips. Sow late February, gather June to October. Turnip Tops. Sow late February onwards, gather about six weeks after. Vegetable Marrows. Sow early April, plant June, gather August and September. If the above list be dissected, we find that the produce for each month of the year is : January. Savoys, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Borecole, Spinach, Onions, Leeks, Parsnips, Celery, Seakale, Mush- rooms, Endives, Lettuces. February. Savoys, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Borecole, Spinach, Lettuces, Onions, Leeks, Parsnips, Celery, Seakale, Forced Rhubarb, Mushrooms. March. Cabbages, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Borecole, Spinach, Lettuces, Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Seakale, Forced Rhubarb, Mushrooms. April. Cabbages, Coleworts, Broccoli, Turnip Tops, Lettuces, Onions, Seakale, Rhubarb. May. Cabbages, Coleworts, Turnip Tops, Broad Beans, Lettuces, Onions, Radishes, Rhubarb. June. Cabbages, Coleworts, Cauliflowers, Turnips, Tur- nip Tops, Broad Beans, Peas, early Potatoes, Lettuces, Onions, Carrots, Radishes, Rhubarb. July. Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Turnips, Turnip Tops, FRESH VEGETABLES ALL THE YEAR 65 Broad Beans, Peas, Potatoes, Lettuces, Onions, Shallots, Carrots, Radishes, Beetroots, Tomatoes, Cucumbers. August. Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Turnips, Turnip Tops, Peas, Beans (all kinds), Potatoes, Lettuces, Onions, Carrots, Beetroots, Kohl-Rabi, Vegetable Marrows, Squashes, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Mushrooms. September. Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Broccoli, Turnips, Turnip Tops, Peas, Runner and Dwarf Beans, Lettuces, Potatoes, Onions, Leeks, Chives, Garlic, Carrots, Beetroots, Kohl-Rabi, Vegetable Marrows, Squashes, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Mushrooms. October. Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Broccoli, Savoys, Brus- sels Sprouts, Spinach, Turnips, Peas, Runner and Dwarf Beans, Lettuces, Endives, Onions, Leeks, Chives, Parsnips, Beetroots, Celery, Celeriac, Chinese Artichokes, Mushrooms. November. Cabbages, Savoys, Brussels Sprouts, Spinach, Broccoli, Lettuces, Endives, Onions, Leeks, Parsnips, Celery, Mushrooms. December. Cabbages, Savoys, Brussels Sprouts, Spinach, Broccoli, Borecole, Lettuces, Endives, Onions, Leeks, Parsnips, Celery, Mushrooms. Provided with the above tabulations, the beginner should be better able to apportion his crops for the year. Take, for instance, the items which are known at table as second vegetables. In May, the list contains four of them, but eight are given for October. As exactly the same amount of produce will be required for the table in both months it is clear that either larger quantities of each vegetable must be grown for May than October or some of the items figuring on the latter list must not be raised. Of course, the fact must not be overlooked that in winter and early spring we shall have for use the sup- plies which we stored in the autumn. CHAPTER VIII SEED ECONOMIES DURING the decade prior to the War, Germany sent to this country an incredible quantity of vegetable seeds which found a ready market. When hostilities broke out this supply necessarily and happily ceased, and since then we have had to depend on home-grown stocks and the produce of our allies and neutrals. With the shortened supply has come a greatly increased demand for the thousands of new allotment-holders all require sufficient to crop their land. As a result of these conditions, it is most imperative that every possible economy in seeds should be practised during the next few seasons. We must reduce to a minimum, for instance, the need for thinning out the young seedlings by much lighter sowings, and, above all, it is a duty to refrain from buying supplies of seeds at random, not knowing whether we have sufficient ground for them or not. In order to assist cultivators in deciding the exact quantity of seed they require, the Food Pro- duction Department has drawn up the following useful table : Quantity of Vegetable. To sow up to. seed required (10 rods). Beet: Long (say 2 rows) 100 feet J oz. Globe (say 2 rows) 100 4 Spinach (say 2 rows) . 100 4 " SEED ECONOMIES 67 Vegetable. To sow up to. Quantity of seed required (10 rods). Bean : Dwarf (double row) 50 feet } pint Broad (double row) 50 2 Runner (double row) . 7 50 i ., Cabbage, etc. : For spring use (say 125 plants) i oz. For autumn use (say 125 plants i ,, Savoys (say 125 plants) * " Broccoli : Early variety (say 60 plants) . A,, Late variety (say 60 plants) . Sprouting (say 125 plants) 4 Brussels Sprouts (say 125 plants) i ,, Cauliflowers : Early variety (say 60 plants) . * Late variety (say 60 plants) . A.. Kale: Cottagers (say 125 plants) . i ,. Curled (say 125 plants). i ,, Carrot : Long 75 i Intermediate 75 i ,, Celery (say 125 plants) sW Leek 90 J ,, Lettuce : Cabbage .... 60 8 Cos 60 8 " Onion : For spring or autumn sowing for harvesting . 120 i > For pulling green or pickling . 45 * " Parsnip . . 75 1 Pea: ., . .109 Cabbage Root Fly . . . .122 Carrot Fly 38 Celery Fly . . . . . .35 Centipedes and Millipedes .... 94 Crane Fly . . . . 11 194 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES SUBJECT. NUMBER. Cucumber and Melon Leaf Blotch . . 76 Cucumbers and Tomatoes, Root-Knot Disease in . . 75 Daddy-Long-Legs and Crane Fly . . 11 Flea Beetles 3 Fly, Turnip .3 Melon and Cucumber Leaf Blotch . . 76 Millipedes and Centipedes .... 94 Mushroom Disease ..... 139 Onion Fly 31 Onion Mildew .178 Pea amd Bean Beetles . . . .150 Pea and Bean Thrips or Black Fly . . 48 Pea and Bean Weevils .... 19 Plant Lice or Aphides .... 104 Potato Disease 23 Potato Leaf Curl 164 Potato Scab .137 Potato Stem Root . . . . .117 Red Spiders . . . . . . 41 Sleepy Disease of Tomatoes v . . .116 Slugs and Snails 132 Surface Caterpillars 33 Tent Caterpillars . . . . 69 Thrips of Pea and Bean . . . . 48 Tomatoes, Root-Knot Disease in .75 Turnip Mud Beetle . . . . .143 Wart Disease of Potatoes . . . 105 White Rust of Cabbages . .* . : ; 163 Winter Rot of Potatoes . . v 193 Wireworms ' *. 10 APPENDIX II A TIME TABLE OF GROWTH (a) Denotes the average interval between sowing and the first appearance of the plant above ground. (6) Denotes the interval between sowing and gathering the crop. Plant. (da a ys). b (weeks). Plant. (daV b (weeks). Artichoke, Leek . 15 36 Jerusalem 38 Lettuce 10 10 Beans, Broad 30 18 Mustard & Cress 2 Beans, Runner . 20 18 Onion (variable Beetroot . 25 18 with the kind) 25 25 Borecole or Kale 10 20 Parsnip 30 30 Broccoli (autumn) 10 20 Pea . 15 12 Brussels Sprouts 10 20 Potato (Early) 20 14 Cabbage . 10 19 Radish 10 8 Carrot 20 25 Savoy 14 25 Cauliflower 12 22 Spinach 14 12 Celery 15 24 Turnip 14 10 Celeriac 15 24 Vegetable Marrow 14 20 Cucumber 15 15 A TABLE GIVING DISTANCES PLANTS SHOULD STAND IN THEIR PERMANENT QUARTERS. Plant. 11 W Q Between each plant in a row. Plant. i{ 1 Artichoke, Chives . 10 in. 6 in. Jerusalem 16 in. 16 in. Kohl-Rabi 15 in. Sin. Beans, Broad . 2ft. 10 in. Leek . 4ft. 20 in. Beans, Runner . 5ft. Sin. Lettuce . 1ft. SSin. Beetroot . 15 in. 9 in. Onion *. . 6 in. 4-12 in. Borecole or Kale . 2ft. 18 in. Parsnip 18 in. 8 in. Broccoli (all Pea . 5ft. 4 in. kinds) 2ft. 2ft. Potato (Early 20 in. 12 in. Brussels Sprouts . 3ft. 3ft. Potato (Others) 25-30 in. 15 in. Cabbage . , 2ft. 2ft. Radish . 6 in. 2 in. Carrot . > 9 in. 9 in. Savoy . 2ft. 2ft. Cauliflower . 18 in. 12 in. Shallot . 8 in. Sin. Celery 4ft. 9 in. Spinach . 1ft. 1ft. Celeriac . 18 in. 18 in. Turnip . 10 in. 10 hi. "After all has been said and done, it is the food grower that comes inevitably to the front at this moment. He is the man behind the forces of war, and nothing can move very far without his co-opera- tion and labour. You may appropriate millions of money to Aero- planes, Artillery, Dreadnoughts, and Zeppelins, but those millions are little better than useless if your food supplies come to a sudden or a premature end. So, let us smallholders realise our importance in the scheme of things." The Smallholder. INDEX ALLOTMENT, how to obtain an, 14 Ammonium sulphate, 50, 53, 54, 83, 120 Ants, 71 Aphis, 72, 84 April time-table, 1834 Artichokes, Chinese, 63, 1445, 184, 189 Artichokes, Globe, 1456 Artichokes, Jerusalem, 25, 63, 77, 1434, 184, 190 Ash, properties of, 51 Asparagus, 77, 17980, 183, 184, 189 August time-table, 188 BASIC slag, 49, 53, 54 Beans, 26, 423, 62, 67, 68, 77 8, 956, 99103, 182, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190 Beetroots, 256, 62, 66, 78, 95, 1356, 183, 187, 189 Birkenhead allotments, 14 Black fly, 42, 102 Blood for manure, 48 Bone manure, 49, 53, 54, 95, 120 Borecole, 26, 62, 90 (also see KALE). Brassica (see CABBAGES). Broad beans, 101 (also see BEANS). Broccoli, 256, 42, 62, 67, 78, 8990, 92, 184, 186, 187, 190 Brussels sprouts, 26, 42, 63, 67, 78, 878, 181, 183, 184, 189 Burgundy mixture, 116 8 Butter beans, 100 (see also BEANS) CABBAGE butterfly, 72 Cabbage fly, 72, 85 Cabbage moth, 72 Cabbages, 256, 42, 63, 67, 78, 8287, 181, 182, 183, 184, 186, 187, 188, 189 Carrion beetle, 72 Carrot fly, 132 3, 182 Carrots, 25, 27, 578, 60, 63, 67, 78, 95, 12933, 183, 186, 189, 191 Caterpillars, 189 Cauliflowers, 256, 42, 5960, 63,67, 78,889,181,184,186, 189 Celeriac, 63, 142, 183, 184, 189 Celery, 26, 67, 68, 78, 138 42,183, 184, 187, 188, 189, 190 Celery fly, 135, 142 Chevril, 1723 Chevril, turnip- rooted, 188 Chives, 63, 122, 186, 189 Clamp, how to construct a, 113 Club-root, 53, 83 4 Cockchafer, 73 Cold frame, establishing a, 59-60 Coleworts, 63, 85, 87, 187, 188 Crane fly, 73 Cress, 168, 183 Cucumbers, 63, 70, 78, 1501, 182, 184, 187 DADDY long legs, 73 December tune-table, 191 Digging the plot, 3033 Draining the plot, 29 EELWORM, 73 Endives, 26, 63, 1678, 187, 188 Excreta, liquid, 49 Exhibitors, hints for, 7681 FARMYARD manure, 478, 106 February time-table, 182 198 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES Fish manure, 48 Foes of vegetable growers, 71 4 Fowl manure, 48 Friends of vegetable growers, 74 5 GALL weevil, 84 Garlic, 63, 125, 183, 187, 189 Grass, removing from plot, 17 Green manuring, 52, 82 Guano, 54 HARICOT beans, 100 (see also BEANS). Herbs, 24 Hoeing, need for, 37 Horseradish, 1778, 191 Hotbeds, 558, 150 Humus, 18, 28, 1046 JANUARY time-table, 181 July time-table, 1878 June time-table, 186 7 KAINIT, 50, 54 Kale, 67, 183 (see also BORECOLE). Kohl-rabi, 63, 902 LEAF miners, 74 Leeks, 26, 42, 63, 67, 80, 1256, 188, 190 Lettuces, 256, 42, 59, 63, 67, 80,92,1646, 181, 183, 186, 189, 191 Lime, 50,53,71, 82, 102,111, 189, 190 MANURE for mushrooms, 160 1 Manure for potatoes, 106 Manures, 27, 34, 4454, 106, 1601 March time-table, 1823 Marjoram, 1712, 182 Marrows, vegetable, 26, 64, 67, 81, 14750, 183, 184, 188 May time-table, 1846 Mice, 43, 73 Millipede, 73 Mint, 1701, 186 Month, produce for each, 64 Muriate of potash, 50, 54 Mushroom gathering, 162 Mushrooms, 63, 80, 15863, 187 Mustard, 16883 NIGHT soil, 48 Nitrate of soda, 54 November time-table, 190 1 ONION fly, 1267 Onion mildew, 1278 Onions, 256, 42, 63, 67, 70, 78, 11928, 181, 182, 183, 189, 190 PARSLEY, 172 Parsnip canker, 135 Parsnips, 257, 63, 67, 80, 95, 1337, 182, 184 Peas, 26, 423, 63, 67, 80, 958, 1023, 183, 186,187. 188, 190 Pests which attack vegetables, 193_4 (see also 714) Phytophthora infestans, 114 5 Pigeon manure, 48 Plot, to secure a, 14 Potash, 53, 54 Potato blight, 1 138 Potato onion, 125 Potato parings, eyes of, 111 Potatoes, 246, 43, 53, 58, 63, 70, 77, 80, 10418, 181, 183, 184, 186, 187, 188, 189, 191 Potatoes, varieties of, 1078 RADISHES, 43, 63, 77, 80, 1667, 183, 188, 190 Red spider, 73 4 Rhubarb, 24 5,63, 80, 1746, 190, 191 Root fly, 85 Rotation, 26 SAGE, 173, 184 Salad vegetables, 1649 Salt, 51 Savoys, 42, 64, 81,87, 188 School plots, 15 Scotch potatoes, 10910 Seakale, 64, 1767, 186, 190 Seaweed, 48 Seed bed, 25 Seed economies, 66 70 Seedlings, treatment of, 34 6, 412 Seeds, choice of, for town allot- ments, 41 INDEX 199 Selecting a plot, 16 September time-table, 1889 Shallots, 26, 64, 1245, 186, 187 Slugs, 74, 189, 190 Snails, 74 Soil, 17, 18, 28, 447 Soot, 42, 501, 102 Sorrel, 169 Sowing, 334 Sparrows, 43 Spawn of mushrooms, 158 Spinach, 256, 60, 64, 67, 81, 1789, 181, 187, 188 Spinach beet, 179, 183 Sprouting potatoes, 110 Squash, 64, 14950 Sulphate of ammonia (see AM- MONIUM SULPHATE). Sulphate of potash, 54 Superphosphate, 49, 53, 54, 95, 120 Swede turnips, 94 THBIPS, 102 Thyme, 173 Tiger moth, 74 Tomatoes, 43,64, 81, 86, 152 7, 181, 186, 187, 188, 189 Tomatoes, indoor cultivation, 1547 Tomatoes, outdoor cultivation, 1567 Tools, 1921 Town allotments, 403 Tree onion, 125 Turnip flea or beetle, 94 Turnips, 256, 42, 64, 67, 81, 90, 924, 182, 187, 190 VACANT Land Cultivation So- ciety, 14 Vegetable marrows (see MARROWS, VEGETABLE). Vegetable refuse, value of, 51 2 WATERCRESS, 1689, 183, 188 Weeds, treatment of, 37 9 Weevil, 102 Wireworms, 74 THE WHITEPBIAB8 PHESS, LTD., LONDON AKD TONBBIDOE. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY BERKELEY Return to desk from which borrowed. This book is DUE 6n the last date stamped below. Ntf 11 LD 21-100m-9,'47(A5702sl6)476 Yb 47534 419914 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY