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23 chapters
PREFACE
PREFACE
The purpose of this book is to state simply and clearly the ways and means necessary to obtain the largest returns from small plots of land. The conditions are anything but ideal in the case of many plots that will be used as “war gardens.” To tell how to overcome these adverse conditions, either by adapting the crop to soil and situation, or by modifying the soil to suit the crop, is one of the primary objects of this book. In the writer’s varied experience with back-yard and vacant-lot gardens
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I THE VALUE OF BACK-YARD AND VACANT-LOT GARDENING
I THE VALUE OF BACK-YARD AND VACANT-LOT GARDENING
The National War Garden Commission has estimated that “the people of this country in 1917 produced a crop valued at three hundred and fifty million dollars in gardens cultivated in back yards, on vacant lots, and on other land previously untilled.” This may seem a small amount when compared with the value of the crops raised by the farmers and market gardeners, but it is not to be despised, and it shows that something can be done to increase the food supply by home gardening. The raising of vege
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II HOW TO MAKE A START—COMMUNITY GARDENS
II HOW TO MAKE A START—COMMUNITY GARDENS
In casting about for ways and means of starting a food-garden, by all means investigate the advisability of joining up with, or inaugurating, a community garden. There are tremendous possibilities in connection with co-operative efforts in developing vacant lots and making them productive, not in the sense of the real-estate man, but as food-producing plots, designed to reduce the cost of living, and, incidentally, in many cases, to clean up and make presentable what was formerly a neighborhood
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III TOOLS
III TOOLS
It is unnecessary to spend much money on tools for use in a small garden. The writer did very well in his home garden with nothing but an ordinary round-pointed shovel for digging purposes, a rake to pulverize the soil and make drills for seed-sowing, a scuffle-hoe for cultivating, and a garden line made from two sticks and a piece of twine. Of course there are many tools on the market that greatly facilitate cultivation and make gardening work easier, but their purchase is inadvisable unless th
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IV THE SITE—THE SOIL AND ITS PREPARATION
IV THE SITE—THE SOIL AND ITS PREPARATION
Practically all of the vegetable crops require sunshine, and plenty of it, in order to attain their full development. Therefore, in selecting the location of your vegetable-garden (if it is possible to have any choice) choose one open to sunshine and not hemmed in by tall buildings which shut out the air. A location near big trees should be avoided, for the trees not only shade the crops, but their wide-spreading roots also rob the ground of food and moisture which the vegetables need. The ideal
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V FERTILIZERS
V FERTILIZERS
The most important elements that it is necessary to apply to the soil in the form of fertilizer are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash. Nitrogen greatly stimulates the production of leaves, and an excess of it applied to crops grown for their fruit or roots is undesirable. It is contained in all the animal manures, associated with other fertilizing elements, and in a practically pure state in nitrate of soda. Phosphorus is a valuable and necessary fertilizer which has a great influence on the prod
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VI THE KINDS OF VEGETABLES TO GROW
VI THE KINDS OF VEGETABLES TO GROW
A number of factors have to be taken into consideration before deciding just which kinds of vegetables to plant in your garden. Some of these factors are: the nature of the soil, the size of the garden, the food value of the crop and the ease with which it may be stored for winter use. Sometimes it is possible to adapt the soil to the crop, but usually it is easier to adapt the crop to the soil. A rich loam will support practically all of the vegetables and produce good crops. A thin, sandy soil
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VII PLANNING THE GARDEN
VII PLANNING THE GARDEN
A garden can be made without a plan, but it is usually a haphazard sort of affair, and it frequently means that much more money is spent for seeds than is necessary. Another frequent happening in a miss-or-hit garden of this kind is a plethora of some kinds of vegetables and a great scarcity of others. It is difficult to give any definite information as to the quantities of vegetables to grow, as yields vary so much, owing to the character of the soil and climate, the variety of the vegetable, a
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VIII SEEDS, SEED-SOWING, AND TRANSPLANTING
VIII SEEDS, SEED-SOWING, AND TRANSPLANTING
Most seeds, with the exception of carrot, onion, parsnip, and parsley, will grow fairly satisfactorily even if they are more than one year old, so that left-overs from the preceding year may be planted with good results. Before using these left-over seeds, however, it is wise to test their germinating power before committing them to the garden. To plant seeds which will not germinate is a waste of time and labor. Testing the viability of seeds is a simple and easy matter and very advisable if th
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IX HOEING AND THINNING
IX HOEING AND THINNING
When the young plants appear above the ground it is time to commence cultivating. This consists of breaking up and pulverizing the surface crust. There are several reasons for doing this. It allows air to enter the soil, which, it will be remembered, is a necessity for the roots of plants and has an important bearing on the formation of plant food. It keeps down the weeds, and, most important of all, it helps to conserve the moisture in the soil. All who have had anything to do with the cultivat
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X STAKING AND TYING
X STAKING AND TYING
Some of our vegetable crops need supports of some kind to obtain best results from them. Peas, and beans of some varieties, and tomatoes are of this nature. The dwarf peas, which need no supports, are the best for the small garden, but if the taller kinds, which are more productive, are grown it is necessary to supply them with something on which to climb. Twiggy brush-wood is the best for the purpose, as the pea tendrils attach themselves readily to this. The bases of the branches should be sha
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STOMACH POISONS FOR BITING INSECTS
STOMACH POISONS FOR BITING INSECTS
This can also be obtained as a fine powder for dusting upon the plants. This method is less economical of material. When using Paris green as a powder it is advisable to dilute it with from twenty-five to fifty times its bulk of air-slaked lime. This acts as a carrier and renders it possible to distribute the poison more economically and effectively. It is inadvisable to use these poisons, Paris green and arsenate of lead, on heading cabbages or vegetables that are shortly to be eaten, as there
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CONTACT INSECTICIDES FOR SUCKING INSECTS
CONTACT INSECTICIDES FOR SUCKING INSECTS
The soap is added to this solution to assist in spreading the mixture and to make it come in close contact with the insects. Is recommended by U. S. Department of Agriculture to be added to contact sprays and fungicides, to act as a “sticker” when they are to be used on crops with smooth leaves to which the spray will not stick. Use two ounces to three gallons of spray mixture....
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POISON BAIT FOR CUTWORMS
POISON BAIT FOR CUTWORMS
Mix all together and add enough water to make a mash that will stick together. This is very poisonous and extreme care must be exercised in its use....
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XII PLANT DISEASES
XII PLANT DISEASES
Most of our vegetable crops are subject to attack by fungus or bacterial parasites which cause disease. Preventive measures are the most important in combating ills of this nature. These may consist of providing unfavorable soil conditions for the disease, as in the case of cabbage clubroot, or disinfection of the “seed” as practised for the control of scab of potatoes. Other measures are: the application of protective sprays, which kill the spores of disease organisms when they germinate; rotat
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XIII THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES IN DETAIL
XIII THE CULTURE OF VEGETABLES IN DETAIL
This chapter is devoted to hints on the cultivation of the more important vegetables, together with some mention of varieties suited for “war-garden” planting. Artichoke, Jerusalem. —This has about the same food value as the potato, but, unfortunately, it is a rather tasteless product. Proper cooking, with the addition of sauces and condiments, will make it palatable. It is a tall, coarse-growing plant belonging to the sunflower family. If you have an out-of-the-way spot in your garden where not
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Root, Tuber, and Bulb Crops
Root, Tuber, and Bulb Crops
Artichoke (Jerusalem). —The tubers of this plant are unaffected by frost and may be allowed to remain in the ground all winter. In those sections where the frost penetrates the ground deeply a supply sufficient for use during the winter should be dug in the fall and stored in sand in a cool cellar. Parsnip , Horseradish , and Salsify may be treated in the same way as the preceding. Beets should be carefully dug up after the first frost and handled gently to avoid breaking or bruising them. Cut o
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Leaf Crops
Leaf Crops
Cabbages can be stored by digging them up with some soil attached to the roots, and packing them close together on the floor of a cool cellar. Treated in this way, they are a rather “smelly” vegetable, and, unless the cellar is tightly shut off from the rest of the house, likely to cause some unpleasantness. They can be stored outside in the way recommended for potatoes by placing them head downward in a trench or pit. Cauliflower. —It is possible to preserve cauliflower, for a short time only,
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Seed or Fruit Crops
Seed or Fruit Crops
Beans. —Dry-shell beans should be allowed to stay on the plants until the pods dry up and become yellow. They may then be gathered, and shelled when convenient. If they are infested with weevils they should be dry baked in a temperature of about 145° Fahr. Care must be taken not to allow the temperature to rise above this figure, or the beans will be roasted and spoiled. Fumigating with carbon disulphide is also an efficacious expedient, but somewhat dangerous because of the explosive properties
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Table I
Table I
Approximate quantities of vegetables obtainable from a row fifty feet long. This table is based on actual yields obtained from a plot of moderate fertility by using standard varieties of vegetables....
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Table II
Table II
Approximate number of days from seed-sowing to first picking of crops. Variation is caused by temperature and character of variety—early, midseason, or late. Continue to bear until frost....
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Table III
Table III
Showing the correct depth to plant seeds and the amount of space required by the plants in and between rows....
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Table IV
Table IV
Quantity of seeds required to plant a row one hundred feet long, and time of planting....
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