How and what to grow in a kitchen garden of one acreDarlington, E. D.
Science
How and what to grow in a kitchen garden of one acre
Darlington, E. D.
Kitchen gardens; Vegetable gardening
When ready to set out, I run a double furrow where the row is to
be--that is, the plow is run both ways in the same furrow, casting up a
ridge of dirt on either side of a shallow trench; then in the bottom of
this trench fine compost or well-rotted manure is placed to the depth
of one to two inches, and some of the fine soil from the sides is drawn
down over the manure with a fine rake until the manure is covered
about three inches. This will still leave a depth of about two inches
below the surface, which will serve to draw and retain the rain water,
or, in a dry time, can be flooded with a hydrant hose or irrigating
ditch. Where the ground has been heavily enriched or the celery is
planted as the first crop--that is, when no early vegetable precedes it
on the same ground--no manure is used in the trench or furrow, which is
plowed out in the same way, the additional depth assisting in the labor
of earthing up for blanching. To obtain fine quality and appearance
the plant should be pushed to as rapid a growth as possible from the
time the seed is sown until the stalks are ready for use; if allowed to
become stunted, the stalks will be knotty in appearance and bitter in
taste.
For my own use and marketing I usually sow seed of two or three
varieties, so that if one kind fails for any reason, I may still have
a crop sufficient for the table from the other varieties, while if it
is all good I have no difficulty in disposing of the surplus; this is
the more easily done, as it occupies ground that has been cleared of
early peas, corn, etc. Another point in not confining your planting to
the one variety is that the handsome “Self-blanching” varieties are not
good keepers, and as the older kinds take a long time to whiten, and a
good deal of cold weather to develop the fine flavor, they are about
ready for use when the early kinds are gone.
While celery is raised as a second crop and has always been considered
to require frost to develop the fine nutty flavor, at least one row in
the garden should be planted with a “Self-blanching” variety as early
in the spring as the plants can be procured. For this it is a good
plan to sow two or three drills of celery in the hotbed at the same
time with tomatoes, peppers, etc., that they may be ready for planting
out early in the spring. These will grow quickly before the very hot
weather sets in, and in a favorable season will be ready for use by the
latter part of August; if kept earthed up they will be of as handsome
appearance and as crisp and fine flavored as are the older varieties in
December.
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