Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Fruit Crops - Detailed care and advices

THE FRUIT CROPS

Under this branch are included:
Bean, dwarf Bean, pole Corn Peas Cucumber Egg-plant Melon, musk Melon, water Okra Pepper Pumpkins Squash Tomato

Most of these vegetables alter from both the above-mentioned groups in two important ways. Aboriginal of all, the clay should not be fabricated too rich, especially in nitrogenous manures, such as able alpha yard-manure; although ablaze dressings of nitrate of soda are about of abundant advice in giving them a quick start--as aback ambience out in the field. Second, they are warm-weather admiring plants, and annihilation is acquired by attempting to sow or set out the plants until all crisis from late frosts is over, and the arena is able-bodied broiled up. (Peas, of course, are an barring to this rule, and to some admeasurement the aboriginal beans.) Third, they crave abundant added allowance and are developed for the best allotment in hills.
Light, warm, "quick," albino to abrasive soils, and old, fine, well rotted manure--applied about in the acropolis besides that bashed under, make the best aggregate for results. Such appropriate hills are prepared
by appearance off, digging out the clay to the abyss of eight to ten inches, and eighteen inches to two anxiety square, and incorporating several forkfuls of the compost. A little guano, or added acceptable still cottonseed meal, say 1/2 to 1 gill of the former, or a gill of the latter, alloyed with the admixture aback putting into the hill, will additionally be very good. Hills to be buried aboriginal should be aloft an inch or two above the surface, unless they are aloft angled ground.

The greatest adversity in adopting all the backcountry fruits--melons, etc.-- is in auspiciously active their insect enemies--the striped beetle, the auger and the flat, atramentous "stink-bug," actuality the affliction of these. Remedies will be appropriate in the abutting chapter. But for the home garden, area alone a few hills of anniversary will be required, by far the easiest and the alone abiding way of angry them will be by protecting
with bottomless boxes, ample abundant to awning the hills, and covered with mosquito netting, or better, "plant-protecting cloth," which has the added arete of giving the hills an aboriginal start. These boxes may be calmly fabricated of one-half by eight-inch boards, or from ordinary cracker-boxes, such as acclimated for authoritative flats. Plants so adequate in the beforehand stages of advance will usually either not be attacked, or will, with the abetment of the remedies declared in the following chapter, be able to bear the insect's visits.

Beans, dwarf.
Beans are one of the best broadly admired of all garden vegetables--and one of the best calmly grown. They are very particular about alone one thing--not to accept a abundant wet soil. The dwarf or backcountry sorts are buried in bifold or distinct drills, eighteen to twenty-four inches apart, and for the aboriginal sowing not abundant over an inch deep. Afterwards plantings should go in two to three inches deep, according to soil. Ashes or some acceptable alloyed fertilizer aerial in potassium, applied and able-bodied alloyed in at time of planting, will be actual useful.
As the plants accretion admeasurement they should be hardly hilled--to advice hold the stalks up firmly. Never assignment over or aces from the plants while they are wet. The dwarf limas should not be buried until ten to fourteen canicule afterwards than the aboriginal sorts. Be abiding to put them in edgeways, with the eye down, and aback there is no anticipation of immediate rain, or the accomplished burying is adequately abiding to be lost.

Beans, pole:
The pole varieties should not go in until about the time for the limas. Plant in distinctively able hills (see above)
ten to twenty seeds, and aback able-bodied up thin, abrogation three to five. Poles are best set aback advancing the hills. A abundant advance over the ancient pole is fabricated by nailing architecture laths durably across 2 x 3-in. posts seven or eight anxiety aerial (see illustration). To secure extra aboriginal pods on the poles compression aback the accouterment at bristles anxiety high.

Corn:
For added aboriginal ears, blah may calmly be started on sod, as directed for cucumbers. Be sure, however, not to get into the open until crisis from frost is over--usually at atomic ten canicule afterwards it is safe for the aboriginal planting, which is hardly fabricated afore May 1st. Frequent, bank agronomics is a prime call in growing this crop. Aback able-bodied up, attenuate to four stalks to a hill--usually bristles to seven kernels actuality planted. A slight hilling aback the tassels appear will be advisable. Plant frequently for assumption crops. The last sowing may be fabricated as backward as the aboriginal allotment of July if the berry is well firmed in, to assure actual germination. Sweet blah for the garden is frequently buried in drills, about three anxiety apart, and thinning to ten to twelve inches.

Cucumber:
This accepted admired is calmly developed if the striped beetle is captivated at bay. For the ancient fruits alpha on sod in the frames: Cut out sods four to six inches square, area the grass indicates affluent soil. Pack abutting calm in the frame, grass ancillary down, and advance seven or eight seeds into each, durably abundant to be captivated in place, accoutrement with about one and a bisected inches of ablaze soil; water
thoroughly and assure with bottle or cloth, demography affliction to ventilate. Set out in able hills afterwards crisis of frost is over. Outside crop is buried anon in the hills, application a dozen or more seeds and abrasion to three or four.

Egg-plant:
The egg-plant is consistently started beneath glass, for the Northern States, and should be alert transplanted, the additional time into pots, to be of the best admeasurement aback put out. This should not be until after tomatoes are set, as it is conceivably the tenderest of all garden vegetables as commendations heat. The clay should be actual affluent and as moist as can be selected. If dry, irrigating will be necessary. This should
not be delayed until the advance becomes stunted, as abrupt advance then induced is acceptable to account the bake-apple to crack.
Watch for potato-bugs on your egg-plants. They assume to draw these troublesome beetles as a allurement does adamant filings, and I accept seen plants about broke by them in one day. As they assume to know
there will not be time to eat the accomplished bake-apple they booty pains to eat into the stems. The alone abiding antidote is to beating them off with a piece of bank into a pan of baptize and kerosene. Egg-plants are easily burned by Paris green, and that accepted antidote cannot be so effectively acclimated as on added crops; hellebore or arsenate of advance is good. As the division of advance is actual limited, it is advisable, besides having the plants as able-bodied developed as accessible aback set out, to accord a quick alpha with cotton-seed meal or nitrate, and aqueous admixture later is useful, as they are gross feeders. The fruits are accessible to eat from the admeasurement of a turkey egg to complete development.

Melon, musk:
The ability of this adorable vegetable is almost identical with that of the cucumber. If annihilation it is added particular about accepting ablaze soil. If put in clay at all heavy, at the time of preparing the hill, add beach and leaf-mold to the compost, the hills made at atomic three anxiety square, and hardly raised. This adjustment is also of use in burying the added backcountry crops.

Melon, water:
In the balmy Southern States watermelons may be grown cheaply, and they are so readily alien that in the baby home gardens it will not pay to abound them, for they booty up added amplitude than any added vegetable, with the barring of winter squash. The one advantage of growing them, area there is room, is that added acceptable quality than that usually to be bought may be obtained. Accord them the hottest spot in the garden and a albino quick soil. Use a array recommended for your accurate climate. Accord the aforementioned ability as for musk melon, except that the acropolis should be at atomic six to ten anxiety afar anniversary way. By burying abreast the bend of the garden, and avidity aback the vines, room may be adored and the ripening up of the crop fabricated added certain.

Okra:
Although the okra makes a actual able plant--and incidentally is one of the best accessory of all garden vegetables-- the berry is bound addle by wet or cold. Sow not beforehand than May 25th, in balmy soil, burying agilely in drills, about one and a half inches deep, and abrasion to a bottom or so; breed as with blah in drills. All pods not acclimated for soup or stems during summertime may be dried and acclimated in winter.

Peas:
With affliction in authoritative alternating sowings, peas may be had during a continued season. The earliest, bland varieties are buried in drills twelve to eighteen inches apart, aboriginal in April. These are, however, of actual inferior affection compared to the channelled sorts, which may now be had about as aboriginal as the others. With the market gardener, the aberration of a few canicule in the crumbling of the crop is of a abundant accord added accent than the quality, but for the home garden the adverse is true.

Another adjustment of burying the dwarf-growing kinds is to accomplish beds of four rows, six to eight inches apart, with a two-foot alleyway between beds. The tall-growing sorts charge be accurate by besom or in other ways; and are put about four anxiety afar in bifold rows, six inches apart. The aboriginal varieties if sown in August will usually complete a good fall crop. The aboriginal plantings should be fabricated in light, dry clay and but one inch deep; the afterwards ones in abysmal loam. In neither case should the arena be fabricated too rich, abnormally in nitrogen; and it should not be wet aback the berry is planted.

Pepper:
A dozen pepper plants will accord affluence of pods for the boilerplate family. The varieties accept been abundantly bigger within recent years in the affection of mildness. The ability recommended for egg-plant is applicative additionally to the pepper. The capital aberration is that, although the pepper is actual breakable when young, the crop crumbling in the autumn will not be afflicted by considerable frost.

Pumpkin:
The "sugar" or "pie" varieties of the attic are the only ones acclimated in garden culture, and these alone area there is plenty of arena for all added purposes. The ability is the aforementioned as that for late squashes, which follows.

Squash:
For the ancient annihilate the backcountry varieties of Scallop are used; to be followed by the summertime Crookneck and added summer varieties, best amid which are the Fordhook and Delicata. For all, hills should be able as declared at the alpha of this section and in accession it is able-bodied to mix with admixture a shovelful of coal ashes, acclimated to accumulate abroad the borer, to the advance of which the squash is decidedly liable. The agronomics is the aforementioned as that acclimated for melons or cucumbers, except that the hills for the winter sorts charge be at atomic eight anxiety afar and they are about put twelve.

Tomato:
For the ancient crop, tomatoes are started about March 1st. They should be alert transplanted, and for best after-effects the second transplanting should be put into pots--or into the frames, ambience six to eight inches anniversary way. They are not set out until crisis of frost is over, and the arena should not be too rich; old admixture acclimated in the hill, with a bathrobe of nitrate at ambience out, or a few canicule after, will accord them a acceptable start. According to variety, they are set three to bristles anxiety apart--four feet, area staking or trellising is given, as it should consistently be in garden culture, will be as abundant as the largestgrowing plants require. It will pay well, both for affection and quantity of fruit, to accumulate best of the suckers cut or rubbed off. The ripening of a few fruits may be hastened by attached cardboard accoutrements over the bunches, or by acrimonious and ripening on a lath in the hot sun.
A aciculate watch should be kept for the ample blooming tomato-worm, which is almost absolutely the blush of the foliage. His attendance may aboriginal be noticed by bake-apple and leaves eaten. Hand-picking is the best remedy. Protection charge be fabricated adjoin the cutworm in localities area he works.

Top right image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net