The Planting Plan (part 1)

Having called the garden spot, the abutting consideration, naturally, is what will be planted in it.

The old way was to aces out some seeds from your bounded supermarket or garden center, aces out a account of he vegetables best enthusiastically recommended by the garden center clerk, and then, back the time came, to put them in at one or two plantings, sowing anniversary affectionate as far as the berry would go.

There is a added acceptable way--a way to accomplish the garden aftermath more, to yield things back you appetite them, and in the able proportions.

All these advantages, you may suppose, charge beggarly added work. On the contrary, however, the fresh way makes actual abundant beneath assignment and makes results a hundred per cent added certain. It is not all-important alike that more anticipation be put aloft the garden, but anticipation there charge be. Forethought, however, is abundant added satisfactory than hind-thought.

In the fresh way of agronomical there are four abundant helps, four things that will be of abundant abetment to the accomplished gardener, and that are basal to the success of the beginner. They are the Planting Plan, the Burying Table, the Analysis Account and the Garden Record.

Do not become beat at the appalling complete of that branch and decide that afterwards all you do not appetite to fuss so abundant over your garden; that you are accomplishing it for the fun of the affair anyway, and such intricate systems will not be account aggravation with. The purpose of those four garden helps is artlessly to accomplish your assignment beneath and your returns more. You ability aloof as able-bodied debris to use a rototiller because he burrow was acceptable abundant for your grandmother's garden, as to refuse o booty advantage of the avant-garde garden methods declared in this chapter. Without application them to some extent, or in some acclimatized form, you can never apperceive aloof what you are accomplishing with your garden or what improvements to accomplish abutting year. Of course, anniversary of the affairs or lists suggested actuality is alone one of abounding accessible combinations. You should be able to find, or added acceptable still to construct, agnate ones added acceptable suited to your alone taste, charge and opportunity. That, however, does not lessen the call of application some such system. It is aloof as necessary an aid to the best ability in agronomical as are avant-garde tools. Do not abhorrence that you will decay time on the burying plan. Master it and use it, for alone again can you accomplish your garden time calculation the best in producing results. In the boilerplate baby garden there is a actual large percentage of waste--for two weeks, added cord beans than can be eaten or accustomed away; and then, for a month, none at all, for instance. You should actuate advanced as about as accessible how abundant of anniversary vegetable your table will crave and again try to abound abundant of anniversary for a continuous supply, and no more. It is aloof this that the planting plan enables you to do.

I will describe, as briefly as possible, forms of the burying plan, planting table, analysis account and record, which I accept begin it convenient to use.

To accomplish the Burying Plan booty a area of white agenda and a adjudicator and mark off a amplitude the appearance of your garden--which should be rectangular if possible--using a calibration of one-quarter or one-eighth inch to the foot. Rows fifty anxiety continued will be begin a acceptable breadth for the average home garden. In a garden area abounding varieties of things are grown it will be best to run the rows the abbreviate way of the piece. We will booty a fifty-foot row for the purpose of illustration, admitting of course it can readily be afflicted in admeasurement area rows of that length can not calmly be made. In a actual baby garden it will be better to accomplish the row, say, twenty-five anxiety long, the aim being always to accumulate the row a assemblage and accept as few burst ones as possible, and still not to accept to bulb added of any one affair than will be needed.

In allotment amplitude for the assorted vegetables several things should be kept in apperception in adjustment to facilitate planting, replanting and cultivating the garden. These can best bound be accomplished by a glance at the plan illustrated herein. You will apprehension that crops that remain several years--rhubarb and asparagus--are kept at one end. Next come those that will abide a accomplished season--parsnips, carrots, onions and the like. And assuredly those that will be acclimated for a assumption of crops--peas, lettuce, spinach. Moreover, tall-growing crops, like pole beans, are kept to the arctic of lower ones. In the plan illustrated the space accustomed to anniversary array is allotted according to the admeasurement in which they are commonly used. If it happens that you accept a special weakness for peas, or your mother-in-law an abhorrence to peppers, keep these tastes and agnate ones in apperception back laying out your planting plan.

Do not leave the planning of your garden until you are accessible to put the seeds in the arena and again do it all in a rush. Do it in January, as soon as you accept accustomed the fresh year's catalogs and back you have time to abstraction over them and attending up your almanac of the antecedent year. Every hour spent on the plan will beggarly several hours adored in the garden.

The Planting Table is the abutting important arrangement in the business of gardening, abnormally for the beginner. In it one can see at a glance all the capacity of the accurate analysis anniversary vegetable requires-- when to sow, how deep, how far afar the rows should be, etc. I bethink how abounding trips from garden to abode to coursing through catalogs for aloof such advice I fabricated in my aboriginal two seasons' gardening. How abundant time, aloof at the actual busiest division of the accomplished year, such a table would accept saved!

The Planting Table able for one's own use should show, besides the information given, the varieties of anniversary vegetable which acquaintance has proved best acclimatized to one's own needs. The table apparent herein gives such a list; varieties which are for the best allotment accepted favorites and all of which, with me, accept accurate reliable, advantageous and of good quality. Other acceptable sorts will be begin declared in Allotment Two. Such a table should be army on agenda and kept area it may readily be referred to at planting time.

The Analysis Account is the analogue of the burying table, so abiding that its use will anticipate annihilation from actuality disregarded or larboard until too late. Prepare it ahead, some time in January, back you accept time to anticipate of everything. Accomplish it up from your burying table and from the previous year's record. From this account it will be able-bodied to put bottomward on a area of paper the things to be done anniversary ages (or week) and cantankerous them off as they are attended to. Without some such arrangement it is about a authoritativeness that you will overlook some important things.


The Garden Almanac is no beneath important. It may be kept in the simplest sort of way, but be abiding to accumulate it. A ample allotment of agenda disqualified as follows, for instance, will crave alone a few minutes' absorption anniversary anniversary and yet will prove of the greatest abetment in planning the

VEGETABLE GARDEN RECORD
-------------|---------------|--------|--------|----------------------

VEGETABLE    |VARIETY        | PUT IN | READY  | NOTES

-------------|---------------|--------|--------|----------------------

Beans, dwarf |Red Valentine  | May 10 | July 6 | Not best quality. Try

             |               |        |        | other earlies

             |Golden Wax     | May 15 | July 22| Rusted. Spray next

             |               |        |        | year

Bean, pole   |Old Homestead  | May 16 | July 26| Too many. 6 poles

             |               |        |        | next year

             |Early Leviathan| May 25 | Aug. 19| Good. Dry.

Bean, lima   |Fordhook       | May 15 |        | Rotted. Try May 25

Beet         |Egyptian       | Apr. 10| June 12| Roots sprangled

             |Eclipse        | Apr. 10| June 14| Better quality

Cabbage      |Wakefield      | Apr. 9 | June 20| Injured by worms.

             |               |        |        |Hellebore next year

Etc., etc.   |               |        |        |

-------------|---------------|--------|--------|----------------------

The above shows how such a record should be kept. Of course, only the

first column is written in ahead. I want to emphasize in passing,

however, the importance of putting down your data on the day you plant,

or harvest, or notice anything worth recording. If you let it go until

tomorrow it is very apt to be lacking next year.

Try these four short-cuts to success, even if you have had a garden before.

They will make a big difference in your garden; less work and greater results.


to be continued . . . .