| Share page |
|
MAKING MONEY AT HOME 373
Preparation
With pieces of wood stake out the garden corners on the land to be used. These stakes will serve to show you where to spread manure, or where to plow, spade, or harrow.
If good, well-rotted stable manure is available, spread a generous coating of it on the garden. It is doubtful whether too much can be applied. Some of the best gardeners use as much as three or four inches of well-rotted manure spread over the land.
If the ground is plowed it should be done after the manure is spread, and should be to a depth of six or eight inches. It is better, however, to use a spade or a spading fork. Such a tool will turn the soil to a greater depth than will the plow, and if employed by a boy who will use his head as well as his hands in his work the. manure can be placed at a very good depth.
Harrowing can follow the plowing, and fine smoothing can be done after that. If horse power is not used the hand rake will be the most serviceable tool. The rake can be used for breaking all lumps, as well as for leaving the soil level and smooth.
After raking, permanent stakes can be driven at the corners of the garden in place of the temporary stakes first used. A nail should be driven in the top of the southeast corner stake and exact measurements from this stake to the other stakes should be made, placing nails in the tops of the other stakes where they are found by measurement to be needed. The use of these nails will help greatly in future exact measurements for planting.
Planting
The time for planting as given in the planting-table must
be used with common sense and varied to suit the conditions
of weather and other local factors of the great outdoors. It
is intended to serve merely as a guide. The young gardener
should ask advice of the most successful grower of vegetables X—25 |
||