# The Gentleman's Magazine/Volume 1/Issue 2/Observations in Gardening

Layout 2
Observations in Gardening for March 1731.
IF we have omitted any of the works directed to be done in the former month, they must not lie any longer delay'd; for by the end of this month, your garden ought to be compleatly cropp'd.
Sow radish, silesia, and imperial lettuce among all the crops you put into the ground, for they will come to perfection, and be gather'd before the other roots and herbs cover them.
Sow scorzonera salsfy and slip skerrits of the last year's growth, leaving only the under fibres, and not any of the greater roots about the plants.
Plant out some colly-flower plants, to succeed those planted in autumn.
Sow pease, beans, and young sallad in some warm place; adding to the small herbs of the last month, spinach, rape and sorrel.
Make plantations of mint, baum, penny-royal, thyme, savory, sage, tanzie, rue, and other durable herbs for houshold-use, except lavender and rosemary, which grow better if set in April.
Towards the middle of this month rake and dress your asparagus beds, for early in April the buds will begin to appear above ground; and if we delay this work to the latter-end of March, many buds must then of necessity be broken off.
To make new plantations in the natural ground, first trench the ground, and lay a good coat of dung at the bottom of the trench, covering it with earth about 6 or 8 inches thick; and when the whole piece is thus prepar'd and levell'd, begin your plantation, allowing ten inches distances between the asparagus plants, and four lines of plants in each bed, leaving two foot between the beds for the allies, and then sow the whole with onions.
Sow cabbages and savory for a winter's crop, and some sellary for early blanching; also, some more collyflower-seed on a declining hot-bed.
Sow chardoons to transplant next month. Now dress your artichoaks, leaving only 3 or 4 suckers on each strong root, slipping off the rest for transplanting and making good the defects in the old plantation.
Refresh the cucumber and melon ridges with hot dung. Transplant lettuce for cabbaging, and to stand for feed.
We may yet transplant timber trees of all sorts, watering them well as soon as planted.
Towards the end of this month sow upon the hot-bed some purslain, nasturtium, African and French marigolds, and sow marigolds in the natural ground. Dress your strawberry-beds, keeping them clean from runners, till the plants blossom, and give them waterings when necessary.
It is now high time to put an end to planting of fruit-trees, and to fill uр all remaining vacancies; and likewise to finish the pruning of peach, nectarines and apricots, according to the directions in the preceding month.
The beginning of this month is also a proper time to prune such plums, pears, and cherries, as have had one year's growth, which is to be done with great discretion, and a due caution to the vigour and weakness of the tree.
It is not now too late to cut off the beads of new planted trees against a wall, and to reduce them to three or four buds. You are now also to prune fig-trees; and what great wood can be spared, is to be cut out entirely to the stem, and the thickest roots of the last ordinarily bear fruit.
Graft apples and cherries this month, the last on the black-cherry, and the first on a crab-stock; but inoculation is a more curious operation.
Now is the time to lay layers of the vine and fig, and to erect horizontal shelters over some of the earliest blossom'd fruit trees, to secure them from nipping frosts, and perpendicular dews.