Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-27

1t will pay to buy lew 1eet OIL SIHdil
drainage pipe for permanent use. BY
laying the long rows of the garden In
the general drainage direction 1t VIII
be much easier to quickly drain it.
For the purpose of being specific. a
garden that excited much favorable
comment from neighbors in the north
west section last season, and now be-
ing replanted. will be taken for de
scription. This garden was fifteen by
thirty-fiv feet in area. room being al
tomary back yard clotheslne. For
various reasons this shape and size OF
garden seems to be the usual one on
the narrow building lots. Allowing for
paths. this left nearly 900 square feet
Of growing space Produce and gar
den sass" fresh and crisp from the
garden, did much toward supplying the
table of a family of four for most of
last spring and summer.
In laying out the beds 1t Is considered
best to provide for wide and ample foot
paths. Ground left for paths is not
wasted, for it makes all parts of the
beds accessible for working, and unless
there is plenty of room there IS the con-
slant temptation to step between the
rows, thus packing the SOIL The center
path of this garden was eighteen inches
wide, while side paths were fifteen inch
es wide. This allowed two beds running
the full thirty-five feet, each being Ave
and half feet wide and divided into the
various plots for.vegetables. These were
the proper width to work from each side.
which is a convenience Of no mean pro-
portions.
What to plant is a vital consideration
when space is limited to the last foot. 1t
Is absolutely imperative, IL there is to be
any variety of plants, that vining vege-
tables be dispensed with. This includes
all such ''space-eating plants as pole
beans, cucumberS, watermelons, pump
kins and squash. Some back yard gar
deners have found it practical to grow a
species OF short vining cantelOupe. al
though this Is questionable. Also. there
is a sort of vineless squash raised by a
few. which is not much recommended.
Other kinds of plants whose value in
the crowded back garden is questioned
are turnips, spinach. carrots, parsnips,
peppers. elephants. cauliflower and cab
bages. These require so much room or
are so difficult to attend that as a rule
1T is found most practical TO buy them
In the markets. In the case of pole
beans. for example, it Is easily possible
to grow two crops of a quick maturing
bunch bean while the slow. climbing va
riety is getting its enormous stalk well
under way. Some success has been had
with celery, especially as a rather late
crop, after others have been used. but
exceed the worth OF the vegetable, even
granting fair success in the culture.
OF first consideration is the most
popular salad vegetable. lettuce Not
only is 1t easy to raise. but 1T will pro-
duce best from the limited area. 1t re-
quires especially good sunlight. and
should always be placed in the favored
part of the garden. In the garden de-
scribed 1t was on the extreme south,
where 1T had the sun for the longest
possible time. The "loose-head" lettuce
should be planted first in the spring.
When this crop has been used, the but
ter head may be planted for slightly
later use. while the latest maturing
variety Is the "crisp head" which lasts
until late in the fall Lettuce may be
planted very early in the season. many
having success with it planted as early
as the 10th of April. although the rains
of this spring have made it much later.
In order to have the plants well under
way earlier in the season. many have
sprouted the seed in a frame" and
thus fostered the plants until ready to
be transplanted in the garden. after
which their growth is rapid.
OF next importance in the mind Of
many gardeners comes the onion. BY
the rather odorous vegetable is most
careful planting young onions may be
had very early in the season, just when