Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-07-06
GARDEN WORK IN MIDSUMMER
BY E. VAN BENTHUYsEN.


Celery plants may be set out early in
July in the North, and in the milder
climates planting Is carried on up to
the first Of August. Ii Is not as dill.
cult to raise celery as people believe,
although the crop requires more atten-
ton than the average garden plants.
Celery plants can be bought, but one
always takes a chance in buying them.
or course the best way Is to raise
your own plants from seeds. The
planting of the seed should be done
very early in the spring, and after the
plants have attained n good growth
the real cultivation begins
Ground that has borne crop of
peas makes good celery soil, provid-
ed the crop was thoroughly fortified
and cultivated. The burrows should be
three feet apart for the self-blanching
celery and about five feet for those
kinds that are to be banched by bank.
Ing with earth. If boards are TO be
used, the rows need not be more than
four feet apart. The burrows should
be made at least foot deep and about
three Inches of well-rotted manure
placed In the bottom. ScraplngS from
the barnyard with a little soil mixed in
make good fertilizer for celery. The
fertilizer should be worked in well and
smoothed and the plants set In per.
fectly straight line about six inches
apart In the row.
The plants should be about six inches /
high when put into the ground and
should not be placed too deeply-juSt /
enough to cover the roots-and the +
ground must be thoroughly frmed
around them. Before setting out the .
plants, however the dirt which has .
been thrown out on the side OF the .
trench should be raked down, leveled T
off and made firm with the back of the
spade, so that II will not wash into
the trenches. About 800 plants will
provide enough celery for a family of
six persons, and this number would re-
quire two trenches about l2j feet long.
When the plants mature they may be
planted by drawing the soil about the
plants up to the top leaves or boards
from one foot to eighteen inches high
may be placed on each side of the rows
and held In place by the stakes. The
best-favored celery, we think, is pro-
duced by blancling with earth. The
earth should be drawn around the
plants gradually.
The ground that has borne early
crops In the garden should be cleared
on and loosened with a Spading fork
and prepared for another crop. Car
rots make m ideal second crop. They
should be sown by the first week in
July in any sort of decent soil in fact
they do not need rich soil. Sow the
seed IN rows about 10 inches apart
and thin, leaving the plants standing
about two inches apart in the row. A
later sowing Of about two weeks may
be added If desired Rutabagas may be
sown up to the first of August. ANY ,
good sell that has borne a first crop is
suitable for turnlps. Some persons |
SOW the seed broadcast but better
plan is to SOW them in rows about tSo
FEET apart and thin to about six inches /
lpart In the row.
Cabbage should be in the ground the I
'ery first week in July. The plants l
nay be set quickly by use Of dibble, a
'ut a sod-cutter is better, as this ena- n
lies one to stand upright. Stick the 7
od-cutter in the ground, push the a
landle slightly from you, insert the n
liant, withdraw the tool, press down a