Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-03-26
F arming in City
Home Gardeners AdUiscdto Study
Model and adapt Methods.


The Department Of Agriculture has
round in one of our Eastern cities a
backyard gardon which II regards AS
model. This back gard is OF a
Kind typical in cities which built houses
on narrow frontages With common
side walls. the houses being open 10
the air only in front and back.
rms particular house occupies the
total frontage of lot TWENTY-FIVE fee,
wide Behind the house is a ward ey-
tehdinE back seventy feet to an alley.
IN the rear Of the yard is small tool
shed oKio feet in dimensions. The
alieE Is cut off from the yard by a tim,
poHru renee. and the sides OF the ward
from inc house I" the alley. arc also
bounded by fences of the same sort.
The owner of this property has laid
me back yard off as permanent gar
uc". M side fences has made To ac.
Ta,r ,.e','ses lor grape vines. having
tourleeh OF these vines planted at ten
'oot intervals. Down each side of ~.
YARD parallel 10 the side fences and
iour rect ava! from each. run walks,
TWO and half feet wide. from the
mousse 10 the alley. one OF the walks
a.. "u .uIH'"s around the shed 10 NEE,
lhe other walk at the extreme rear
OF the yard.
In the space between rho wa,,,s g.
space twelve feet wide. is ,be v.v.
tabie garden proper. The owner Inv
Nei' uoeS not give up his back ward
rht'relE 10 the garden Immediat,h.
oehind the house between the TWO
walks is concrete pavement five fee,
VIDE and running back from il "a green
Piot hiteen rect long and twelve feet
"iue 'the distance between the walks
This "
walks on both sides with strawberry
plants. having over 200 such plants
sufficient 10 give him an abundance az
strawberries i'll season.
Between the strawberries and m.
gFapevines on the fence he has set out
sixteen cdrrent bushes at ten foo, in
terNals between the current bushes
he finds room for various sets of beans
eggplant and the like, which make an
attractive background for the walks.
In the rear of the yard opposite the
shed. he has made his permanent as
paragus bed in a space three by seven
feet.
The rest OF the garden is given over
10 close growing, low and quick ma
turing vegetables. such as radishes.
beets. lettuce. carrots. parsnips peas.
ONIONS and beans. He finds room for
thirty rows Of these. each row nearly
twelve feet long.
Although in northern climate, this
gardener succeeds in making his
ground produce two crops each year
When the early peas are gathered he
plants more early peas and kale in
their rows. The late peas have no
successor crops, but there were only
two rows Of late peas. against six rows
OF the other variety. The onion sets
when pulled arc succeeded by tomato
vines, trained a dozen plants about Il
single stem. Among the tomatoes
spinach. which can be gathered until
snow flies and after that, is planted
Two crops OF beans. early and late.
are grown in four rows. with winter
onions growing among the late bean
plants. Two crops of carrots arc pro-
duced on two rows, while four rows Of
bccts later give way to cabbage. Let
tucc and parsnips and radishes sown
in close rows in the rear of the gar
den, produce second crops and also
provide space for some late beans.
This garden produces yearly all its
owners food needs during a large por-
ton of the year. The Dcpa rtment of
Agriculture advises home gardeners to
study this model and adapt its methods
to their own spaces.