Evening star., 1943-04-04
in the Flower Border?
Parsley WI Not Harm Abbearance
8 u : !.

The sunny flower border may
easily provide food for the family
table without undergoing serious in
jury or major change. If the soil in
the border was well prepared in the
beginning little effort will be needed
to put it into shape to produce lus-
scious vegetables full OF flavor and
nutritive values. However, if the soil
has not been well prepared, or the
border is shaded for major portion
of the day, it will be wiser to obtain
the vegetables at the nearest store.
They will be more useful.
Only a few vegetable crops are
suitable for growing in a flower bor-
der. Most of them have too short a
growing season, while others would
detract from its appearance rather
than add to it. Tomatoes, chard
parsley and pole beans are probably
the most desirable.
Tomatoes are one of the most like
ly successful vegetable crops to be
grown in the flower border. A row
of six or eight well-pruned and
staked vines planted at the back OF
the border should provide all of the
tomatoes needed for table use from
early July until late fall. The foliage
and fruit of the tomato vines will
add to the gardens interest. If
weather stained or green painted
stakes are used to support the vines,
and if green or soft-colored string or
cloth strips are used to tie the vines
the whole project will be in keeping
with the rest of the border.
The plants should be set out in
early April. Buy-don't attempt
growing the few vines needed for
this purpose. Rutgers or Marglobe
are recommended as being dependa-
BILE and productive varieties The
stakes, use stout ones 2x2 inches by
feet long, should be driven securely
into the ground before the plants are
set. Space them from 18 to "a inches
apart. Keep the vines pruned and
tied so that all will be neat and trim.
Parsley is another garden crop
that may we'll be tucked into the
flower border. However, it only takes
a half dozen or so plants to supply
the table with all that can be used.
Parsley prefers moist rich soil and
will tolerate light shade during mid
day and afternoon. Sow the seed
in early April and thin the seedlings
to inches apart.
Peppers are another of the garden
crops that may be successfully
grown in the flower border. In fact
there are several reasons why we
should all plant them there. Pep
pers have fine green foliage and the
attractive looking fruits certainly
add to the appearance of the beds.
Secondly, only few plants OF pep
pers are needed (not more than slx)
and they might just as well be fitted
into the flower border as to take up
space in the vegetable garden. And,
third, we would probably use them
more often in cur salads and cooking
il they were more convenient.
The half dozen plants needed
should be purchased rather than
to undertake the muss and fuss
necessary to grow them. Set the
plants toward the rear of the border
as they grow from l8 to "a inches
high. Space them about 2 feet
apart. Peppers are tender and
should not be planted out OF doors
before the middle of April.
Chard. or Swiss chard as it is often
called, is an au-season crop that
may we'll be grown in the sunny
border. The leaves are attractive
appearing and the vigorous growth
will give a desirable lustiness to the
borders appearance. Sow the seed
early IN April and thin until the
seedlings are s inches or more
apart. Keep the plants we'll fed.
fertilizing them two or three times
during the season, so that the leaves
will be succulent and tender. A
row 10 to Is feet in length should
provide green's for the table through
out the summer. Since chard grows
to height of u to Is inches it
may be desirable to plant it at one
end of the bed where it will not
overshadoW lower growing plants.
1t should be accessible. Use only
the tender new leaves being formed
on the inside of the foliage cluster.
If bronzy -colored foliage is pre-
ferred to the bright green Of the
common variety, rhubarb chard may
be grown instead of the standard
variety, Lucullus.
Pole beans, either snap or lima.
may be used as background for
flower border, but they will require
protection from the bean beetle.
This may be impractical unless
there is sufficient space between the
flower border and the fence. A wire
fence if tall enough will provide the
necessary support for the beans, but