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Asparagus |
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Asparagus: Asparagus is
rightly esteemed one of the very best spring vegetables.
There is a general misconception, however--due to the
old methods of growing it--concerning the difficulty of
having a home supply. As now cared for, it is one of the
easiest of all vegetables to grow, when once the beds
are set and brought to bearing condition. Nor is it
difficult to make the bed, and the only reason why
asparagus is not more universally found in the home
garden, beside that mentioned above, is because one has
to wait a year for results.
In selecting a spot for the asparagus bed, pick out the
earliest and best drained soil available, even if quite
sandy it will do well. Plow or dig out trenches three
feet apart and sixteen to twenty inches deep. In the
bottoms of these tramp down firmly six to eight inches
of old, thoroughly rotted manure. Cover with six to
eight inches of good soil--not that coming from the
bottom of the trench--and on this set the crowns or
root-clumps--preferably one-year ones--being careful to
spread the roots out evenly, and covering with enough
soil to hold in position, making them firm in the soil.
The roots are set one foot apart. Then fill in level,
thus leaving the crowns four to six inches below the
surface. As the stalks appear give a light dressing of
nitrate of soda and keep the crop cleanly cultivated.
(Lettuce, beets, beans or any of the small garden
vegetables may be grown between the asparagus rows
during the first part of the season, for the first two
years, thus getting some immediate return from labor and
manure). The stalks should not be cut until the second
spring after planting and then only very lightly. After
that full crops may be had.
After the first season, besides keeping cleanly
cultivated at all times, in the fall clear off and burn
all tops and weeds and apply a good coating of manure.
Dig or lightly cultivate this in the spring, applying
also a dressing of nitrate of soda, as soon as the
stalks appear. If the yield is not heavy, give a
dressing of bone or of the basic fertilizers mentioned
earlier. It is not difficult to grow plants from seed,
but is generally more satisfactory to get the roots from
some reliable seedsman. |
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Broccoli |
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Broccoli: The
broccoli makes a flower head as does the
cauliflower. It is, however, inferior in quality and
is not grown to any extent where the latter will
succeed. It has the one advantage of being hardier
and thus can be grown where the cauliflower is too
uncertain to make its culture worth while. For
culture directions see Cauliflower. |
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Brussels
Sprout |
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Brussels Sprout: In my
opinion this vegetable leaves the cabbage almost as far
behind as the cauliflower does. It is, if anything, more
easily grown than cabbage, except that the young plants
do not seem able to stand quite so much cold. When
mature, however, it seems to stand almost any amount of
freezing, and it is greatly improved by a few smart
frosts, although it is very good when succeeding the
spring crop of cauliflower. It takes longer to mature
than either cabbage or cauliflower. |
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