The first thing in garden making is the selection of a spot.
Without a choice, it means simply doing
the best one can with conditions. With space limited it resolves
itself into no garden, or a box
garden. Surely a box garden is better than nothing at all.
But we will now suppose that it is possible to really choose
just the right site for the garden.
What shall be chosen? The greatest determining factor is the
sun. No one would have a north corner,
unless it were absolutely forced upon him; because, while north
corners do for ferns, certain wild
flowers, and begonias, they are of little use as spots for a
general garden.
If possible, choose the ideal spot a southern exposure. Here the
sun lies warm all day long. When
the garden is thus located the rows of vegetables and flowers
should run north and south. Thus
placed, the plants receive the sun's rays all the morning on the
eastern side, and all the afternoon
on the western side. One ought not to have any lopsided plants
with such an arrangement.
Suppose the garden faces southeast. In this case the western sun
is out of the problem. In order to
get the best distribution of sunlight run the rows northwest and
southeast.
The idea is to get the most sunlight as evenly distributed as
possible for the longest period of
time. From the lopsided growth of window plants it is easy
enough to see the effect on plants of
poorly distributed light. So if you use a little diagram
remembering that you wish the sun to shine
part of the day on one side of the plants and part on the other,
you can juggle out any situation.
The southern exposure gives the ideal case because the sun gives
half time nearly to each side. A
northern exposure may mean an almost entire cut-off from
sunlight; while northeastern and
southwestern places always get uneven distribution of sun's
rays, no matter how carefully this is
planned.
The garden, if possible, should be planned out on paper. The
plan is a great help when the real
planting time comes. It saves time and unnecessary buying of
seed.
New garden spots are likely to be found in two conditions: they
are covered either with turf or with
rubbish. In large garden areas the ground is ploughed and the
sod turned under; but in small gardens
remove the sod. How to take off the sod in the best manner is
the next question. Stake and line off
the garden spot. The line gives an accurate and straight course
to follow. Cut the edges with the
spade all along the line. If the area is a small one, say four
feet by eighteen or twenty, this is
an easy matter. Such a narrow strip may be marked off like a
checkerboard, the sod cut through with
the spade, and easily removed. This could be done in two long
strips cut lengthwise of the strip.
When the turf is cut through, roll it right up like a roll of
carpet.
But suppose the garden plot is large. Then divide this up into
strips a foot wide and take off the
sod as before. What shall be done with the sod? Do not throw it
away for it is full of richness,
although not quite in available form. So pack the sod grass side
down one square on another. Leave
it to rot and to weather. When rotted it makes a fine
fertilizer. Such a pile of rotting vegetable
matter is called a compost pile. All through the summer add any
old green vegetable matter to this.
In the fall put the autumn leaves on. A fine lot of goodness is
being fixed for another season.
Even when the garden is large enough to plough, I would pick out
the largest pieces of sod rather
than have them turned under. Go over the ploughed space, pick
out the pieces of sod, shake them well
and pack them up in a compost heap.
Mere spading of the ground is not sufficient. The soil is still
left in lumps. Always as one spades
one should break up the big lumps. But even so the ground is in
no shape for planting. Ground must
be very fine indeed to plant in, because seeds can get very
close indeed to fine particles of soil.
But the large lumps leave large spaces which no tiny root hair
can penetrate. A seed is left
stranded in a perfect waste when planted in chunks of soil. A
baby surrounded with great pieces of
beefsteak would starve. A seed among large lumps of soil is in a
similar situation. The spade never
can do this work of pulverizing soil. But the rake can. That's
the value of the rake. It is a great
lump breaker, but will not do for large lumps. If the soil still
has large lumps in it take the hoe.
Many people handle the hoe awkwardly. The chief work of this
implement is to rid the soil of weeds
and stir up the top surface. It is used in summer to form that
mulch of dust so valuable in
retaining moisture in the soil. I often see people as if they
were going to chop into atoms
everything around. Hoeing should never be such vigorous exercise
as that. Spading is vigorous, hard
work, but not hoeing and raking.
After lumps are broken use the rake to make the bed fine and
smooth. Now the great piece of work is
done.
