Gardening Indoors and Under Glass Part 16

[Ill.u.s.tration: Lettuce and cuc.u.mbers in the greenhouse. The cuc.u.mber vines are induced to climb the heavy strings so as to economize bench s.p.a.ce]

CHAPTER XXVI

VEGETABLE AND BEDDING PLANTS FOR SPRING

While it is true that there are many ways in which one may save money with a small greenhouse all through the year, the best chance for making money is by growing vegetable and bedding plants in the spring. Bedding stock is what the florists term geraniums, coleus, begonias and other plants used for setting out flower beds in the spring.

In every community a large number of such plants are used and the case will be rare indeed in which one will meet with any difficulty in disposing of quite a number of such plants among immediate neighbors and friends.

The number of plants which can be grown in the spring with even a very small house and a few sash is quite surprising. The secret of the mystery lies, of course, in the fact that in their early stages, seedlings and cuttings, the plants occupy very little room; while as soon or soon after they are transplanted or shifted to large pots they are shoved outdoors into coldframes. As the tender vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, egg-plant, etc., are not started until after the hardier ones, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, etc., the frames can be filled up again usually as fast as emptied. In the same way heliotrope, salvia, coleus and other tender plants follow pansies, daisies, carnations, etc.

It will thus be seen that to grow these plants to the best advantage, a coldframe, or better still, both a coldframe and hotbed, will be used in conjunction with the small home greenhouse.

Directions have already been given (see Chapter IV) in these pages for sowing, starting and transplanting seed.

VEGETABLES

The dates for sowing are about as follows in the vicinity of New York.

Allow about a week's difference for every hundred miles of lat.i.tude--earlier in the south, later in the north.

February 1st--Cabbage, cauliflower.

February 15th--Cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, beets, lettuce, onions for plants.

March 1st--Lettuce, celery (early), tomato (early), beets.

March 15th--Lettuce, tomato (main), egg-plant, pepper. For one's own use or special orders, cuc.u.mbers, squash, lima beans, potatoes sprouted in flats of sand, may also be started, but there is no market demand for them.

April 1st--Celery (late), cauliflower; (in sods or paper pots), muskmelon, watermelon, corn, for special use.

After being started and p.r.i.c.ked off into flats, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, beets, lettuce, and celery are kept inside just long enough to get well established, and then put outside in a tight frame.

Harden off as well as possible before putting out, as a freeze the first night might injure them. After that slight frost on the leaves will not injure them, but if they freeze stiff, apply cold water in the morning--ice-cold is just as good--and shade until they are thawed out.

If very cold it will be necessary to protect the frames with shutters.

Beets and lettuce will not stand quite so low a temperature as the cabbage group. By the time the plants are pretty well grown, cloth-covered frames may be subst.i.tuted for the gla.s.s ones, and these may be used elsewhere to cover the tenderer plants such as tomato and egg-plant. After the first of April they will not need any protection.

Last spring I had several thousand cabbages covered twice with several inches of snow, and hardly a one was lost.

Tomatoes, peppers and egg-plants require different treatment. They are heat-loving plants, and not only succ.u.mb to even a slight freeze, but will be so checked by a low temperature, even if not touched by frost, that they will amount to little. They should be kept growing as rapidly as possible. They will also require a _second_ transplanting. Those wanted for the retail trade are put a dozen in a box, three or four inches deep and 7 x 9 inches. Care must be taken not to let these plants run up tall. Always give all the air possible while keeping up the temperature, which should be from fifty to fifty-five at night. Get them outdoors as soon as the weather becomes settled, where they could be protected in case of a sudden late frost.

BEDDING PLANTS

Most of the plants used for flower gardens and lawn beds come under the three following cla.s.ses: (1) Those grown from seed; (2) those grown from cuttings; (3) those of a bulbous nature.

Almost all of the first group are sown in the spring in flats in the greenhouse. Two important exceptions, however, are pansies and English daisies (_Bellis perennis_). They are sown early in the fall, as already described, and the plants wintered over in a frame or protected outdoors. For the retail trade they are put up in small boxes or "pansy baskets" made for the purpose. While small plants, just beginning to bloom, are the best, it seems very hard to convince a customer of it and they will often choose a basket with four or five old plants loaded with bloom in preference to a dozen small ones.

Asters, alyssum, balsams, candytuft, celosia, coleus, dianthus (pink), lobelia, mignonette, petunias, phlox, portulaca, ricinus, salvia, verbenas, vinca, roses, zinnias, may all be started from seed. The greatest secret of success is to keep the plants from crowding, and keep pinched back to make bushy plants. Salvias and coleus are the tenderest of these plants. The others can go out to the frames, if room is scarce, as soon as the weather becomes settled.

PLANTS FROM CUTTINGS

The method of choosing and rooting cuttings has been outlined in a previous chapter (see page 29). In greenhouse work the main difference is that they are taken in much larger quant.i.ties. For this reason it is usually convenient to have a cutting bench instead of the flats or saucers used in rooting house plants. The bench should be three or four inches deep, filled with medium coa.r.s.e, gritty sand, or a substratum of drainage material. If possible, have it so arranged that bottom heat may be given--this being most conveniently furnished with pipes under the bench boxed in. (The temperature required for most cuttings will be fifty to fifty-five in the house with five to ten degrees more _under_ the bench.) The cutting bench should also be so situated that it readily may be shaded, as one of the most important factors of success is to prevent the cuttings from wilting at any time--especially just after placing in the sand. After rooting, the cuttings are put into small pots or flats as already explained.

Spring stock of some plants, such as geraniums, are rooted in the fall--September to November. Others, which make a quick growth, such as petunias, not until early in the spring,--last of January to April, but for the most part in February. In the former case, cuttings are taken just before frost from outside plants, or later from stock plants lifted and taken indoors; in the latter case, stock plants are taken in and carried through the winter in a more or less dormant or resting condition; being kept rather dry and started into active growth in January. The new growth furnishes material for cuttings, which are grown on as rapidly as possible.

The following plants are treated in one of the above ways; further details in any case may be found in the first part of the book:

Alternantheres Heliotrope Begonias, fibrous rooted Ice Plant Coleus Paris Daisy Cuphia Petunias Geraniums Salvias Ivy Geraniums Vincas German Ivy

BULBOUS BEDDING PLANTS

The bulbous plants are started directly in pots, or in flats and transferred to pots, as described in individual cases in the preceding pages.

Cannas, tall Cannas, dwarf flowering Dahlias Caladiums Tuberous rooted Begonias

are the sorts for which there is most demand.

CONCLUSION

Condensed as the latter part of this book has had to be, I trust it may give the reader a glimpse of the pleasure, and even of the possibility for profit, that is offered by the small home gla.s.s house.

Do not feel that because you cannot have a large greenhouse, with all the modern equipment, that it is not worth while to have any. Many of the large establishments in the country have grown from just such small beginnings as have been described or suggested here.

Possibly you would never be interested in the commercial side of your under-gla.s.s gardening, even though success crowned your efforts. There is not, however, any question about the fun and healthy pleasure to be had, and I can wish you no more gardening joy than that the coming year will find you with at least a modest amount of "home gla.s.s."

THE END