FOR AND AGAINST A HEATED FRAME
It is questionable whether it would pay the amateur home food-producer to go in for one or more heated frames. A heated frame is mostly used for raising plants in the early part of the year before the seed can be sown outdoors so that very early crops are obtained, and this branch of gardening is not advocated at the present time. A heated frame is one raised or rested on a 4-ft. thick pile of mixed horse manure and oak and beech leaves. Stable manure is practically unprocurable nowadays, so the use of a heated frame is automatically ruled out.
There is, however, a suggestion which might commend itself to the gardener who is able to obtain a small quantity of stable manure. This is to make a sunk pit instead of a heated frame. In most cases, however, it would be better to employ the manure for digging into the soil.
To make a sunk pit, dig a hole 21/2 ft. deep and 2 in. shorter and narrower than the area covered by the number of “lights” to be used. Line this with any rough, thick wood obtainable, extending the front 4 in. above ground level and the back 8 in., with the ends sloping from back to front. Prepare a mixture of stable manure and leaves, turning it over every day for a week, then put this into the pit to a depth of 18 in., compressing each layer as it is thrown in. Cover this with 3 in. of soil and then 5 in. of ashes, cinders or coconut fibre if seed-boxes are to be accommodated, or with 4 in. of soil if seeds are to be sown or seedlings planted.
Frames must be ventilated as weather conditions permit. This is done by raising the “lights” at one side—the side away from any wind that may be blowing. To do this, blocks of wood, cut in 1-in. steps, are needed. In unusually cold weather the temperature in a frame may be kept warm by putting a hot-water bottle, preferably metal, under it all night.
THREE TYPES OF FROST-PROOF GREENHOUSE
A heated greenhouse, that is, one in which a winter night temperature of round about 50 degrees F. can be maintained, is out of place on the war-time allotment, but a frost-proof one can be pressed into service and put to a good use for certain vegetable crops and for raising flowering plants for the decoration of the house.
There are three principal types of greenhouses—the span or gable, the three-quarter span, and the lean-to. The lean-to (higher at the back than at the front) is excellent when the north boundary consists of a wall, say, 8 ft. or 9 ft. high. The three-quarter span (Fig. 3) is recommended when the north wall is 6 ft. to 7 ft. high. Both of these types cost less than the span house, since one side can be dispensed with altogether, but the span greenhouse is the most practical. A useful size is 10 ft. or 12 ft. in length and 8 ft. to 10 ft. in width.
A greenhouse is allowed for in the layout (Fig. 1). If one is not erected the heap of leaf-mould with trellis-backed bed in front may be moved to the west boundary and the seed-bed and row of fruit trees or tomatoes extended to cover the extra space. In this case part of the seed-bed may be used for raising a few early vegetables or flowers for cutting.
TO BUILD AND EQUIP THE GENERAL-PURPOSE SHED
A tool-shed for storing the implements so that they are not left out in the open is a necessity on the allotment. If poultry, rabbits and bees are also kept as recommended, the tool-shed should be large enough to be used as a general-purpose shed. A convenient size is 16 ft. long by 8 ft. wide.
This shed need not be an expensive structure and, although made of surplus material, neither need it be unsightly. It should be lean-to in form, say, 6 ft. high at the back and 8 ft. high in front. There should be a door in the front—the centre is the best position—and large windows on each side.
Such a shed can be built of plywood obtained from tea-chests, timber from crates and boxes, composite board, or even a high-grade bitumen felt, on a framework of wood. Corrugated iron is a durable, not-too-expensive, roofing material. The corner uprights should be of 3 in. by 3 in. battens (natural poles of 21/2-in. or 3-in. diameter may be used if obtainable) and the intermediate uprights and the horizontals of 2 in. by 2 in. material, with 3 in. by 1 in. battens placed on edge for the rafters.
The exact positioning of the shed fitments is left to the individual, but one or two points may be briefly discussed.
1. Under each window there should be a table about 2 ft. in width, with a series of drawers below.
2. There should be plenty of hooks and nails on the walls, so that gardening tools and other articles may be hung up, with shelves above for storing some of the smaller utensils.
3. If any poultry food is stored in this shed, suitable bins can be made out of tea-chests, barrels or crates, but the most satisfactory container is the galvanised iron dustbin. If the shed floor is of natural earth the food receptacles should be stood on a slatted platform to preserve them from damp.
IN many districts the local authorities are taking over large tracts of land and converting them into allotments. As a general rule, the area is simply measured off into plots, and those who take them over have to do all the necessary “spade-work”; and spade-work it is, in very truth. Before dealing with the usual routine work connected with vegetable-growing it may be advisable to say something regarding the best way of turning a piece of rough land into an allotment.
Quite apart from the nature and texture of the land itself its condition must be considered. The new allotment site may be either a piece of old grassland or waste ground. These require rather different treatment to bring them into a productive state.
If the area of ground allotted to you consists of turfed land, the first job is to remove the sods. This means a considerable amount of work, but one is repaid handsomely, since the turves as they are removed can be heaped up in a corner of the plot and converted into an excellent manure substitute in about six months’ time. The turves and the soil below are almost certain, however, to be infested with wire-worms and similar pests, so thorough fumigation of the former as they are stacked up and of the latter when it is being dug is essential.1
HOW TO DISCOVER THE QUALITY OF THE SOIL
The next thing to do is to find out the nature of the soil, because the preparation of the allotment depends largely upon this. Two or three holes should be dug in different parts and the sides examined. It is quite easy to see how deep is the layer of top soil (this should be good) and what lies below, whether fairly good soil, gravel or clay.
The holder of a new allotment will find it best to put in a lot of work digging the whole plot at the start, so it is advised that full trenching should be adopted. There are two methods of full trenching2—working the soil to a depth of about 3 ft.—and which one should be followed must be decided when the nature of the soil is known.
If the top soil (this may be of any depth from a few inches to a foot) is vastly better than the subsoil (the second spit or foot) the ground should be trenched so that the top soil is kept on top and the subsoil beneath. If, however, the good soil goes down to a depth of 2 ft., the second method is better, in which case the top soil becomes the subsoil and the subsoil the top soil. Weather action thus benefits the former subsoil.
TO CLEAN THE LAND
As digging proceeds all stones should be collected and all deep-rooting perennial weeds like dandelions and plantains should be removed since, even if only bits of root are left in the ground, they will spring up again. These perennial weeds should be burned out-of-hand and not allowed to rot down.
If the site has previously been waste land the surface is sure to be covered with stones and other forms of rubbish—some