Were I writing to Nova Scotians, I ought not to omit to give instructions as to which end of the Asparagus the eater ought to use; for, I know a gentleman of that country, who, being at New York, on his first trip from home, began eating at the stem in place of the point.

Writing, as I now do, to those, whose country produces, with the least degree of trouble, the finest Asparagus that I ever saw, and probably the finest in the world, no description of the plant, or of its uses, is necessary. But, some remarks on its propagation and cultivation are not wholly unnecessary; for, though it demands less trouble in America than elsewhere, it demands some; and, in proportion as it is valuable and esteemed, it is desirable that the means of procuring it should be well and generally understood.

It is propagated from seed. Gather the seed, when it is dead ripe. Sow it thinly in drills a foot asunder, and two inches deep, three weeks, or about, before the frost sets in. Press the earth well down upon the seed and, as soon as the frost sets in, but not before, cover the ground with muck, or litter, a foot deep, and lay some boards, or poles, to prevent its blowing off.

As soon as the frost breaks up in the spring, take <!–more-memberlock–>off the litter; and you will have the plants quickly up. When the plants are fairly up, thin them to four inches asunder; for, they will be four times as strong at this distance as if they stood close.

Keep them clean, and hoe deeply between them all the summer.
To have beds of Asparagus, there are two ways of going to work: first, sowing the seed in the beds, at once; and, second, making the beds, and removing the plants into them. It is desirable to have the beds about four feet wide, that you may cut the asparagus by going in the paths between them, and not trample the beds.

As to the first method, if the soil have a dry bottom, trench in the manner described earlier in a previous article; but, in this case, where there is a root always penetrating downward, do not content yourself with a clean trench two feet deep; but, before you turn your top earth into this trench, put some good manure into it, and dig it into this bottom part; and then you will have manure at two feet and nine inches from the surface.

Your ground being ready, lay out your beds, four feet wide, with a path two feet wide between each two beds. In the fall, having made all the ground right strong with manure, draw the earth to six inches deep from the top of the beds into the paths, which will then form high ridges.

Then draw your drills afoot apart, and sow your seed, as before directed. When they are up, in spring, thin them to a foot apart. Thus you will have them a foot apart all over the bed. Keep the plants clean all summer; and, when the haulm is yellow in the fall, cut them off near, or close, to the ground; but, let the haulm be quite dead first; yet, do it before the frost actually sets in.

When you have cut off the haulm, lay some litter upon the bed till spring, to prevent the frost from being too long coming out of the ground in spring.

When the frost breaks up, throw some wood ashes, or, some other manure about an inch deep over the bed, having first loosened the top of the bed with a fork.

Upon this manure, throw earth over the bed, out of the paths, three inches thick, and break it very fine at the time. In the fall, cut down the haulm again as before; repeat the winter operation of littering; and, in the spring again fork up, put on ashes or good mould, and the other three inches deep of earth out of the paths.

Thus you bring the beds to be an inch or two higher than the paths; and this year, if your work have all been well done, you may have some asparagus to eat.

The next fall, and every succeeding fall, cut down the haulm and cover with litter as before; and, in the spring, of this third year, put on ashes again, or other fine manure, and throw over the beds the earth that will come out of the paths dug six inches deep.
This will make the paths six inches lower than the beds, and that is a great convenience for weeding, and for cutting the Asparagus. After this, you are to cut down the haulm in the fall, cover with litter during winter, fork up and occasionally manure in the spring, to keep the ground constantly free from weeds, to dig the paths up every fall, and keep them clear from weeds in summer.

The second method of making the beds is, to begin with plants, instead of seed. The plants (raised as above stated) may be planted in the beds at one year old, or older, if it so happen.

Plant them at the same depth that is pointed out for depositing the seed. And, in all other respects, proceed as in the case of a bed begun with seed. As to the time of beginning to cut, some say the third year, some the fourth, and some even the fifth. There can be no fixed time; for, so much depends on the soil and treatment. Asparagus, like other things, ought to be used when it comes in perfection, and not before.

All that has here been said proceeds upon the supposition that the soil has a dry bottom. If a wet bottom, sow, or plant, at the top of the ground, and, in all other respects proceed as in the case of a dry bottom; except, that the earth to cover the bed with must, time after time, be dug out of the paths, which will, at last, make the paths into ditches, three feet deep from the tops of the beds.

By these means the roots of the plants will be kept some years longer from reaching the cold, sour soil, at the bottom; for, whenever they reach that, the plants, like all others, cease to flourish, and begin to decay.

As to the time that asparagus beds will last, that depends on the soil. Having a dry bottom and good management, they will probably last three generations, and if that be not enough to compensate the trouble of making them, it would be difficult to find a compensation.

The general cause of the decay of Asparagus beds is, negligence; and, particularly, the want of attention to keep them clear of weeds, which, without doubt, are the greatest enemies of the plants.

These send their roots down deep; but, they rely also on the ground at the surface. The Lucerne, which will send its roots down thirty feet into a dry bottom, and will live in vigor for an age, if kept clean at top; will, though in the best and most suitable soil in the world, perish in a few years, if grass and weeds be suffered to grow amongst it on the surface.

Sea sand, where it can be had, is as good as ashes, except the beds are very near the sea; and there it is of little use. With regard to sorts, I do not know that there is any difference, except such as climate produces. It is very certain,
that, to whatever cause owing, the Asparagus here, though so little care is, in general, taken of it, is far superior to that in England.

From our frequently meeting with it at a great distance from all houses, there is reason to suppose, that it is a natural weed of the country; and, therefore, it may differ from the English sort, as the Charlock and some other weeds do.

In England the Charlock has a leaf like that of the white turnip; here it has a leaf the color of that of an early York cabbage; that is to say, of a blue green color. There may be a difference between the Asparagus of America and that of Europe: at any rate, I will ascertain the fact; for I will carry some seed to England.

As to the space which the beds ought to occupy, that must depend on the size of the family, who are to eat the Asparagus. Plenty, however, is always a blessing when the commodity is a good one. About six beds across one of the Plats will be sufficient for any family. They might be at the west end of Plat, No. 6, that being the warmest. Asparagus may be had in winter with the greatest facility.

There are but few things that are worth the trouble of a hotbed for the purpose of having them to eat in their opposite season; but, Asparagus is worth it. And this is the way to have it for the table, even in February, that month of snow and of north westerners.

Sow some seed in the garden, in the manner before described, the rows a foot asunder, and the plants four inches apart in the row. Keep them clean, and manure them the first year. Cut the haulm off in the fall. Do not cover them during winter. In the spring fork up the ground, manure it again; and, in the fall cut off the haulm again.

Just before the frost sets in, take up as many plants as you will want for your hot-bed. Dig each plant up without tearing it about; and put them all carefully on a cellar floor, cover them over about half a foot thick with fresh ground, and lay some straw upon that to prevent the earth from drying too much.

In January prepare dung for a hot-bed. When the heat has sufficiently risen, put on earth. Upon this earth put your plants, straightening out their roots in every direction. Let the crowns of the roots be about 7 inches apart all over the bed, which, being a bed four feet wide and nine feet long, will contain 180 plants.

Cover the plants over with fine earth, so that the surface of this earth be six inches above the crowns of the plants. Proceed as to air, shelter, and covering, in the same way as directed for the cabbage plants.

In about twelve, or fourteen days, you may begin to cut asparagus for the table; and, if you take proper cares and keep your heat up by a lining, you may have a regular supply for a month, When the plants have done bearing here, they are of no use, and may be thrown away.

Of all the things that are forced in hot-beds, none give so little trouble as Asparagus, and none is so well worth great deal of trouble.

In most parts of the country, gardeners are weeding and tending to their gardens because after all spring is for planting. Not so, in many parts of Arizona. Here, spring time is for harvesting and getting ready for fall planting.

The hot summer months, especially in areas like the East Valley, most vegetables can’t withstand the heat. However, there are a few that will do well with an early to late spring planting, as suggested by Leslie Honaker, master gardener and co-owner of Garden Territory at the Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix. These include squash, radishes, zucchini, eggplant, <!–more-memberlock–>cucumber, tomatoes, okra, peppers, some beans. Some fruits such as watermelons and cantaloupe can also be planted, and their vines provide shade for other plants.

These summer growing plants will need extra care to survive. They’ll require more water than in other seasons – be sure to watch for the telltale signs of drooping leaves. Plants are much less forgiving in extreme temperatures, so allowing the ground to dry out may mean the death of your seedling. A drip watering system is more effective than a spray system, especially in hot temperatures. The water in the latter versions tends to evaporate, decreasing the amount of moisture absorbed by the plant. Early morning watering also provides the plants with adequate moisture to take them through the day and will also decrease the amount of evaporation experienced in late afternoon watering.

Plants should also be blocked from the harsh rays of direct sunlight. Just as plants require protection from frost, in temperatures over 100 degrees, they will require a source of shade. Try using a shade cloth with 50 percent reduction.

Don’t expect plants to thrive the way they do in more moderate temperatures, but with extra care, they should produce hardy crops.

Here are some of the special care requirements as they relate to specific varieties of fruits and vegetables.

Tomatoes: Tomato cages are not effective in this climate as the delicate fruit is exposed directly to the hot sun. Instead, create a wire cage, 2 to 3 feet in diameter to contain each plant. They will form a canopy of leaves for protection. The best planting time is mid-February or mid-March, once there is no longer a threat of frost. Select varieties with maturity dates from 65 to 70 days to avoid the extreme temperatures.

Apply a 50 percent shade cloth and mulch around each plant once temperatures reach 100 degrees. Water regularly, giving the plants a good soak rather then periodic short watering which may cause the tomatoes to dry out.

Melons: Plant by mid March or April, and once the soil has warmed up to about 70 to 95 degrees. Plant in hills, 4 feet apart, and allow plenty of space for the vines to roam. The melons will do better on the ground than on a trellis where the foliage has a tendency of drying out more quickly. They require plenty of compost tea or other organic fertilizer. Next year, replace depleted nutrients in the soil by planting beans or peas in this spot.

Cucumbers: These plants are fairly easy to take care of, but they do require a lot of water. It’s safe to plant them once the soil has reached a temperature of 65 degrees. Be sure to combine plenty of compost or other organic material with the clay soil to increase drainage.

Sweet corn is a summer favorite for everyone. We all have fond memories of eating corn on the cob at summer picnics and grill-outs; it is an essential summer side dish. Many gardeners regard sweet corn as a garden staple that they cultivate every year. But, homegrown corn may not be the best crop for all of us. In this article, we’ll explain the basics of growing your own sweet corn at home, and how to determine if this tasty vegetable is right for your garden.

The first and most important consideration in growing sweet corn is space. If you are lacking for planting area, or if you prefer to garden in containers, then sweet corn is probably not the crop for you. Corn is pollinated by wind, meaning that it’s essential to plant it in blocks at least four rows wide. If corn is planted in one long, single row, you’ll get a disappointingly low yield of edible ears.

Corn is a crop with sufficient water and nutrient needs. When planting corn, be sure to work a good fertilizer that’s high in nitrogen into the soil. Throughout the growing period, add additional <!–more-memberlock–>side dressings of an all purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer, as needed. Corn should be watered regularly. During the three or four week period from pollination to harvest, the plants should receive at least one inch of water per week. Setting up a drip irrigation line may aid in this process, and will also ensure that you don’t disturb the plants too much during the pollination process.

Corn is a vegetable that requires a long, hot growing season. Corn plants are easily killed by frost, and prolonged temperatures below 40 degrees will seriously injure the crop. For best results, corn requires a growing season of 75 to 90 days of temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees. Of course, very few climates will meet this ideal, but it’s usually possible to successfully grow corn in all regions ranging from Mexico to Canada, provided that the seeds are not planted too early in the year.

To get a head start on your corn, seeds can be planted indoors as early as a couple weeks before the last frost date. Once the seedlings are at least two inches tall, you can plant them outdoors, being careful not to disturb the roots. Corn seeds can also be sowed directly into the garden, if you want. Whether sowing indoors or out, you can help the seeds germinate more quickly by soaking them overnight in room temperature water before planting.’t germinate or those that might be eaten by birds or other garden pests.

It’s important to harvest sweet corn immediately before cooking it. Sweet corn has a very high sugar content, which begins to convert to starch very rapidly after the ears are harvested. Sweet corn purchased in the grocery store, which is what many people are accustomed to eating, has very low sugar content relative to freshly picked ears. This is one of the reasons why homegrown sweet corn is an extra special treat.

In short, the most important keys for growing sweet corn are plenty of space and a long and warm growing season. There are many varieties to choose from, and modern hybrids will give you greater disease resistance and higher yields. If you enjoy gardening and have never grown sweet corn before, why not give it a try? By following our simple steps, you’ll produce an excellent crop, and you may decide that this is one vegetable that’s worth growing year after year.