subject: Characteristics Of Soil For The Successful Plant Growth [print this page] The making of a garden of any kind is made easier if a simple sketch plan is drawn. Somehow seeing the thing on paper makes the ordering of the seeds and plants more exciting. By the time the first warm days of Spring arrive you are all set to get things under way in business-like fashion. Always provided that the plot is suitable for the purpose, it is surprising how much salad material can be raised on a small piece of ground, if crops are rotated properly. The smaller the patch, the more intensive the culture must be.
Of course, a salad garden is nothing more nor less than a highly specialized vegetable garden, and as such it should be reasonably level. The soil should have good depth and texture, and full sun and a good water supply are also "musts."
If these simple specifications can be met, the success of the venture is assured. As to the size of the plot, a piece of ground 15' x 20' will produce an abundance of lettuce of several varieties, esca rolle, curly-leaved chicory, cress, radishes, a limited number of trellis tomatoes, and an adequate variety of the basic herbs. On the other hand, with a little more space, 25' x 25' or 20' x 30', practically everything that might be wanted from early Spring to late Autumn by a genuinely salad-loving family can be produced.
The larger areas mentioned permit the growing of cucumbers, as well as some of the sprawly small-fruiting varieties of tomatoes like Red Cherry and Yellow and Red Plum; also beets, carrots and onions from seed - the red, yellow and white all being worthy members of the salad fraternity.
Clever rotation is important to the success of every limited area salad garden. Radishes are primarily a quick Spring and Fall crop, onions from sets are ready for the table in no time fiat, cress should be planted every 10 days for succession, chervil, - one of the most aromatic and delightful of all salad herbs - is usable in 45 days, and certain kinds of lettuce can be enjoyed 40 to 45 days from seed sowing.
