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Garden Alamanac c. 1800

February


Work to be done in the Kitchen, Orchard and Fruit Gardens
These monthly directions come from Duncan MacDonald's
"The New London Family Cook", J Robins, London, first edition c. 1800

 

The Kitchen Garden

Plant out cucumber into small pots

Sow peas, beans, carrots, radishes lettuces etc.

Examine Cauliflower plants and lettuces

Draw up the earth to the stems of peas and beans

Sow melons for the first crop, as well mustard, cresses, radishes and celery.

Sow cucumber and melon seed every ten days

Sow cabbages and savoys.

Plant garlic, rocambole, chives, onions and shallots.

Trench the ground for the principal crops of onions, carrots, parsnips etc.

Sow cross and Silesia lettuces

Transplant winter lettuces

Sow scorzonera, salsafy, borage and marigolds etc.

Plant horseradish

Sow curled parsley

prepare ground for new asparagus beds.

PLant asparagus for forcing

Sow the general crop of onions, carrots, peas, beets and parsnips, and plant beans and potatoes etc.

Plant out cauliflowers from under glasses.

Plant out cucumbers when they have five rough leaves.

The Orchard and Fruit Garden

Repair espaliers

Finish pruning all sorts of fruit trees

Dig the ground among the young fruit trees

Plant cuttings of gooseberries and currants

Sow the kernels of apples and pears

Finish planting of fruit trees

Make drains in the orchard, to keep it dry

Destroy moss etc.

Take away the mats from before the fig trees

Plant out the stocks for budding and grafting

Earth up and water the strawberries on hotbeds

Graft at the end of the month.

 

Please also visit Old London Maps on the web as many of the maps
and views available there have plans and depictions of gardens from
the medieval period through to the late nineteenth century.

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