This section is from the book "Manual Of Gardening", by L. H. Bailey. Also available from Amazon: Manual of Gardening.
Sow seeds and transplant the plants on hand. This crop requires a soil well supplied with plant-food.
Plant seeds in the same manner as advised for cucumbers.
Sow seeds on sods and set out the plants next month.
Sow seeds of a number of varieties.
Peppers And Egg-Plants, if not sown last month, should be sown now. Sow them under glazed sashes and keep close. When the plants appear, give some air, and increase it according to the weather. If a large number of plants is required, the sowing may be delayed until next month. Should flea-beetles trouble you, use plenty of bordeaux on egg-plants.
The main crop should be planted as early as possible. Standard varieties are Early Rose, Peerless, and Burbank.
Run the cultivator through them at least once every three weeks; if they are to be mulched, collect the necessary material. Strawberries planted in February seldom yield much of a crop.
Sweet-Potatoes, can now be bedded and protected with canvas, or a row or two of whole tubers may be planted for "draws" and vines.
Tomatoes In Frames should be given all the air and light possible and plenty of room if protected with canvas, do not allow the plants to crowd.
Sow all varieties for a fall crop. As soon as the plants appear, the cultivator must be run through the crop, and kept going as often as necessary.
Continue to plant; and we recommend harrowing the patch as soon as the young corn appears. It is generally planted in hills 3 or 4 ft. apart, but better results will be obtained by planting in drills and leaving one stalk every 12 in.
Sow in hills 4 ft. apart, using a liberal quantity of seed to each hill. When the plants come up, thin them to about six in the hill. When the plants begin to get rough leaves, pull out one or two more from each hill. Striped cucumber-beetles are sometimes very numerous, and in order to get a stand of plants it is necessary to go through the patch early every morning and sprinkle all the hills with air-slaked lime.
Toward the end of the month the plants growing in frames may be transplanted to their fruiting quarters. Seed may be sown outside after March 15; sooner if a warm and sheltered spot is selected.
Sow in drills, and when the plants are large enough, thin to a foot apart. If transplanted at this season, they often go to seed.
A sowing may be made now, but the main planting would best be deferred until after March 15. Sow in drills 3 ft. apart and thin the plants to 18 in. apart in the drills.
Early varieties may be sown; it is now too late to sow tall-growing kinds.
Treat as advised for egg-plants.
It is not too late to plant them, but the sooner they are planted the better. The crop planted in February should be harrowed as soon as the shoots begin to come up, and when the rows can be fairly seen, the cultivator must be set to work to keep down weeds and grass.
Plant seed in hills 6 ft. apart. The directions for planting melons may be followed. The same remarks apply to pumpkins and other vegetables of this kind.
If slips or vines are at hand, they may be planted late in the month for the earliest tubers. The whole potatoes may be planted on a ridge to yield vines for later planting.
The mulching of beds or rows should be no longer delayed, if clean and plentiful fruit is wanted.
About March 15 the frame plants may go to their fruiting quarters. It is necessary to use some judgment in this matter, as they may be killed or injured by an April frost. Seed may be sown in the open ground for plants for late fruiting. Set the plants 4 ft. apart each way.
Alternantheras should go out now.
Annuals Of All Kinds may still be sown where they are to flower, as they transplant with difficulty at this season.
Plant out in the beds now. Cuttings root readily, simply requiring to be stuck in.
Beans Of All Kinds can be planted, limas especially.
Make another sowing.
Cabbage Plants obtained from spring sowings should be set out as soon as fit. The ground requires to be very rich to carry this crop.
These can be sown anywhere now.
Make a sowing to yield roasting ears to come in after that sown last month.
Sow in drills 3 or 4 ft. apart.
Make a sowing of early varieties for the last time.
Squash (Bush) And Pumpkin may now be planted.
Tomatoes should be got out to their fruiting quarters as early in the month as possible. Let them be set at least 4 ft. apart each way.
Plant a few more bush and pole beans.
Celery may now be started. The bed or box needs plenty of water, and should be shaded from sun.
Lettuce requires careful handling to encourage it to germinate. It is best sown in a box and kept shaded and moist.
Melons, cucumbers, squashes, and pumpkins may be sown.
Sow the yellow and white summer varieties.
It is a constant struggle with weeds throughout this month, and the cultivator and plow are ever going. As the land becomes vacant, sow corn or plant sweet-potatoes - draws or vines. Sow some late Italian cauliflower. Let the orchard have constant and thorough cultivation, and remove all unnecessary growth from the trees as soon as they appear. Be always on the lookout for borers. Keep the strawberries as free of grass and coco, or knob-grass, as possible.
 
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