MAY—1859, 1862, 1866, 1870, 1874—Farmer's Calendar Excerpts

#16
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-1859-

No land pays a higher interest than the humble, often-neglected garden. The quantity of vegetables which it can be made to produce almost exceeds belief; and farmers may well open their eyes when told that, under good management, two acres of a garden will be more profitable than twenty acres of a farm as usually cultivated. In the vicinity of cities and large towns the raising of vegetables for market is very lucrative, and any one can, by his own labor at odd times, secure an abundance of food for his family, which is as good as money saved.

[Thomas’s]

-1862-

A good kitchen-garden is one of the handiest things on the farm. There is nothing like garden-sauce to save the dollars at the store. You’ll be wanting green pease by-and-by, and early potatoes, and nothing is better than rhubarb sauce and rhubarb pies, either for health or relish, at this season.

[Thomas’s]

-1866-

You want a succession of pease, and it is a good plan to sow every two weeks, after soaking in warm water. The Dan O’Rourke and the Champion of England are standard early sorts, though many new ones are thrust upon the market almost every year. The dwarf varieties are hardy. Turnips and buckwheat may follow pease.

[Thomas’s]
.

-1870-

For planting corn, or other crops that are tender, or liable to be injured by the frost, it is better to wait till the ground is dry and warm; you lose nothing by waiting a little. Indian corn does well on a freshly turned sod, especially if a liberal coating of manure was turned under, and it has also some fertilizer in the hill. It is a rank feeder, and you can hardly give it too much.

[Thomas’s]

  

-1874-

Why don’t you set out an asparagus bed? Every farmer ought to raise a lot of asparagus of the very best quality. It is very healthful and nutritious. Get a hundred roots two or three years old, dig down a trench and manure a square rod or so, and set out a foot apart in rows, and when set out take good care of the plants. In two or three years, and ever after, you will have an abundant supply for the family.

[Thomas’s]
.

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I was curious to know if the Dan O'Rourke pea was still available. It is, but the only place I can find it is at an Irish seed company called Brown Envelope Seeds. This heirloom pea cultivar grows about two feet high and is known for maturing very early. I gather that the peas themselves are not large, but I suppose that in the Agrarian Nation, early peas (or pease) were more desirable than large peas. After all, they had no supermarkets with frozen or fresh peas available year round. Early peas were a big deal back then.

The Champion of England pea (a.k.a., Fairbeard's Champion of England) is also available but not widely. There is a great little story about how a seed company in England acquired and brought back this variety of pea that grows up to 10 feet high (click here to read the story). And I see that Champion of England pea seed is available from Seed Savers Exchange here in the U.S.  

As a little boy back in the 1960s, visiting my grandparents on their farm in northern Maine, I remember sitting on the stoop with my grandmother as she shelled peas for dinner. Fresh peas right out of the pod were something new to me and a real treat. I remember this because I ate too many and got a stomach ache. 

At that time, peas were a popular field crop up there. I remember fields of peas along with the many fields of potatoes, which Northern Maine is famous for.  I also recall a pea processing station down the road from my grandparent's place. It had a huge heap of rotting pea vines beside it and the smell was terrible.

On another personal note, I proposed to may wife, Marlene, while she was picking peas in her fathers garden, and we've been married now for more than 30 years.

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The next installment of Agrarian Nation will feature an excerpt from Thomas's farm almanac of 1830 about growing Sweet or Carolina Potatoes in Massachusetts.

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