Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Kalendarium Hortense - July

The Kalendarium Hortense was published by John Evelyn in 1683. It contains instructions for what a gardener should do throughout the year. The excerpt below is the list of what is to be done in the "Orchard and Olitory1 Garden" for the month of June.


Sow Lettuce, Radish, &c. to have tender Salletting.

Sow later Pease to be ripe six weeks after Michaelmas.2

Water young planted Trees, and Layers, &c. and reprune now Abricots and Peaches, saving as many of the young likeliest shoots as are well placed; for the now Bearers commonly perish, the new ones succeeding. Cut close and even, purging your Wall-fruit3 of superfluous leaves which hinder from the Sun; but do it discreetly.

You may now also begin to Inoculate.4

Let such Olitory-herbs run to seed as you would save.

Towards the latter end, visit your Vineyards again, &c. and stop the exuberant shoots at the second joynt above the fruit (if not finished before;) but not so as to expose it to the Sun, without some umbrage.

Remove long-sided Cabbages planted in May, to head in Autumn; 'tis the best Cabbage in the World.

Now begin to streighten the entrance of your Bees a little; and help them kill their Drones, if you observe too many; setting the new invented Cucurbit-Glasses of Beer mingled with Honey to entice the Wasps, Flies, &c. which waste your store. Also hang Bottles of the same Mixture near your Red-Roman Nectarines and other tempting fruits, for their destruction; else they many times invade your best Fruit.

Look now also diligently under the leaves of Mural Trees5 for the Snails; they stick commonly somewhat above the Fruit: pull not off what is bitten; for then they will certainly begin afresh.


1 - olitory: Of or pertaining to, or produced in, a kitchen garden.

2 - the feast of St. Michael, which occurs on September 29th.

3 - fruit borne by trees trained against a wall.

4 - inoculate: insert a bud for propagation, cause to propagate, as by grafting or layering.

5 - Wall trees, see note #3.




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