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 September.
Gather now (if ripe) your Winter Fruits, as Apples, Pears, Plums, &c. to prevent their falling by the great Winds: Also gather your Wind-falls from day to day: do this work in dry weather.
Release Inoculated2 Buds, or sooner, if they pinch.
Sow Lettuce, Radish, Spinage, Parsneps, Skirrets3, &c. Caully-flowers, Cabbagges, Onions, &c. Scurvy-grass4, Anniseeds, &c.
Now may you transplant most sorts of Esculent5 or Physical Plants, &c.
Also Artichokes and Asparagus roots.
Sow also Winter Herbs and Roots, and plant Strawberries out of the Woods.
Towards the end earth up your Winter Plants and Sallad Herbs; and plant forth your Caully-flowers and Cabbages which were sown in August.
No longer now defer the taking of your Bees, strengthening the entrances of such Hives as you leave to a small passage, and continue still your hostility against Wasps, and other robbing Insects.
Cider-making continues.
1 - olitory: Of or pertaining to, or produced in, a kitchen garden.
2 - inoculate: insert a bud for propagation, cause to propagate, as by grafting or layering.
3 - Sium sisarum, a sort of water-parsnip.
4 - Cochlearia species; a.k.a. Scurvy grass, Scurvygrass, or Spoonwort.
5 -esculent: Suitable for eating; edible.
3 comments:
I'm certainly continuing my hostility against wasps! They're quite bad this year. Does the Kalendarium ever mention slugs as I'm sure they've been taking over England this summer?!
It doesn't say anything about slugs, but it does mention snails.
April: "Gather up Worms and Snails, after evening showers; continue this after all Summer rains."
June: "Look to your Bees for Swarms and Casts; and begin to destroy Insects with Hoofs, Canes, and tempting Baits, &c. Gather Snails after Rain, &c."
July: "Look now also diligently under the leaves of Mural Trees for the Snails; they stick commonly somewhat above the Fruit: pull not off what is bitten; for then they will certainly begin afresh."
I can't believe that they didn't have slugs then. Maybe they just lumped them under the general heading of snails.
But it's still nice to know that they had the same battles!
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