Chap.III.
Of the sowing and ordering of all manner of Pot-hearbs.
When you haue prepared your ground, and cast your beds in an orderly fashion, as is before spoken, you shall then take your Séeds which Séeds would by no meanes be aboue a yéere olde: and hauing sorted them seuerally, euery one by it selfe, and appointed the beds which shall seuerally receiue them: you shall in this manner sowe your Pot-hearbs, which craue not much roote, because their onely benefit is in the leafe: take your séeds and put them into a wooden Tray, then take your Garden moulde, the finest that may be, being made almost as fine as ashes, and mixe your Séeds, and that mould very well together, then goe to the bedde where you meane to bestow them, and hauing newly rackt it (to stirre vp the fresh mould) with your hand sprinkle and sowe them all ouer the bed, so thicke as may be: which done, with a fine Rake, rake the bed gently ouer, then taking spare fine mould, put it into a ridling Siue, and sift it ouer the bed better then two fingers thickenesse, and so let it rest: thus you shall doe seuerally with euery séede one after another, bestowing euery one vpon a seuerall bed.
Of all sorts of Pot-hearbs.OfEndiueandSuccorie.
Now for your Pot-hearbs, which are most generally in vse, they be these:EndiueandSuccorie, which delight in moyst ground, and will endure the winter.Bleeteof which there be two kindes, Red and White: this Hearbe neuer néedeth wéeding, and if he be suffered to shed his séedit will hardly euer to be got out of a Garden.
Of Beets.
ThenBeets, which must be much wéeded, for they loue to liue by themselues, and if they grow too thicke you may take them vp when they are a finger long in their owne earth, and set them in another bed, and they will prosper much better.
Land-Cresses.
Then landCresses, which is both a good Pot-hearbe and a good Sallet-Hearbe: it loueth shadowie places, where the Sunne shineth least, and standeth in néed of little dung.
Parcely.
ThenParcely, which of all Hearbs is of most vse, it is longest in appearing aboue ground, and the elder séed is the quicker in growth, but not the surer; but eyther being once come vp increase naturally, and doe hardly euer decay: it cannot grow too thicke, but as you vse it you must cut off the toppes with your knife, and by no meanes pull vp the rootes: if it be put into a little pursse, and beaten against the ground, to bruise it a little before it be sowne, it will make it haue a large crisped leafe.
Of Sauory.
ThenSauory, of which are two kindes, the Winter-Sauory, and Summer, both delight in leane ground, and are quicke of growth, and long lasting.
Of Time.
ThenTime, of which are also two kindes, the runningTime, and the GardenTime: they delight in fertile ground, and from the séede are very slow of growth, therefore it is best euer to set them from the slip. The runningTimedoth delight in the shadow, but the GardenTimein the Sunne.
French Mallowes.
Then French-Mallowes, which will ioy in any ground, and are quicke of growth.
Cheruill.
ThenCheruill, which will not by any meanes grow with any other Hearbe.
Of Dill.
ThenDill, which may be sowne almost in any moneth of the yéere as well as March: it endureth all weathers, but loueth the warmth best.
Of Isop.
ThenIsop, which in like manner asTimeis, slow of growth from the séed, and therefore fitter to be set fromthe slips, after it hath once taken roote it encreaseth wonderfully, and will hardly be destroyed.
Of Mints.
ThenMints, which flourish onely in the Summer time, but dye in the Winter, it delighteth most in the moyst ground.
Violets.
ThenViolets, the leaues whereof are a good Pot-hearb, and the Flowers preserued in close glasse pots, with strong Wine-vinegar and Sugar, a most excellent Sallet: it doth delight to grow high, and will grow spéedely eyther from the plant or from the séed.
Of Basill.
ThenBasill, which would be sowne in the warme weather, as at the beginning of May, for the séed is tender, and when you haue sowne it, you shall presse the earth downe vpon it with your féet, for the séede can endure no hollownesse: if you sowe it at the fall of the Leafe, you shall sprinkle the séede with Vinegar, and when you water it let the Sunne be at his height.
Sweet Marioram.
Then swéetMarioram, which would be sowne on rich ground, and farre from Sunneshine, for it taketh no delight in his beames.
Marigolds.
ThenMarigolds, which renew euery moneth, and endure the Winter as well as the Summer: this Hearbe the oftner you remoue it, the bigger it groweth.
Of Strawberries.
ThenStrawberries, whose leaues are a good Pot-hearbe, and the fruit the wholesommest berry: this Hearbe of all other, would be set of the plant, and not sowne from the séed, for the oft changing and remouing of it causeth it to grow bigger and bigger: it groweth best vnder the shadowes of other Hearbes, but very sufficiently in beds, or else where.
Of Borage and Buglosse.
ThenBorageandBuglosse, both which are of one nature: they would be sowne in small quantity, for where they take they will runne ouer a whole Garden: the séed must be gathered when it is halfe ripe it is so apt to shed, and when you gather it you must plucke vp the stalkes, leaues & all, and so laying them one vpon another thrée or foure dayes, their own heat will bring the séed to ripenes.
Of Rosemary.
ThenRosemary, which is an Hearbe tender and curious, yet of singular vertue: it is soone slaine with frost or lightening: it will grow plentifully from the séede, but much better from the slip, it delighteth to be planted against some Wall where it may haue the reflection of the Sunne, for to stand vnpropped of himselfe, the very shaking of the winde will kill it.
Of Penyroyal.
ThenPenyroyall, which most properly is vsed to be mixt with Puddings, made of the bloud of Beasts, & Oatmeale: of it there be two kindes, Male and Female: the Male beareth a white flower, and the Female a purple: it must be sowne in small quantity, for it will runne and spread ouer-much ground: it delighteth most in moyst earth.
Of Leekes.
ThenLeekes, which would haue a fertile ground, and as soone as they be shot vp a good length you shall cut the blades to the polt, and then remoue the heads, and set them borderwise about your other beds: this remouing after the cutting off the blades, wil make them grow bigger, and prosper better, as for thrusting Oyster-shels or Tyle-shreads vnder them, to make the heads bigger, it is a toy, for if the mould be loose and good, the Léeke will come to his perfect growth: they may be sowne both in March, Aprill, May, and Iune, and they may be remoued all Iuly, August, September and October.
Of Onions.
ThenOnions, which differ not much from the nature of Léekes, they loue a fertile Soyle, and would be sowne with the séeds of Sauory: when they come vp if they grow too thicke, as is often séene, you shall plucke vp some and spend them in the Pot and in Sallets, to giue the rest more roome, and some you shall take vp and replant in other beds, which you may preserue for séede: thoseOnionswhich you would not haue to séede, you shall cut off the blades in the midst, that the iuyce may descend downeward, and when you sée the heads of theOnionsappearing aboue the earth, you shall with your féet tread them into the ground: there be some very well experienstHusbands, which will take the fayrest, goodliest and soundest Onions they can get, and in this moneth of March set them thrée fingers déepe in the earth, and these of all other bring forth the purest and best séede, for which purpose onely they are preserued: as soone as your séed-Onions are knotted, you shall vnderproppe them with square cradles, made of stickes, least the waight of the boules which carry the séede, should breake the blades.
Of gathering Onion-seede, or the Onion.
The time of gathering your séede is, when it is all turned purely blacke, and the time of gathering the Onions is, when the heads doe forsake the earth, after they be gathered you shall lay them on a dry floore for a fortnight, or more, and then binde them vp in ropes, and hang them where they may haue the ayre of the fire, onely note that shall gather your Onions in the increase of the Moone, as they were sowne, and not otherwise.
Many other Pot-hearbs there be, which for as much as they differ nothing, eyther in sowing, planting, or ordering, from these which I haue rehearsed, I will héere omit them, and thinke this sufficient, touching the sowing and ordering of all manner of Pot-hearbs.