PROFITABLE INSRVCTIONS FOR THE MANVRING Sowing and Planting of Kitchin Gardens Very profitable for the common wealth and greatly for the helpe and comfort of poore people Gathered by Richard Gardiner of Shrewsberie Imprinted at London by Edward Allde for Edward White dwelling at the little North doore of Paules at the signe of the Gunne 1603. The Author his Preface to his louing neighbours and friends within the towne of Shrewsburie in the Countie of Salop. R. G. wisheth all happines and felicitie in Christ Iesus RIght welbeloued in Christ Iesus neighbours and friends of this my natiue soile of Shrewsburie I wish you all felicitie and happinesse in the true knowledge of our redemption in the merrits of our onely Sauiour Iesus Christ to whom with the Father the holy ghost be all honor praise and thankes for euermore Beloued it is generallie knowne vnto all men in this towne that I haue euer in good minde desired the prosperity of the same and in all good actions to my power and knowledge haue preferred the same without desire of lucre or gaine thereby and did alwayes desire to doe the vttermost of my skill as well to the common causes as also to priuate mens workes and now in my olde age or last daies I would willingly take my last farewell with some good instructions to pleasure the general number as for spiritual instructions and good aduertisments therein I leaue you to the good admonitions of the godlye Clergie and to your good proceedings in the same which God graunt for his mercies sake Amen Amongst all the practises knowledges and experiences which euer I receiued from Gods mercies in temporal blessings I doe vndoubtedly perswade my selfe that my practise and experience in GardeÌ„ stuffe or the good benefits therein dooth best benefit helpe and pleasure the generall number of people better then any other practise that euer I tooke in hand in temporall causes whatsoeuer And therefore good neighbors and friends of this my natiue soile accept this my short and simple penning of this my practise and experience in Gardening causes heerein mentioned And if any other man now or heereafter finde occasion to better in writing any thing which I haue omitted for want of full perfection by experience therein I doe most hartily desire him that so shal finde cause to better any thing omitted by me or amend any thing by me penned so to doe that God may be glorified in his good gifts the generall number the better comforted and the poore the better releeued with Garden stuffe whereas yet in this Countie of Salop Gardening stuffe is to small purpose but I hope in God as time shall serue my good beginning will be an occasion of good proceedings therein and no doubt bâ—loued if any man will hartily desire to doe good in these actions then vaine fruitlesse and superfluous things may bee taken out of good Gardens and sundry good commodities to pleasure the poore planted therein then no doubt the Almightie God will the better blesse your encrease and blesse your walking in your Garden in that minde and then no doubt but your good conscience will delight you as well as the great blessings that God will blesse the Garden withallâ— Then shall you no doubt visibly beholde in your Garden the blessed fauour and mercy of ouâ— most mercifull God to your euerlasting comfort not onely in the great increase there to beholde but also other wayes to your great comfort which I omit at this pâ—esent And when you make sale to the poore consider you are the Lords Stewards to sell with consciencesâ— and to lend and giue also doe it willingly for we haue the vnfallable promise of God for double recompence if we so fauourablie will performe to all and specially to the poore and needy which God graunt for his mercies sake wee may haue grace to doe and also to haue â— speciall care to satisfie content or pay the tithes thereof to the ministers of the holy worde and not to suffer a bad custome to corrupt the conscience therein which God forbid And also I desire thee good reader to beare with my grosse and simple penning in so good a cause and willingly to accept my good will therein And in so dooing I shall thinke my trauail herein to be well bestowed and my good purpose the better performed which God graunt for his mercies sake Amen Edward Thorne Gent. in commendation of the worke and the Author thereof HE that desires with skilfull hand to frame a Garden plot And to manure and make it apt For Herbes that serue the pot Or choise to make of seeds and Plants and best of both to know And them in seasonable time to plant to set and sowe Let him peruse this little Booke which vndertakes the charge Of all the fore reciteâ— points to shew the course at large Of Carrets first and Cabbage close and how to keepe them sound And Parsâ—ips also to preserue and Turnips faire and round Of Lettice next and garden Beanes and Onions of the best Of Coucombers and Artichockes and Radish with the rest These and such other hearbes and seedes hath Gardner in good will Vnto Sallopiâ—n neighbours his entreateâ— of with skill His talent lent hâ— doth not hide if all were vnderstood But sets it foorâ—h with willing minde to doe his neighbours good The poore which late were like to pine and could not buy them breade In greatest time of penury were by his labours fed And that in reasonable rate when Corne and coine was scant With Parsnep and with Carret rootesâ— he did supply their want The rich likewise and better sorte his labours could not misse Which makes them many times to thinke that Salop London is Then rich and poore in friendly sorte giue Gardner all his due Who shewes himselfe in all his acts so kinde a friend to you And wish as he doth well deserue his welfare and his health That hath so greatly profited Salopians common wealth Hovv to make choyce of the best Carrets to plant for good seedes and how and when to plant them AFter the Sun his entring into Libra about the twelfth of September then prepare your ground readie to set your Carrets for seede make choice of the fairest Carrets and best yellow colours to the number as you will set your beds being made ready before you take vp yâ— Carrets euery bed being a yard and a quarter broad then set your carrets in two rowes one rowe on either side the bed sixe or seauen inches from the edge of the bed and full three quarters of a yard one from another Then haue you nothing to doe with them vntill about the last of Aprill at which time they will bee growne about a yard in height then you haue neede to take care of them for the winde will easily breake them by the ground then must you prepare some kinde of packe-threed or lynen threed to â—et about them as a girdle about two foote
thing This loue required of vs doth consist in few words that is Loue God aboue all things thy neighbour as thy selfe To loue God aboue all thinges is humbly to giue him most hearty thankes for our creation our redemption in the merits of our onely sauiour Iesus Christ and also to loue him in a heartie desire to obey him in the precepts conteined in his most holy worde and also to loue him for all his benefits both spirituall temporall to loue him for his wonderfull prouidence of heauen earth and all that is therin for the helpe comfort of mankinde and to loue thy neighbor as thy selfe is to cherish him and courteously to admonish and intreate him to auoid sinne and to comfort him with those blessings which the Lorde hath made thee steward of for that purpose and when the Lord calleth thâ—e to make accompt of thy Stewardship if thou willingly doe endeuour thy selfe to performe the loue aforesaid then true faith and true repentance will bring thee as it were hand in haÌ„d to the presence of the Lord where thou shalt make a ioyfull accompte onely accepted in the merrites of Christ Iesus This is the totall summe of thy Stewardship whatsoeuer thou bee and if thou careleslye omit to doe thy office heerein thou makest a hard accompt for thy selfe which God forbid if it bee his good pleasure therein And therefore loue God aboue all thinges and thy neighbour as thy selfe And then I shal surely and effectuallye haue my desire heerein and greatly for the profit of the common wealtâ— And thus I desire thee good Reader to take in good parte this my last farewell to my natiâ—e soyle of Shrewsburie except I be urged in conscience further to procéede as cause and time dooth require therein and for the better â—xpelling of sinne which is the onely hindrance of all good workes let vs humbly end with hartie prayer to our heauenly Father as followeth O Heauenly Father haue mercie vpon this common-wealth and congregation graunt that we doe not resist nor quench thy holy spirit any longer but that we may vtterly aboâ—ish and â—orsake contâ—nt oÌ„ ambition â—aine glory and al manner of crueltie periuerie smâ—oth disâ—eÌ„bling ipocrisie all other greeuoâ—s sinnes daylyeÌ„ committed against â—ay deuine Maieâ—tie Graunt alâ—o O heauenly Father that the Pâ—eaâ—â—erâ— distributers of thy holy word gospel haue not cause any loÌ„ger to mourne lament and greeâ—e in that they cannot preuaile against these notorious sinnes aforesaid many otherâ— daily committed not in the space of â—ortie yeares past to any good purpose wheâ—eby sinne is growne to be rotten ripe dayly vrging the presence of thy iudgemeÌ„ts against vsâ— and graunt likewise if it be thy good pleasureâ— that our owne great number of bookes wherin thy holâ— word is conteined by thy great mercie we doe possâ—sse thâ—m in peace many yeares past that they be notwitnes against vs in the day of thy feareful visitâ—â—ion Graunt also for thy mercies sake that all thâ—se which do seeme to professe thy holy worde and Gospel may also truely effectually practise tâ—e same in their liues and conuersatioÌ„ without shameleâ— ipoâ—â—sie or blinde selfe louâ— O Lord behoulde and reforme the grâ—at mâ—ltitude of seditious persons that haue presumed into the place of auncient peâ—ceâ—makers whereby thy holy word and Gospell hath taken sâ—all effect in â—his commâ—â— wealth for maâ—y yeares past by reason thereof O Lorde reâ—orme their abuses shorten theiâ— contentious proceediâ—gs for thâ—ne elect sake Graunt also O heauenly fathâ—r that vâ—fained loue charitie may possesse the hearts of all men that sedition and bâ—inde selfe loue may be vâ—terlye vanquished vnto Sathan from whence it dooth proceede into the hearts of tâ—e vngodly against the true peace of thy holy worde and Gospel Grace mercy and peace from God our heauenly Father bee with vâ— all now and euermoâ—e Amen FINIS
common wealth is the large round Turnep which are but of late come to this Countie of Salop The best way to haue excellent seedes of those Turneps is thus Make the beds a yard and quarter broade then choose the onely round and faire rootes and set them thrée quarters of a yarde one from another two rowes in a bed These seedes will not abide or brooke any binding or supporting of them but your best way is to let them growe in their owne kinde and let them fall to the earth as they will by nature and when the séedes doe begin to be ripe take heede for sundrie kindes of birdes will deuoure it kéepe it with nettes or otherwise which I omit to your beâ—t consideration therein and when the seedes be fully ripe cut them and drie them to your purpose your best time to set them for séedes is in the new of the Moone in October or Nouember The best meanes to haue principall Lettice seedes which will be both great hard and white Cabadge Lettice THere be sundrie kindes of Lettice the one is principal the other two are indifferent and the fourth is the wild Lettice The best are very white seedes the second are russet white séedes and are callad Lumbard Lettice the third are black seedes some of al these three sorts wil close but the perfect white is the best This sort is to bee chosen and the seedes thereof to be sowed and when the Lettice are young and smal then you must take the wéedes cleane from them and also you must wéede so many of the Lettice away vntill they be two or thrée inches a sunder and wheÌ„ those remaining do touch almost one another then draw away more of them vntil they be 6. or viii inches a sunder then they must growe vntill they be closed and if there be any which seeme that they will not close take them away and let those which are best closed remaine for Séedes and so from yeare to yeare euer choose the best closed for seede and you shal haue such Cabadge or closed Lettice by these meanes in two or three yeares the best that may bee had This being mine own order for close Lettice séede I commonly haue such Lettice that many doe say there are not the like to be had in London or so good The manner of sowing or times when to soweâ— I omitte vntill in order in this my treatise it shall more at large appeare The best way to obtaine seede Beanes for Gardens THere be thrée kindes of Beanes whereof there is but one perfect good for Gardens that is the great and large white Beane and when your Beanes are fully ripe choose yearely the greatest of them for séede and you shall finde great profit in so doing if you haue cause to sowe many of them and your Beanes will prooue very profitable in the common wealth For to haue good Onion seedes ABout the first of Februarie when you perceiue the extremity of wintâ—r to be past and the weather somewhat faire then take your Onions set them â—or séedes in the new of the Moone where the Sun is alwaies to shine in his course both Winter and Summer and when they growe high dresse them with rises or roddes â—or breaking with winde and when the seede is ripe dry it well in the heate of the Sunne then let it remaine with the pulse or refuse till after the first of Februarie I desire that all which would sow Onion or others aforesaid in Gardens to prouide séedes of their own growing not to be deceiued yearely as commonly they be to no small losse in generall to all this Land by those which bee common sellers of Garden seedes I cannot omitte nor spare to deliuer my minde concerning the great and abhominable falshoode of those sortes of people which sell Garden seedes consider thus much admit that all those which be deceiued in thys land yéerely in buying of olde and dead séedes for their gardens had made their accompts of their losses First their money paide for false and counterfeit seedes their great losses in manuring and trimming their Gardens and the rents paide for Gardens throughout this land then consider how many thousands are yeerely deceiued in this manner by them and also consider howe many thousand poundes are robbed yeerely from the common wealth by those Catterpillers I doe vndoubtedly perswade my selfe if a true accompt might bee had thereof those that doe willingly deceiue others by false séedes doe robbe the common wealth of a greater summe then all other the robbing théeues of this whole land doe by much and more worthie in conscience to be executed as the most notorious théeues in this land one other profession of people excepted And although the lawes of this realme as yet take no holde whereby to punish them the almighty God doth beholde their monstrous deceipt and except those doe repent with speed both God and man will abhorre them as outragious théeues The Almightie God turne their hearts or confound such false procéedinges against the common wealth And also I would wishe all those that are seede sellers would haue a care to sell good sâ—edes for Gardens and would also haue a care to sell in reasonâ— and conscience for the dearth of Seedes for Gardens is a great hindrance to the profit of Gardens and a great losse to the common wealth Also my good wil shall not be wanting to do good therin whiles it shal please God that I doe remaine heere in this life his holy will be done at his good pleasure There be many other séedes do belong to gardens of lesse accompt so common in vse that I purpose to omit leauing them to the practise of others which vse Gardens because I desire not to bee tedious but to procéede to my speciall purpose in those causes which best do concerne and benefit the common wealth which God graunt for his mercie sake And before good seedes prouided as aforesaid be vsed or sowed in any garden I wish you to prepare to mucke or make your garden sufficient rank to receiue such séedes as is conuenient or els you make spoile of good seedes to your owne losse and then shall you misse greatly the profit of your garden in your house keeping you must haue a speciall care to mucke wel your garden once in two yeares or else you shall lose more in the profit of the Garden then the mucke is worthe by much if your Garden be pared and made cleane from weedes about the first of Nouember then it is good to lay your mucke thereon all Nouember and till the midst of December and if you can so prepare your garden in this time as aforesaid then it is best for to fallow or digge it so farre as you haue so mucked and in so doing your Gardens will be most excellent to receiâ—e good seedes in the last end of February or in March according to the nature of the séedes therein
daies and but onelie water to drinke They had commonly sixe waxe poundes of small close Cabedges for a penny to the poore Aud in this manner I did serue them and they were wonderfull glad to haue them most humbly praising God for them And because I did manifestly see and knew that so littlâ— gardeÌ„ ground as lesse then foure ackers did this great effect in the common wealth and especially in helping thâ— poore thereby Therefore I desire all good and godly people to accept of my good will therein and to put in practise this my experience and knowledge herein mentioned And then I haue my wished desire That the Almighty GOD may be glorified in his owne workes and the poore the better relieued thereby and thus for Gods loue and your owne profit also And if any person desire to know of one further then I haue héerein expressed if you come to me I hope you shall not want your desire for as I was willing to write so am I willing to instruct as many as will request my good will therein most willingly while it please God I remaine in this mortall life to the end And thus the Almighty GOD blesse your good proceedings therein It is not vnknowne to the Citty of London and many other townes and cities on the sea coast what great aboundance of carrets are brought by forraine nations to this laÌ„d whereby they haue receiued yéerely great summes of mony and commodities out of this land and all by carelesnes of the people of this realme of England which do not endeuor themselues for their owne profits therein but that this last dearth and scarsitie hath somewhat vrged the people to prooue many waies for their better reliefeâ— whereby I hope the benefit of Carret rootes are profitable I will reueale my knowledge héerein and first the vse of them amongst the better sort by the Cookes The Cookes will take Carrets deuided in péeces and boile them to season their stewed broth and doth wonderfull well therein as dayly is knowne in seruice to the better sort Also Carret rootes are boyled with powdred béefe and eaten therewith and as some doe report a fewe Carrets do saue one quarter of béefe in the eating of a whole beefe and to be boyled and eaten with Porke and all other boyled meat of flesh amongst the common sort of people amongst the poorer sort also Carrets of red colours are desired of many to make dainty sallets for roast Mutton or Lambe with Uineger and Pepper Also Carrets shred or cut small one or two of them and boyled in pottage of any kinde doth effectually make those pottage good for the vse of the common sort Carrets well boyled and buttred is a good dish for hungrie or good stomackes Carrets in necessitie and dearth are eaten of the poore people after they be well boyled instéed of bread and meate Many people will eate Carrets raw and doe disgest well in hungry stomackes they giue good nâ—urishment to all people and not hurtfull to any whatsoeuer infirmities they be diseased of as by experience doth prooue by many to be true Carrets are good to be eaten with salt fish Therfore sowe Carrets in your Gardens and humbly praise God for theÌ„ as for a singuler and great blessing so thus much for the vse and benefit had in the common-wealth by Carrets Admit if it should please God that any City or towne should be besieged with the enemy what better prouision for the greatest number of people can bee then euery garden to be sufficiently planted wâ—th Carrets I doe desire al people which haue cause to sell Garden fruites or séedes to the vse of others that they would sell in reason and conscience and for thier better instrâ—ctions I haue heerein mentioned a bréefe rate how they may well be offorded and soulde and how I doe make sale of fruites and seedes to others as heerein is expressed And so long as it shall please God I doe remaine in this mortall life I will be ready to performe the same to the vttermost of my power in good will to the benefit of the common wealth and especially to the poore inhabitants of tâ—is towne of Shrewesburie The price of Carret seedes of both the beâ—t kindes that is to say the large yellow Carret and the great shorte yellow Carret the best and fairest roots chosen to set to beare seedes as before is expressâ—d my price of those principall Carret seedes is after the rate of two shillings the waxe pound without deceipt Large yellow Carrets of those two best kindes after the rate of two pence the stone ten waxe waights to euery stone and also the like large Carrets which I 〈◊〉 â—â—epe and preserue in sande as aforesaid til Ianuarie Feâ—ruâ—â—y and Marche my price is iii. pence the stoâ—e The small roots of yellow Carrets of both the best kinds all the rate oâ— siâ—e waxe pounds for a penney Principall close Cabadge séeds after the rate of iiii d the ounce the which seedes are hardly saued in this câ—unâ—â—e of Salop for being deuoured with birds Faire and large close Cabadges after the rate of two waxe pounds for a penney and the smal close cabadges better cheape â—o the poore as occasion shall serue Turnep séedes of the best and largest kinde after the rate of xii pence the pound Faire and large Turneps at yâ— rate of ii pennce the stone Principall garden Beanes of the best kinde good and drye to sâ—t after the rate of ii pence the quart Like gardeÌ„ beans greene to eat at the rate of i. d. yâ— quart Faire Hartichoâ—ksâ— of the greaâ—est sort at i. d. a péecâ—e and the other two or thrée for i d. as they prooue in greatnes These aforesaid all other garden fruits rootes and séeds whatsoeuer which I haue to sell are at a reasonable price and perfect good without deceipt and so many as will bee content to buy with reason come and welcome And if any other person desire to buy any store of principall carret seedes as before is expressed to sell for reason to others to benefit the coÌ„mon wealth I am willing to serue his turne better cheape theÌ„ before is declared because I am willing to procure the vse of carrets knowne aswell to all people in this parte of England as Wales which God graunt for the better helpe and comfort of the poore and although I do not know in al this land where to buy the like â—arret seeds for v s. a pound yet my price is iâ—j s the waxe pound or lesse as cause is to my liking till the peole may haue store of their owne growing for their gardens which is my desire if it may so please God An exhortation to loue wherby all good works do effectually proceed eyther to the glory of God or benefit of the commâ—n-wealth BEloued the holy word saith That if we haue faith to remoue mountaines if we haue not loue it dooth not preuaile vs any