Sowing Of Seed For Vegetables

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 189, 12 August 1939, Page 14 (Supplement)

Sowing Of Seed For Vegetables

Garden Notes

]N cold, damp gardens, where it is not advisable to sow peas and broad beans in the autumn, they may be put in now where the soil is in a suitable condition. At this sim-mi i>f tin- v.Mr. iiml (-specially (ill heavy soil. I lie pea- —11 1 HI 111 lint lie -null Inn i|im'|i. Two i 11 < ■ 111 ■ - nf soil iilmivi- tlir -ci'il i- 1111 i t c 111T i > ■ i ■ • 111. ,\l I In- present -..»iii- it is a.lv is 11,1,. to s.,vv t \\ c, varieties as ;111\ isiml prev ioiisl v. f.recn pea- lire such a favourite icy. I;il.|c that it i- w i*ll ha \ i- (1,,.in ()V ,t as long 11 season as pnssj|,|e. It is generally easier tn lengthen tinseason 1 1" i 'ill tlic lit-ginning t }i :i n at tin? a u tll ii i ii end. as the \ e rv drv. lint periods »e get at times in late summer and autumn are not favourable In tlieir grovvt li. A ut ii in ii -sim n calihages ami cauliflowers sin,ill,l l„. planted nut an.l some seed of eaeli sown in a warm holder in i ii ll li.ylit -oil i'oi a ■sihm'i— ion. A la I'm 1 1111 ii ut it y of seeds i, wasted i * \ ♦ % i \* \ »'ji r t s« 1111 v -< > \\ i h . Among I lie ea 11 -e- of this ' loss aiv: Sou in- on ground that is not i„ a -ll llicieiit ly t riii hie am! w»■ 11 worked condition; sowing ton dee j.; not sowing

deep enough anil sowing in a too loose anil lumpy soil. The loss of the seed is a. eon-ider,ition, hut it is not nearlv sn great as the loss of the crop through the Ia i 111 re t n gri >w. It 111111111 lie rememlK-ri'il that plant -eeds are living things and that they reipiire certain conditions of air. temperature and moisture hefore germination takes place. These must lie still forthcoming with ample light and s|Mce for each individual plant to expand if it i- to develop into a normal and useful pla lit. All these are largely dependent or. tlie preparation of the ground. It the soil is not thoroughly broken np and ot a good tilth without large li inps and air hole- the moisture will not rise to the seeds, while if the soil on which the seeds rest is not linn it will not come suMieiently in contact with the seeds, -n that a firm, finely-worked soil of Kiitli.'ient porosity to allow the ingress of air with which In supply the - minuting seed with oxygen and tn raise the temperature of the -nil is the lie-t for the -owing and growth of -i e.l-. lo maintain this condition t hrotii; limit. t lie soil must not lie vv orked or 11 oddcu when it is in -ii,-h a condition of moisture that it will pack down to the exclu-

sion of air, but the condition of moisture

should be such that the seeds after sowing can lie firmed into the soil bv treading or by the use of a light roller. If the seeds need only a shallow covering of soil the firmness or the ground must be maintained io the surface, but it must be remembered that this is at the expense of the soil moisture which will evaporate from the surface, so that as soon as the rows of seedlings can be seen the hoc should be used to loosen up the surface to form a soil mulch and so break the connection between the .soil moisture and the air. It is a. common practice, and a good one too. to sow some «|uick-geriiiinating seed along with seeds that are slow in growing, such as radish seed wit'i onion seed, as the radish will show in two or three days and mark the rows, thus allowing the hoe to be used with surety. Seeds that are sown in deeper drills, such as peas and lioans. should be firmed in the soil before the drills are filled ill, and then the soil can be put back lightly and the ground between the rows forked over. There is no more efficient way of keeping what moisture there is in the soil than by maintaining a loose tiltii of tine soil some two or three inches deep, and this should be maintained among all growing crops right up to steins, and should not be neglected even of ground where there are no crops growing. The depth at which to sow small seeds, such as beet, carrots, parsnips, onions, turnips, lettuce and leeks, should not exceed half an inch on heavy or medium soils or t hrec-«|ua rtcrs of an inch on light sainlv soil. I'eas and beans should be covered with two or three inches of soil when .sowing in ,-pring; later sowings should be sown an inch deeper.