SEASONABLE WORK

Evening Star, Issue 21820, 8 September 1934, Page 23

SEASONABLE WORK

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN This month is a very busy one in tho vegetable garden, as almost every kind of vegetable seed may be sown. Make successive sowings of peas where early-sown ones are well up. Sow also French and runner beaus on a warm and sunny piece of ground, but if the position is a cold one defer sowing for a week or so. Sow parsnips. For these the ground should not be too rich with fresh manure, nor should it be too loose, in either case they are likely to form side roots, which is a bad point in them. They like good ground, but it should be moderately firm. Sow thinly in drills I2in apart, and thin them to 4in or 6in in the row. Spring-sown onions require to be put in rich ground. If the ground has been dug and manured in the winter, so much the better; if not, lose no time in trenching or deeply digging the ground. Place good rotted manure well down, and, if possible, spread wood ashes or burnt soil on the surface, working it well in. Tread and rake the ground two or three times over until the bed is as smooth as a table, then sow the seeds in drills. Sow very shallow—Jin will do—and 12in between the rows, covering the seeds very carefully. Sowing onions on loose ground, and .also sowing them too deep, means long neeky things like leeks, instead of line tubers which one might be proud of.

Sow. carrots of the Early Horn type, and in a fortnight or so sow the main crop—that is, the Intermediate. Turnips, spinach, and lettuce should also be got in choosing a sunny day after a good rain for this and all seed-sowing. Plant cabbage and cauliflower as soon as possible after or during showery weather.

Seakale should now be ready for covering with pans or boxes to come in after those that have been lifted for forcing. Asparagus is a fine vegetable and will grow on any soil that is well cultivated, but that which suits it best is a rich sandy loam. it may be grown from seed sown in drills 18in apart, and thinned out to loin in the drills. In this case it will not be fit for cutting in less than three years. The best variety to get is the Giant French. But to have asparagus the second year and for many years from the same bed it is best to prepare a bed or beds in a .proper way. Open out trenches lift wide and 18in deep. Fill in the bottom 6in with broken bricks. Cover these with manure. Place some ,-soil over this. Get the two-year-old plants, and place one row up the centre and one on either side, 6in from the outer edge, spreading out their roots evenly all round. Cover with 4in to 6m of soil. The heavier the soil the shallower they should be planted. A dressing of fresh stable manure should be added in two or:three weeks’ time. This is the best of all seasons for making a bed of asparagus, just as the crowns are on the move in the spring. Where marrows, pumpkins, tomatoes, and cucumbers are required no time should be lost in getting them in. If possible, give them a nice warm bed to start them upon. A hotbed is easily made if good stable manure is available. For a good doublelight frame throe loads will not be too much for a good, lasting cucumber bid. A hotbed is very useful not only for the production of a good crop of cucumbers, but for bringing on the above-mentioned seeds, and also for starting nearly all kinds of tender annuals. It often occurs that old seeds germinate fairly well on a nice warm bed where they would fail if sown without bottom heat. TOMATOES The season for planting this appetising and refreshing fruit is now around again. There are one or two points of interest that 1 should like to draw attention to. Do not be. in too great a hurry to plant them unless you are pretty, sure that in your house you will be able to keep a fairly warm temperature during very cold changes ol the weather. If you have heat, well and good. Jf you are placed in a position where late frost is not likely to affect the temperature much, it is all right. But if these conditions cannot he assured, take my advice and hold over the planting for a week or two yet. Buy good, strong, sturdy plants. It is a waste of money, time, and labour to plant weakly, drawn plants, as it is ten chances to one that they will not grow or will make a very poor return even if they do grow. 11 u plant measures as much across—that is from tip to tip—as it is long, you may be sure it is not drawn and that it is all right. The tomato is a tender plant, but not a tropical plant, and it requires a moderately high temperature, free access of air, and, above all, a lull flow of solar light to bring it to perfection. Almost any house or any shaped house will grow them whore these conditions can be secured, and if the soil has been prepared as advised in my previous notes, nothing will be required but to give it a raking down and a good treading before planting. On no account plant in loose soil. Place the plants well down to make them firm and steady. From 12in to loin m the row and lift 6iu from row to row will be a good distance apart. THE FLOWER GARDEN If any sowings of tender annuals have gone wrong, such as slocks, asters, French marigold, coreopsis, phlox Drummondii, and others, do not delay in making _ fresh sowings, as there is plenty of time to bring them on for planting out the first week in November. Plants put out on or about that date are, I believe, more likely to come on and are more reliable than if put out earlier, for we generally experience rough weather, high winds, and cold in the spring. I often feel sorry when I see tender plants exposed, for more often than not the plants are on tho soft side to stand such rough changes. Hardy annuals may be sown now, and during this and next month—such things as candytuft, centaurea, clarkia, cornflower, godetia, gypsophylla, scabious, larkspur, lupines, mignonette, nemophylla, poppy, sweet peas, stock, and others. AH these should be sown on well-prepared soil, clean ami free from weed seed, as they have to flower where they are sown, and if sown upon dirty and weedy soil they will nob only be a source of trouble to keep clean, but will not bo a success. Sow thinly on good soil, and thin the plants out a little, and they will show a marked difference, both in quality ami quantity’ of flower,

Spring flowers are now coming on at a great pace. Crocuses are in full blaze; polyanthus, primroses, violets, and the narcissi are opening rapidly. Persons who are contemplating allowing narcissi at the spring show' will require to bo watchful, and give some that are on dry soils good waterings to keep them cool at the roots, or they open much too quickly; in I act, it is much better to pick the blooms in the young state just before they open, and develop them in water in a cool, shady place—then they arc much finer and of bettor colour than if left in the ground and exposed to the sun and drying winds.