GARDENING NOTES.
(By “Waratah.”)
ROTATION OF VEGETABLE CROPS 'Cropping' bv rotation means that no annual crop should be grown on the same piece, of ground year after year. If any one kind of vegetable be grown on the same site for more than one season, the result will be a deterioration in both yield and' quality, the only exception; is the onion, which may be grown with success for many years on the same site provided the- soil be well trenched and provided with suitable manure. The cropping should be. as far as possible, arranged s 0: that plants of the same natural families do not immediately follow one anotlici on the same piece of ground. To take the cabbage family as an example, all members require practically the same kind of food and, in addition, are subject to .attacks! by the same; kind of diseases and pests; lienee it would bo unwise to follow cabbage with cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts or kale. To t get rid of disease it. is; important. to change! a, crop and not repeat it, if possible, for several seasons, some kinds of spores of fungoid diseases being able to exist in the soil for a. long time while waiting for their natural prey. No immunity is gained by following one of the l same family with another, nor should, the change bo made from one kind to another of similar habit, even although thev belong to different families; for instance, front parsnips to beet, as both t.hest crops draw their food material from the same depths. Every crop grown lias an influence on the soil, either physical, chemical or bacterial, and leaves some element behind it which can be utilised to advantage by a. crop of another species. The food supplv in the soil is used at, different depths by the various species, which may be broadly divided, into three classes: Fibrous-rooted, tuberousrooted, and tap-rooted. The fibrousrooted class consists of shallow-rooting plants which support a quantity of foliage, requiring a. plentiful supply of nitrate, which is usually supplied by adding to the soil organic manure either in the form, of decayed animal manure or digging in a. green crop of some kind. The tuberous-rooted class draw their sustenance from a. lower stratum) of soil, and the. tap-rooted class! penetrate deeper still. Tap-rooted vegetables, should not be grown on ground to which, animal or green manure has been recently added, as it causes the roots to be coarse and misshapen. There are. many systems ot rotation, but the most simple is the three-course system*, which, is the most suitable foi small gardens. The ground should be divided into four plots, one of which will contain the permanent crops such as asparagus, rhubarb, sea kale, herbs, etc. Taking a three-years’ rotation, plot No. 1 should be planted or sown with fibrous-rooted plants, to be followed the second year by tubers, and the third year by tap-roots. -Plot No. 2 tap-rooted plants, followed by fib-rous-rooted iilants and tubers, while in plot No. 3 the first year’s crop of tubers will be succeeded in the second and third • years by tap-rooted and fibrous-rooted plants respectively. _lt is not always l possible to strictly follow out rotation in a small garden, but if the cropping of the ground be kept as nearly as possible to the above plan the grower will meet with success in his efforts to grow vegetables. By using this system, of cropping, the reserves of food of different kinds and at varying depths are used alternately, and time, is given for the recovery of the soil from the partial exhaustion caused by the use. of food -supply by a crop. If space can be. spared it is a good plan to “fallow” a portion of the garden each year, that is, not to grow a crop of any kind,, and keeping the ground cultivated by running the hoe through it at frequent intervals' to aerate the soil and keep it free from weeds. It is advisable to draw a plan of the garden at the begining of each season and arrange where the principal crops are to be sown or planted. Small “catch” crops such as spinach, radishes, mustard ami cress, etc., which onlv occupy the ground for a short time, may be grown between the rows of a crop which is a long time arriving at maturity.
KEEPING RECORDS. The keeping of records of the dates of sowing seeds, putting out plants, times of blooming, and the harvesting of crops will be found very interesting and also a valuable assistance, enabling the grower to improve lii.s oilier methods.. Owing to varying conditions of soil and; situation even in the same locality, it is impossible to give expert advice suited, to each individual and only general advice can be given in notes’ published in a newspaper. The value of the record will be enhanced by recording the. rainfall, minimum and maximum daily temperatures, and the dates when frosts occur. THE USE OF LIME. Lime is a valuable agent for fertilising the -soil. The decay of vegetable matter added to the soil causes the production of certain organic acid's which; make the land “sour.” Lime combines with these acids, thereby forming salts which, are not acid in character, and acts on organic matter and insoluble particles in the soil, causing plant foods to be dissolved and made available for absorption by the crops. In this way both nitrogen and potash are often liberated. It is now a favourable time to make an application of lime, especially where manure: or a green crop has been dug in. The best form to use is the carbonate of lime, which is limestone ground to a fine powder. Apply a liberal dusting on the surface of the soil and! lightly fork it in. In cases where basic slag (which contains a fair amount of lime) has been, freely used, the application of lime is not necessary. ROUTINE WORK. Plant shelter trees, hedge plants, shrubs, roses, .etc., when the soil is in a suitable condition. Never plant when the soil is very wet or sticky. Plant rhubarb roots four feet apart in well trenched' and manured soil. Prune and clean grape vines. Prune fruit trees and bushes. iSow under glass lobelia, sweet peas, tomato, cabbage and cauliflower. Place seed potatoes in boxes' to sprout for planting later. Keep the boxes exposed to -as much light as possible and protect from frost at night.
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Bibliographic details
Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 23 July 1926, Page 6
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1,082GARDENING NOTES. Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 23 July 1926, Page 6
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