THE HOME GARDEN

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 22 August 1935, Page 10

THE HOME GARDEN

PLANTING SEED POTATOES SOWING AND TRANSPLANTING , .ONIONS AVOIDING -ONION MILDEW (By “Salvia.”) As soon as the soil is dry a few early potatoes should be planted. If the sets were placed in boxes as previously advised, rub off all shoots but the two strongest. When too many shoots are permitted to grow the foliage becomes overcrowded and the result is that only a few good tubers 'are produced with a great number of small ones. The best size for a seed potato is one about two ounces m weight, or, roughly, about the size of a hen’s egg. With some varieties of potatoes it s not possible to get seed as small as desired, and cutting must then be resorted to. If this is necessary see lhat two good eyes are left on each “set” with as muph flesh as possible attached. Cutting should be done a few hours before planting and it is advantageous to dip the cut portions in lime or sulphur before planting. Potash is a very necessary ingredient in the soil to produce potatoes of good texture and flavour, and, if it has not already been done, some sulphate of potash should be added to the soil before planting. -A mixture of two parts superphosphate and one, part potash is a good artificial manure. Dust a liberal quantity in the drill and mix well with the soil be-, fore planting. Later on, if the foliage does not look as green and healthy: as it should, a deficiency of nitrates' in the soil is indicated. As a corrective a light dressing of nitrate of; soda or sulphate of ammonia should be applied prior to the first earthing up.

ONIONS FROM SEED That portion of the garden where it is intended to grow onions should be prepared as soon as the soil is sufficiently dry. To grow good onions the soil must be fairly rich and very firm. It is not advisable to mix fresh animal manure with the soil as it causes the plants to run too much to top and thick-necked plants result with practical no bulb. The best artifiqial manure is a mixture of superphosphate and sulphate of potash in equal proportions applied at the rate of four ounces per square yard before sowing or planting. One ounce of nitrate of soda should also be given in November and again in a month’s time. This is best applied in the form of a solution mixed in the proportion of one ounce to a gallon of water. Onion seed should be sown at the end of August or beginning of September—according to the state of the soil and weather conditions. The soil should be made very firm by rolling or treading and the surface brought to a fine- tilth by the use of a rake. Sow in drills half an inch deep and 15 inches apart. Sow the seeds thinly and evenly, cover with fine soil and. make it firm by treading. When the seedlings appear they should be thinned out to an inch or so apart, then gradually, thinned out to a final distance of from four to nine inches, according to the size of bulb required. Medium-size bulbs keep longer than large, and if the onions are required for keeping for winter use they should be thinned out to about four or five inches apart. TRANSPLANTING ONIONS J

For transplanting autumn-sown oni. ons, the ground should bo prepared in the' same manner advised for solving seeds.. The row should be from fifteen to eighteen inches apart, ac-

cording to the size of onion required, and: the plants spaced from four to six- inches apart; when large onions are desired for exhibition purposes they should be planted nine inches apart. In transplanting, the roots only are to be inserted and no part of the stem buried or they Trill . produce thick-nocked onions. The best method of transplanting, is to first draw out drills about one and a-half inches deep, lay plants on' the ground with the roots in the drill, cover with soil and tread it very firm; the tops will stand up in a few days as soon as fresh root action commences. Planting should be done towards the end of August for the earlier and non-keeping varieties, such as Giant Ilocca, Ailsa Craig, etc., and for the main crop keeping varieties, such as Brown Spanish, James Keeping, Brown Globe, etc., about the- middle of September. These dates are approximate, the state of the soil and weather conditions must be taken into consideration; never plant when the soil is m a sodden condition. Onions that are to be used when small for salads, etc., may be sown more thickly and should be sown in small quantities at frequent intervals. The best variety for this purpose is iiite Lisbon.

For Jpicklipg purposes the White Portugal or Silverskin is the best variety to sow. Sow in mid-Septem-ber in soil not too rich, and scatter the seeds thickly ana as evenly as possible in wide drills or small beds. Thin out or three inches apart. Onion mildew or rust has been very troublesome during the past few seasons. When this attacks the plants the tops have a coating of a grey vel-vet-like fungus. When attacked the leaves, wilt and eventually dry up and !the growth of the bulb is checked. Where plants have been attacked oni- ; ons should not be grown in that piece of ground for several seasons as the fungus lies dormant in the soil for a long period. As a preventative measure the plants should be dusted at frequent intervals from the time- they first appear with finely-powdered flowers of sulphur (while wefc with dew Or rain) either with a powder distributor or by placing the sulphur in a piece of fine muslin dusting the plants. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture (use summer strength, one pound to ten gallons of water), is also an excellent preventative. This should be done at frequent intervals, particularly in a wet spring or summer when conditions favour attacks of the disease.

REMINDERS All kinds or trees, shrubs, hedge plants and roses should be planted .as I soon as possible now. Finish pruning peaches, nectarines and plums ,as they will soon be breaking into blossom. Prune apx>le and pear trees. Prune lemon trees. Finish- pruning gooseberry and currant bushes. b Spray fruit trees and bushes with “lime-sulphur solution” (one part to nine parts of water). This is winter strength and should onljy be -used while the trees are in a dormant condition. "" > " . Destroy moss and lichens on fruit trees and .bushes and ornamental trees and shrubs which, lose their leaves in “lime-sulphur” solution or Bordeaux solution (winter strength, one pound Bordeaux powder to five gallons of wafer). Plant garlic' and /

Place seed potatoes in shallow boxes to sprout. Place close together and round end uppermost. Keep in a.light airy position and protect from frost at night. i! . Put in chrysanthemum cuttings. Sow broad beans. Sow early peas in a sunny, sheltered position.

Sow a few early carrots and turnips in a sunny position in the vegetable garden. Sow under glass, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, mustard, and cress, and tomatoes. Plant out cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce plants.

Protect peas and young seedlings where birds are troublesome by stretching a double row of black cotton two inches above the surface soil along each side of the rows. Where slugs and snails are troublesome dust eoot or tobacco dust thickly oil each side of the rows.

Sow under glass seeds of hardy annual flowering plants. Prepare ground where it is intended to plant asparagus by trenching three feet deep and mixing plenty of manure or decayed vegetable rubbish with the soil. Beds about five feet wide are the most suitable size, this will take three rows of ;jlants. The plahts should be two feet apart and the rows eighteen inches, or where only a few plants are to be grown it is best to plant them in one long row.