Gardening Notes

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 16, 11 September 1930, Page 9

Gardening Notes

VEGETABLE GARDEN. This is the time to make the first planting of summer vegetables. Anyground that is not to be used immediately should be heavily manured and dug over roughly so as to be ready to receive the seeds and plants when it is tTdi? for thorn to <?o in. Konu'ittl.'iu- when planting sec Is of .royt .--re ps as carrots, parsnips, radi«\os etc. ; » ».-e ground which, received a f gouO <».■ i-.<-sng of manure'for-a prcviras crop,. Manure in the soil makes root vegetables fork,1 and often quite useless for the table. The same thing will be noticed in stony soil. In growing for exhibition, the intending exhibitor usu- • ally takes out a trench and sieves the soil back into it through a fine sieve, so as to leave no chance of his expected prize-winners "forking." If you havo Toom got a good batch of Early Rose potatoes -under ground this spring. There is nothing like this variety for the amateur gardener. The -writer has had great success from early potatoes by following a tip given him some years back by an old YorkshireHian. Before planting take out a tToncii about 18 inches wide, and about 12 inches deep. The trench is then half , filled up with fresh stable manure, .jyelltramped down. The potato tubers are. then planted upon the manure, and the! trench, is then filled up. The heat generated by the manure acts as ; a hot bed and gives the spuds a first-rate start in life We used^ to plant our spuds ' the last week in Jane, and made a great success with them, as they grew to a great size owing to the ltbetal feed; beneath .them. For lettuce and silver beet (this. v is the best form of spinach), a well manured soil should be chosen.: Beniemiber the quicker this line can be grown the more they will be appreciated im the table. Being leaf crops they will come along first rate with an occasional application of sulphate of ammonia. Applied in ljfluid form is best, about an ounce to the 2-gallon watering can will meet the bill. I All root crops appreciate an occasional dressing of potash. Sulphate of pojtash is the best form to apply it in. A handful to the square yard should do - the trick. '■ ' ;/ ; , .'•; ' ..' .;. :': ' .-. ■>' ; '• Try out a few good cabbage plants. Li' a'variety that will stand the hot Nteather St. John's Day takes a lot of cheating. if room is available, it is advisable to sow a row of. each variety of vegetables every week or so, so as to have a eontinuotvs succession, and on smaller areas try to spread the plantings over aa long a period as possible. Give the tomato plants good soil against a sunny fence. Keep well watered in dry weather, and train t&em up to a few leads. We find Walkerer's Beernit as good as any. It is not-very larfge if allowed to grow ■ anyhow,;'but;,if well pruned gives two-inch, fruit in Iranehes of half a dozen or so. We hare had as much as 151bs of fruit from, a plant during a season. 1 VEGETABLES TO PLANT OW. .■ Artichokes (perennial).-—Select big round tubers and plant in row:s at 20 inches apart; 30 inches between tows. j Beans (annual and perennial^—All j t&e snap pod stock are spwable now. . Sunlight, light soil, lots of old litter, some special fertiliser, lots of water a*3 plehty of soil scratching and hill-; ing will help youl to grow good quality bean rows. Hake a special effort witJi. tome of the pole sorts like Epicure, Ken tucky Wonder, Snake or Lima. ; / :Beetroot (annual) —Either, sow; seed in seed bed or transplant seedlings 6 inches apart will do. Beet is liardy. "Use narrow bods for carrot, parsnip, turnip or beet. ,j9l*< Cabbage (annual).—Sow seed jin , •pen, grow quickly, manure land/ bed j out early, keep clean with hoe, plant 30 to 24 inches apart. Sow cither St. 4ohn 's Day, Succession or Largo White 'Brunswick. Cerrot (annual) —Sow seed over surface of well-prepared ;bed and cover with now manure. Thin seedlings as early as possible. Celery (annual) —^Eaiso young plants for shifting later into rich trenches, where the young stock are grown straight and strong. Till in the soil to blanch the stems.

Oncumiber (a;nnual)— Grow in rich soil

Sow in a drill made in centre of a rich, sunny bed. Leave the vines run freely together. Feed hard once the plants start lengthening their stems. For. Salad. —Sow Mustard and Cress together. Cut when about four inches high. May be grown all the year round. '■'■)' Garlic.—Small bulbous specimens of -the onion family. Very strong smelling, used for flavouring soups, and considered to possess medicinal properties. Leek (anmval)—Plant out seedlings in rich deep soil; feed hard. Leeks like lots of nourishment. Lettuce (annual).—-Sow seed wh«r« plants are to grow and thin out quickly. Make bed rich, feed hard. Thin out seedlings to six inches or so apart. Uh£ lots of liquid manure. , Marrows arid Melons, (annual)— -Sow seed same as advised for cucumber. Soil must be light and rich. Buy some special melon manure, and you will grow better fruit or vegetables. It is the special fertiliser that finislhes off t-he m'olon crops. Onion.—Buy seedlings and transplant into rich quarters, leaving six inches or so between the ycmiigsters. Odorless is the best home onion. Parsley.—Always have a bed of parsley .somewhere round home. Prepare a border or bed, broadcast seed; top-up with ' mahure, and leave- the plants ( alone. The- wife will see to the cutting/later on. Parsnip (perennial)— Handle like carrot. '•;' Use only .old manure and special fertiliser. Leave parsnip? fully a ■year.'in,- their -bed; After frost is the time to pu'il parsnips. Peas (annual)-— Sow in rows in light, rich loam. Use superphosphate or special fertilisers. Rows 30 inches apart, seeds close. Light cover. Potatoes.—The main crop of potatoes may be put in where frosts are not likely to be felt with any great amount of severity. • . Radish—Grow these in rich soil and. use water freely.' Quick growth ensures tender salad. There are two varieties generally used for "salad—the long and the turnip rooted. Savoy Cabbage (annual)— One of tie be?V vgi/ier cabbages grown. Try a J 33e-i sowit-^. Silver o" Spinavch Beet.—Raise a batch <rf sturdy seedlings in open bed, .and Transplant a span apart into /ieh quarter-; as early as possible.