Seed snowing in the Home Garden

Hutt News, Volume 15, Issue 14, 3 September 1941, Page 2

Seed snowing in the Home Garden

' f . ,r-fy * (By 'I?. K, Prltchard, Instructor df Vegetable- Culture, N.Z. Departjment of Agriculture, who Writes for thd Home Gardeners' column in the "N.Z. Journal of Agjficlilture.")

: around the sides as the ! centre before adding additional soil ■ to bring it at the tqp. Broadcast or Bows In propagating vegetable plants, ■ it 1b an advantage to spw the seeds : in' rows. ' Broadcasting pay be quicker, but vHien' the row method . is practised weedß are mpre i controlled, thinning, ,if necessary, is , easier, less seed is used, and precaution to prevent, if possible, dampi ing off can be- tkken by stirring the soil between rows after the seed ' has '•' •; ' Depth : of Sowing No definite rule'can be laid dpwn as to the depth at which seed should be sown. - Soil and season . play an important part'in determining the depth. Directions for covering the seed with soil to a depth equal to several times its own ameter may be applicable when growing under protection where

Seed supplies front overseas become scarce and costly, and home gardeners should seriously consider means by which Beeds already held and those which it will be necessary to. purchase could be jused to better Care In seed sowing should be exercised at all times, and not only in years of contemplated or real shortage of seed; it 16 no less important during any season, and has a real value at any time. Under present conditions it + be expected that the economy of compulsion will become the economy of .choice. No seed sowing, however, iB likely to be successful without thorough preparation of the soil. Seed Viability. The following list-gives some idea of the aivera'fe life of the more popular garden seeds, and indicates the approximate number of plants which may reasonably be expected from a given weight of seed. It

No. of Germination Quan. of seed Seed Vitality seeds per avge. % for for given No. (years) oz. 1-year seed of Plants Beet 4 1,500 70 loz./2",000 Beans J. 3 60-80 ' 85 — Cabbage 4 8,500 80 loz./4,000 Broccoli 4 10,500 80 loz./5,000 Brussels Sprouts . 4 6,500 75 ' loz./4,000 Carrot 3 27,000 70 — Cauliflower .... 4 10,500 75 loz./3,000 Celery 8 75,000-90,000 65 loz.—B-10,000 Cucumber . . . . 10 1,000 80 loz./100 hills Lettuce 5 16,000 •, 80 loz./8.000 Leek 2 9,000 80 — Parsnip 2 6,000 65 — Parsley 2 17,500 65 — Onion 2-3 12,000 75 loz./8,000 Peas 3 60-120 85 Pumpkin .... 5 100 80 — Radish 5 a,500 85 — Squash 4-5 ; 200 80 — Tomato 4 8,000 80 loz./3,000 . Turnip 4 12,000 85 loz./12,000 Spinach ...... 3 3,000 70 — I Silver Beet .... 4 1,000 70

should also serve as a useful guide to future economy in sowing seed and growing plants. Waste in Bowing. Sowing too many seeds for the number of plants required is tne most common error,,of,..the home gardener and a prolific source of waste. A yery small quantity of seed of the ordinary green vegetables sown in a seedling box 4in. deep and filled with soil will provide: enough plants—and to spare— for j the average planting in the kitchen garden. The practice of sowing small quantities of vegetable seeds in the open garden is not a profitable oni when compared with the safer an<, more economical method of usint seedling boxes. Seed sown in a bo: can be protected. The box can b< removed to any part of the gardei. for or shelter, and it can evei be taken inside the home if extru protection is considered necessary. Sowing the Seed To ensure good germination it is nccessary for the .seeds to have warmth, moisture, and air. Sowings ( isade in cold wet soil positions exposed to cold /and driving rain are inevitably doomed to failure, and, in many instances, wrong l ly attributed to the seeds being of low vitality and poor germination. With abundant moisture and without heat, many seeds will rot before germination takes place. To wait until the soil in the garden is sufficiently warm and is ip suitable condition for, sowing seed, will positively shorten the growing season, and, in some instances, prevent the full development of the ; crop; hence the necessity for adopting precautionary measures by utilising boxes covered by a sheet of glass, hot-beds, or cold frames. these three methods, and there are others—the first and the last will appeal as more practica 1 to the 1 home gardener. The hot-bed, in which stable manure is the heating agent, is rarely adopted now. ..n old window of reasonable size plac- ' ed on top of a roughly constructed ' frame will protect seed sown in box- l es, provided there is sufficient slope ! to afford a quick run-off for rain. If straw or dry hay is packed in the < bottom of the frame to a- depth of ] not less than six inches, this will i prevent the boxes coming in contact ' with the cold, damp soil, and will i afford drainage of surplus water when the seedlings are being at- < tended to. i A seedling box 18in x llin. x 4in. I deep made from an apple case and < filled with a mixture three-quarters I good compost and one quarter sharp l sand, among which has been incor- < porated a couple of handfuls of i bonedust or blood and bone, will s make an admirable seed b„ed in I which to raise a few plants. When < filling the box the soil should be : pressed down at the corners and 1

water and, to a.certain extent, heat can be controlled, but seeds sown in the open in light soil would require greater coverage than if sown in heavy soil. Similarly, seed sown in summer and early autumn-would, of necessity, require to be sown deeper than sowings made in early spring. When sowing has been completed the soil should be pressed gently but firmly, preferably with a piece of dressed timber. This action induces the moisture in the soil to rise, which, under dry conditions, will assist the germination of -«e seed. Admittedly, production of really good plants of all kinds, particularly on a large S'cale, is the work of specialists, but, given good vigorous seed and "healthy" soil, the home gardener should not find it difficult to grow vegetable plants for his own requirements as well as a few for his neighbours. Co-operation for the Home Gardener Growing, a few plants for one's neighbour raises the question of cooperation among home gardeners as an economic factor in the production of plants for the kitchen garden. Where home gardeners are in close proximity, considerable economy would be accomplished by cooperation in purchasing seed and growing plants as well as in other directions. Reference to the table dealing with seed conservation shows that 1 oz. of cabbage seed may reasonably be expected to produce 4,000 plants, and that the recognised life of the seed is four years. (Incidentally, it may be mentioned that good . crops have been produced from six-year-old seed.) Also, 1 oz. of lettuce seed is likely to produce 8,000 plants. "Golden Acre" (for summer use) is the name of the next variety of cabbage, which is likely to be grown by the home gardener, and the present price is 265. per lb. or Is. 7 id. per oz. when purchased by the half-pound. Lettuce seed, "Webb's Wonderful" (a market garden favourite), is quoted at 15a. per lb., roughly Is. per oz. '.his means ' that approximately 12,000 cabbage and lettuce plants may be produced at a cost of 2s. 7id. for seed if purchased by the pound, and the seed, if properly stored, will be good for at least four years. Considerable economy could be effected by several home gardeners agreeing that each would grow sufficient plants of one variety to meet the requirements of the others. As transplanting of most vegetable plants is the general practice, co-op-eration in production would mean a substantial saving of time and valuable gS|rden space. In a seedling box Suiifti as that previously described, '120 to 140 cabbage plants and 100 to 120 cauliflower plants can be well grown.