THE HOME GARDEN

Hutt News, Volume 15, Issue 22, 29 October 1941, Page 2

THE HOME GARDEN

■ "7"*" --' V v.; (By D. K. Piritchard, Instructor of Vegetable Culture, N.Z. Depart- * ment of Agriculture, who writes for the Home Gardenera' column in- the "N.Z. Journal of Agriculture.") ■ , GREEN CROPS I'Olt THE planting. It Is also an advantage to WINTER cut about an inch off the tap-robt in "This 1b the time when weeds are addition to cutting away the greater shallow rooted, part of the large leaves *of ? the Suffer them now and they'll o'er plants. grow the garden, Immediately the young plants are And choke the plants, for waul of yet out tliey are likely to be attackhusbandry." ed by aphis and the cabbage worm, —Shakespeare, the latter being the larva of J the Cabbage (Savoy, early and lato), wll ' te butterfly. As an immediate cauliflower, broccoli, borecole protection against these pests, the (Scotch kale), Brussels sprouts— whole of the green growth of the these, crops form the basis of sup- y° un .S Planta may be dipped before plies of green vegetables for autumn Panting in a mixture made in the and winter use. It should not be following proportions: necessary to stress the importance, 1 tablespoonful of arsenate of apart from the necessity, of provid- lead (powder). ing supplies of these vegetables; 3 tablespoons of hydrated liuje. they are essential in the home gar- 1 gallon water. den if continuity of supplies of fresh The quantities can be» reduced vegetables is to be maintained. proportionately to meet individual Seed Sowing requirements. The seed of any and all of these The plants may be set so that the varieties may be sown from mid- centre growth is above ground-level September to mid-November, the and the soil made firm oil the root, seed should have a greater depth The surface around the plant should coverage than if sown in early be left the shape of a saucer, which spring or late autumn. From 3000 will, for a time, serve as a retainer to 5000 plants of these varieties for water when applied, and wNI be may generally be expected from loz. an advantage if the plants' are of seed. If a seedling box is used to watered immediately after setting, raise the plants, it should be f.in. Planting distances will vary ac deep. This depth will permit full cording to variety. «

Savoy Cabbage. In the home garden where cultivation 1 is carried out entirely by .hand, 14 inches apart in the. row will suffice. If more than one row is planted, 18 inches should be allowed between the rows, and the plants in each .row set opposite the space between the plants in the ad joining row. For hor.se or mechanical cultivation, 27 inches between the rows will be necessary. Varieties recommended for planting arc:—Early: Drumhead Havoy; Best- of All. Late: Omega. Cauliflower and Brussels SjhoiHs, »<;tc. These will require more space— .18 to 20 inches between the plants, and 24 to 30 inches between the rows (according to methods of cultivation) will be adequate for full development. To obtain highest, quality heads of cauliflower and broccoli it may be necessary to tie loosely together near the top the tall outside leaves of the plant as soon as the curds begin to form. By this means the bright light will be excluded and the heads will develop that desirable and attractive whiteness. Only seeds of a quick-maturing variety of cauliflower should be sown at this period, and Phenomenal Early is recommended for November sowing. It should be ready to harvest, before it is affected by hard frosts. Seed of broccoli is available which, sown in October and November, will mature in succession from .May to .September. Scotch kale f borecole, 1 is'a vegetable which will stand very severe frosts, and is an excellent winter green. It is particularly valuable for its calcium, iron and iodine. There are two varieties—Tall Green and Dwarf Green. Brussels sprouts should be more extensively grown, especially in the farm garden, where there may be sufficient space for larger plantings. The young sprouts are a delicious change in the vegetable dietary. Regularly picked, they will continue to supply domestic requirements for several weeks. After-care. To combat the activities of the white butterfly during the growing season, arsenical spray or dust may be used until the edible portion of the plant begins to form, after which the use of Derris, either in spray or dust form, is recommended. All the cabbage family require considerable quantities of water, which must be supplied if best re suits are to be attained. At all time, but more particularly during the early stages of growth, the plants must never be permitted to suffer through lack of water. In dry weather aphis will be more troublesome than when moist conditions obtain. Hoeing for weed destruction and to prevent undue evaporation of moisture from the soil must be attended to (see heading to these notes).

root development of thq-jjlaiits, but they cfr» also be grown an open seed-bed. Whichever 'method is is better to how the seeds in rather than" l/roadcast. p'ady, the young plants can be t;ikey<>Jrom the seedling box or seed-bed and planted where it is intended they should remain until full grown. Particular attention to watering the seedlings is necessary, and occasional dressing of liquid manure—always after a good watering—will be beneficial. Soil. Good crops of these varieties may be grown 011 light soil, but the best results are obtained in a heavy loam, rich in organic matter, and well drained. Locations ; which, dur- ■ ing autumn, become heavily saturated witli water:are ÜBdesirable. Fertilisers, Ueing gross feeders, these crops require a plentiful supply of plant food. Provided the land is well supplied with organic matter, less artificial fertilisers will be required; otherwise a mixture of lib. of sulphate of ammonia, Ulb. of superphosphate, and '.lb. of sulphate of potash should be distributed along the shallow furrows where the plants are to be set. This amount of fertiliser, if purchased at hulk prices, will cost, about 7d., and will be adequate for 25 yards of row. Two subsequent dressings of nitrate of soda or sulphate of am monia may be necessary should the plants appear In be slow in development. At any rate, one application of the former fertiliser when the plants are about half-grown will ue of considerable assistance in stimulating growth. The surest indication of the need for the application of a "straight" nitrogenous fertiliser to any of the varieties under consideration is the appearance oti the heavy outside foliage and 011 the tips of the inside leaves of a hard, bluish-purple -colour. When these signs appear, nitrate of soda—just 1 ■ a good pinch that can bo held between the thumb and the first two fingers—is applied to each plant after a good watering has been given and hoed in. An improve- ' ment in the colour of the fcliage should be clearly seen within a week. This direction applies particularly to- cabbage and Brussels < sprouts, the latter crop being | greatly benefited by applications when the sprouts begin to develop. Where cruciferous crops are being j sown, liming should not be neglect- , ed, and an annual dressing of agricultural lime at the rate of 4oz. per , square yard should be given. In > liming, and as a further j prevention against the development | of club-root, a three-year rotation | of crops should be practised. i Planting. , Twenty-four hours before remov- ( ing the seedlings the seed-bed 1 should be given a thorough soaking, i Young plants removed for trans- , planting should be dug or eased out.. , This method will conserve the whole | developed root system which is so necessary for the quick establishment of the plants after setting. If the soil is inclined to be dry, the plants may be "puddled" before setting. "Puddling" consists of dipping the roots in a thick mixture of soil and water, and when this is done the plants are less likely to nuffcr a severe cheek after trans-

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