GARDEN NOTES

Manawatu Times, Volume 67, Issue 93, 21 April 1942, Page 6

GARDEN NOTES

(By “Ngaio. ”) If you have vacant spaces in the vegetable garden these should be sown down in a cover crop to be turned in "later for green manuring. The object of this form of manuring is to add humus to tho soil, therefore it should ! bo consistently carried out in any soils suspected of lack of humus. Sometimes gardeners are disappointed by the results of a crop which has been sown in green manured land. The reason of this is that the soil has to “digest” the green stuff worked into it and while this digestion is going on tho soil is losing instead of gaining and its various contents are not available for plants for*tho time being. While the rotting processes are taking place the development of plants is retarded and the acidity which occurs during decay is bad for most plants. The moral of all this is that the green crop must be very well rotted before the next crop is put in—you should really allow about six weeks for the process. As the rotting process will be quicker if the ground is warm, it isi seen that the sooner green crops are in the better; you do not want to have to be held up in your spring planting because your green crop has not rotted sufficiently.

Lupin is the best green crop for a light or sandy soil; it can also be used on a medium loam where oats, mustard and rape are also suitable. For heavy clay land oats or red clover are the best.

Whatever green crop you use, be sure and dig it in while it is young and succulent—hard, woody stems are not much use as soil improves and they take such a long time to rot. After such a very wet season it would be advisable to plan for good liming of the garden this autumn to counteract any sourness and acidity which may arise. Carbonate of lime or ground limestone is slower acting than burnt lime but is very useful for breaking down a heavy soil. Quick or burnt lime if used too freely will cause the quick decomposition of the humus in the soil, therefore if you are liming freely you must keep up the humus supply in the soil by constantly adding grass clippings or something similar to balance things. Lime sinks into the soil very quickly; it is not necessary to dig it in; keep applying in small quantities on the surface and you will get the best results from it.

If you are contemplating the resowing of any grass this season you should get at it without delay. It is not necessary to dig \-cry deeply for a lawn—one spit deep should be sufficient. The ground must be prepared several weeks before sowing so that it settles properly. Another advantage is that it can be run over with the hoe several times before the seed is put in which will save a lot of trouble later; all large weeds of a. perennial nature should be taken right out by the roots. The surface should be levelled and rolled and worked into a fine tilth; use about lsozs. to 2ozs. of seed per square yard.