HINTS FOR AMATEURS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 25 November 1938, Page 3

HINTS FOR AMATEURS

THE VEGETABLE PLOTS Plant out cape gooseberries. These require well-drained soil and one sheltered from cold winds. When planting out Brussels sprouts, savoys, broccoli and other winter greens see that the roots are firmly set, in firm soil, not too rich. A loose soil causes too quick, succulent growth which fails to stand the winter. lloe the onions, giving a dusting of soot and wood ashes. Keep the asparagus bed free of weeds. Parsnips should be sown at once if not already done. Sow carrots for the summer and aut•Vcgetables just coming through the surface should' not be watered. If they once become accustomed to this aid they will not do well without it, and that, ol course, must be avoided. Make small sowings of sweet corn every week or even less. Half a dozen seeds or so is sufficient for a sowing. Sow a pinch of green curled savoy to provide for a late crop. Large quantities ol savoys are wasted in the autumn,, especially if the weather is on the damp •side during the end of the summer, when the heads burst and soon become useless for the kitchen. Another objection to the first crop is that the heads are generally over-big and require long boiling to make them soft. Plants raised now will produce small, compact heads, suitable Tor use early in the winter. Cabbage and cauliflower should ho sown and planted as required, and the drills should be well watered some time before the plants are set out. Plants set out hearting attitude, can be given nitrate of |

soda. Earthing up should be seen to in time, so as to induce stem rooting, and copious waterings must be given during dry weather. K uni eras can be planted. Well-worked soil is necessary for this crop. When pulling rhubarb do not pull every stalk of the plant, but always allow them to retain two or three young leaves, as they will recover quicker. They should be given liquid manure if they are subject to heavy pulling. Don’t permit the young lettuce plants t. idle away their days. Hustle them along, or the leaves will be bitter and tough. Nitrate of soda 4oz to a kerosene tin of water will assist rapid growth which gives the best results. Dig any vacant ground so as to be ready for late crops. Beans—both runner and dwarf may also be sown. I’lant celery, leeks, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, radish, lettuce, etc. Haricot beans for winter use should be sown now. Sow and treat as recommemlel for other beans, except that the pods are allowed to mature and harvested

V.V.VNV.VV/.W^W/.V.V/.*/ when ripe. The sowing of peas may be continued without difficulty. It is now beginning to get late for planting potatoes, but they may still be planted if the soil is well prepared. Sow a few seeds of pie melons. One or two plants will supply the requirements of the ordinary family. No doubt many readers will have sown spinach between their rows of peas, etc. 'through lack of foresight in sowing for succession, the crop of this delicious vegetable often runs to seed, and is “done” before summer is far advanced. It takes a vast deal of spinach leaves to make a | dish and their sowings should in consequence be as generous as space permits—for seed is cheap enough—but it is conversely unwise to sow the seed too thickly Spinach should be sown in drills about 2in deep and from 12in to 15in asunder. The soil for the summer culture should be deep and rich, for the plants go to seed ■ very rapidly if there be prolonged dry weather. They should be watered, if possible, and may also be transplanted into rows in shallow trenches when large enough Spinach is a surface looting crop, but it well repays good treatment. When cutting the crop, do not roughly pull all 111.- leaves off the few plants in the rows; take some from each and you will get more. I lie rows should be very frequently ln>ed in dry weather to keep the soil light • and open. midst the flowers Dahlias may be planted right up till the end of the year. The later the plants are put in the better the ground should be prepared. Mulching of rose beds, herbaceous bor- i der.s, shrubs ami almost anything that is , likely to suffer from drought should now « bt done. Bweet peas must be kept •trained to their supports. Spent blooms should be I cut away at once. Useless weak lateral : shoots should be pinched out. Ranunculi should be lifted as soon as : Iheir tops have dried off, and dried and * stored until next season. i Nasturtiums and convolvulus or iponeas, can be sown now, and are ideal for | covering up unsightly corners, old tree «■ stumps and such like. *

■VyVAWASV/AWbVbWW Once the tops of the bulbs have turned yellow and collapsed they can be cleare 1 away and the bulbs lifted. Chrysanthemums that were planted early and are now making growth should have the tops pinched out. Further plantings of chrysanthemums can be done. Those required for cut flower purposes can be planted up to the middle of December. When tulips are left in the same piece oi ground several years in succession they aro liable to become diseased. One of the best means of keeping the plants healthy is to lift them eveiy year. Late I varieties will soon be well enough matured, and can be lilted although all the foliage lias not died down. For a time the bulbs can be kept in a box in a shed until the foliage has quite gone, when they can be well-dried off and stored till the Where nemesias, pansies, violas, or j piimula inalacoides are just finished, they should be removed and other plants should be put out in their places. Asters or phlox, especially the latter aro very suitable summer bedding plants. It is both interesting and profitable to raise climbing plants from seeds; especially is this so for growing up the rafters of the greenhouse. There are several sorts that grow quickly and Howcr early, i l fact they can be treated as annuals, ! but grown in the greenhouse they are ! practically perennial. These include Cob- | aeas, Mina, Lophospernium, Maurandia, lpomeas, Tropaeolunins, Eccremocarpus. They are all easily raised from seed. The seedlings should be potted up as soon as large enough to handle and a tiny stake placed to each as soon as the small plant shows any inclination to climb. Once growing, if they are to be used in the greenhouse, they can be potted into larger pots or deep boxes, but if the latter is used be assured that the drainage is perfect and do not overwater till the roots have a good hold of the soil. For warm sunny positions these are also useful. AlI though climbers us a rule need plenty of sun, and what may be termed a warm position, they also need plenty of water, i< ml many a good plant lias been spoilt because planted against a wall with apparently everything in its favour it lias suffered from lack of water. Close under a wall or fence the soil is often bone dry.