THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20332, 13 August 1929, Page 3

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

11X F.S.R

PLANTING ASPARAGUS

Tho time for planting asparagus is at hand as soon as the crowns show signs of returning activity. Tho final preparations may be made now. In the first part of tiio work growers should liavo reached the stage where the trench was filled in to within sin or 6in of the top. 'lhe soil in the trench should bo forked over and some more of that soil which has not yet been replaced may be used to form mounds on which to set tho crowns. Before any soil is replaced it should have a fair quantity of compost incorporated with it. so that the reserve of food in the bed will be considerable. Tho mounds should be formed to come to within a couple of inches of the top of tho trench, but should have a base about 12in. across. They should be formed at intervals of 15in in rows about 18in apart, these distances being measured from tho top of one mound to tho top of the next. The mounds should preferably be formed alternately, as this gives them slightly more space. One crown is planted on each mound. The roots should be placed out evenly around the sloping sides of the mounds. When tho last one is in position, the remainder of the soil should be filled in. The tops of the crowns should be covered by at least 6in of soil, so that surface tillago may be carried out whenever necessary without fear of damaging the crowns. They should not be submerged to a much greater depth than this,'however, or they will not thrive as well. In the end tho bed will be raised about 4in or sin above the surface of the garden. After this the planting is finished except for the minor detail in connection with placing sticks to mark the position of the rows. The stable manure that was thrown on the bed some time ago after the bed was forked up, to break the force of the heavy rains, may now be turned under. If it is considered advisable a little more manure, or some compost, may be added before tho bed is forked over. A dressing of salt may also be given before the tilling is performed. Salt (coarse) is beneficial to the asparagus as it originated from a seaside plant. An application up to 4o■/. per square yard will be sufficient to last until next year.

ROUTINE GARDEN WORK.

UNFAVOURABLE CONDITIONS The weather during the past week lias not given the gardener any opportunity io make a start on the spring programme, but as soon as matters improve 1 his .important work should be gone on with. During a fine spell the ground will dry up considerably. One should wait until the fine conditions have had some effect, for, at this time of the year, the drier the soil is when worked the more will it pulverise. Besides the actual tillage operations there is oilier work being held up by the wet conditions, as it involves trampling on the ground. One such operation is the staking of the rows of early peas. As soon as they show signs of climbing as evidenced by the production of tendrils the necessary support should be provided. Twiggy branches are the most suitable. If" one is forced to use straight sticks these should be put in on the slant, those on one side sloping in the opposite direction to those on the other. The tops of the two rows of sticks should bo spaced, i.e., they should not meet. Tall stakes are'not required for the early rows as the varieties sown at. this stage are dwarfgrowing. Where it has not yet been done the planting of the main crop of onions may be carried out when the plants are big enough and the soil is ready. About a week before the planting a dressing of Mood and bone at. the rate of 2oz. per square yard may be applied. The fertiliser should be incorporated with the topsoil by means of a rake. As the onion is but <v surface-rooting plant the food supply should be kept within reach of the, roots.

Rhubarb beds which have not been renewed this vear should be top-dressed about this time. ,The winter mulch of stable manure may be supplemented with material from the" compost heap and the whole forked over between the rows and plants. If this material is in short ppply one may give the bed a good application of blood and bone or sulphate of ammonia at. tho rate of 2oz. or 3oz. per square yard. This will form tho basis of the food supply during tho forthcoming season and will bo augmented by liquid applications.

JERUSALEM AETICHOKES.

A PROLIFIC CROPPER. For those who like the flavour tho Jerusalem artichoko is a profitable crop to grow, as under moderately favourable conditions it gives a fairly prolific yield. No elaborate preparations are required, although a little attention is appreciated. Any soil is suitable for the culture of this crop except a very heavy clay whero tho drainage will not be too good. Tho time for planting is about the end of the present month. Tho little preparation that is required should bo carried out soon. Hoing a tuberous crop tho artichoke will delight in a wall-tilled soil, so the proposed plot should be dug over deeply. An out-of-the-way corner should bo selected for the purpose where possible, as tho artichoke is a tall-growing plant and is liable to overshadow any smaller crops. Besides, as it takes about eight months in which to mature, one should avoid growing it in one of tho best plots the use of which would bo lost for such a long period. A soil of medium richness is all that is required and ono should not work in large quantities of compost or other manure. An excessive supply of food will cause the tops to be too vigorous and the production of tubers to be affocted. In the ease of a soil which is known to be poor it is permissable to incorporate a small quantity of stable manure 01 'J 1 '"" post, but this should be buried well dm " nc tho digging operations. A light diessS of superphosphate may be applied st before planting. After the imtial digging further tillage m the wny of a good forking over may be indulged ne The n ariichoko has tubers similar to potatoes in that they have eyes, and sets possessing about three eyes are suitable. Thoso with several more than this number may bo cut in two just as large potato sets arc. Drills about 6in. deep are formed in which to place tllO sets and these should bo separated by 2ft, bin. or 3ft. whero more than one row is lining grown. From 12in. to 15im may be allowed between the sets according to the food eonfent of the soil. During development artichokes do not require a great deal of attention. When Hie young. plants are about Bin. or 9in high'they may be earthed up. Surface cultivation is practically all that they require after this. Later ou when the plants attain a height of abont sft. it is desirable to stop their upward development by " topping " the plants. This will help to divert the strength of the plants into more useful channels, viz., the feeding of the tubers. Any tubers which have been left in the ground from last year's crop had better bo dug now and stored in sand._ Tho artichokes keep better when left in the ground, but the fact that the approach of spring will cause them to sprout, j necessitates their removal at the present i lime.