VEGETABLE GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20516, 18 March 1930, Page 5

VEGETABLE GARDEN.

THE KUMARA CROP. Wherever the kumara is grown ft 13 counted as one of the most important crops, and as such it should receive a fair amount of the gardener's attention. About this time the plants will be requiring a little more time to foe spent on them. One of the chief items included in this is the application of liquid manure to help the plants to swell their tubers. The provision of plenty of moisture should be attended to at all times, and especially at the present when the tubers are beginning to fill out. If there is any lack in this* direction it will be reflected in the final yield, and so this matter should not be forgotten. Before any liquid manure is applied the gardener should make sure that the ground is not dry, as the solution might have a bad instead of a good effect on the crop, by making the soil solution too strong. Solution of Superphosphate.

The best fertiliser lo use for the purpose is superphosphate, this being made into a solution at the strength of loz. per; gallon. The liquid may be applied once every ten days for a time yet. Another thing that will help the crop vis to keep all shoots lifted every now and then to prevent them frpm rooting at the nodes. The weeding of the plot is another £ matter to attend to as the weeds will g lake moisture and food from the plants.'ii In view of the fact that the spring crop of potatoes turned out to be a failure, in most cases it behoves the gardener to do everything to make the yield of sweet potatoes as large as possible. Every little trifle will help and there is yet a month in which the tubers may be assisted in their development. Lifting the Crop. About the middle of next month is the usual time for lifting the kumara crop, but it is not too soon at the present to prepare for the storage of the produce. As a matter of fact the. gardener has a better opportunity for doing at this time than he will have when the crop is being lifted. The dry. condition of the soil is the reason for this being so. The best all-round method of storing this crop is to place the tubers in a box or barrel and cover them com-, pletely with dry soil. The necessity for having the soil for this purpose absolutely dry will be readily, recognised. The slightest trace of moisture will result in the tubers - producing sprouts and the flavour of the produce being spoilt as a result. The soil for use in this matter should, therefore, be put aside at the present time to make sure that it will be properly airdry when put in among the tubers. The top inch or two should be scraped oil the surface of some vacant plot and sieved through a-fairly fine sieve, say,, of half-inch mesh, or less. The soil should be spread out in the sun for a few days more and put aside • in a dry place until the tubers are ready to be stored-