THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20604, 1 July 1930, Page 17

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

WINTER CROPPING. EY F.S.It. The past week's frosts will have had •raryin::, results. In the first [.lace it (vilf have served to slow up the rate oi m-owth of the crops, and in some of the coldest districts it may have even nipped 1: ho plants to a ceitain extent. On the Other hand frost, improves the flavour r f certain crops to a marked degree. Celery is much improved in quality fcy the frost. n,nd tho produce to,at is picked after a cold snap will be much crisper. Parsnips aro also impro\ed In M frosty spell, while Brussels sprouts aro affected as nnieh as most, and more than ' fnany , ~r the crops in this beneficial

peninT. _ frost is useful in aiding m the breaking pp of ground that has been left lying fallow and after a spell of this Kind oi cold weather the soil will pulverise fairly veil. Another thing about frciViy weather is that it is ristiallv of several days' duration and. being line, it gives the gardener an opportunity tor working the toil after il has lost some of the surplus

moisture. Cabbages and cauliflowers may now be. fiown to" provide plants for putting out jn spring t' l maintain the succession. Henderson's Succession is a good variety p f cabbage to sow at this time of. the year, while Early London and Waloheren are two good cauliflowers. Although the above varieties do well on inosl K "ds it is quite possible that there are others that will do bettr.- in certain cases. Advantage of Raised Beds. Paised beds or raised drills—i.e., drills formed along tho' tops of ridges aro advisable for sowing at this time of the vcar as better results are obtained by following this method. The extra drainago that is provided is responsible for quicker growth in the young seedlings. In the case of crops 'that it is possible to transplant it is a still better idea to sow the seed in boxes which may bo placed under cover and so kept from cettiri'' too wet. Cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce and cress seed may be sown in (his mariner. In tho case of tho lastmentioned crop, i.e., cress, the crop may be grown entirely in a box as it is only a short while until it matures. A deeper hex should be provided if this course is io be adopted. If lettuce is being sown, jt will bo found that Webb's Wondeiird is an excellent variety. Earl? peaa may be sown in a warm, sheltered position in a well-drained soil. Unless a suitable position is available and the ground has been prepared properly an early sowing of peas will be disappointing. Particular care will have to be taken to protect the seedlings trorn pests. Successional sowings of broad beans jxiav bo kept up in order to maintain ?». supply of the beans lattr on. An interval of three weeks is usually allowed between the successive sowings. Radishes may also be sown now on a ridge or raised bed. Sometimes bads are troublesome when the radish seedlings are just appearing above the ground, and.to prevent them from doing any damage it is necessary to place half-inch over the drill. A sowing of radish as early as this is more or less an experiment except in a well-sheltered position. Carrots and parsnips may he sown at the present time as well. Short Horn. Oxheart and James' Intermediate are varieties suitable for a sowing oi carrots while the Hollow Crown is a suitable oarpnip. A few White Stone turnips might also be tried These sowings of root crops should likewise be made in raised drills All seed that is sown during the winter season should be covered with less soil than i 3 used at other times. The soil seed will take lunger to germinate at this time of the year and it will not come up as thickly as at other times, on account oft the moist condition of the jzround which/causes more seed to rot. Early Potatoes. Where tho ground has been prepared the planting of early potatoes may be carried out. It will be remembered that this early lot must be in a warm position in order to be successful even to a small degree. If any early potatoes are cut down bv frost so that they will not break away again in a short while the best, plan •will be to dig the tubers up. In the short time that they have been in the ground the original " sets'' will not have rotted away, but if they are greened off again they will- sprout a second time and they may be replanted. Although they ■will not bo an early crop by the time that this is completed this will prevent the frosted crop from being a total loss. The lifting of the autumn crop oi potatoes .ftouid be attended to now. Tho tubers should be dried in the sun and Stored after the sets that are required for seed purposes have been selected. Thts best method of storing thorn is to place them in boxes and cover them with dry earth. The boxes should not be more than 12in. deep. CITRUS CULTURE. . WORK TO EE DONE. Work on lemon trees at present, includes the, gathering of all fruit lh.it. is mature enough for picking. Ihe lemons may be gathered as soon as they show fligns of; changing colour on one side, even as they have then only to ripen and they will do this just a.s well off the tree ns on it. The fruits should be gathered carefully, a pair of secateur.-, being the best for the. ptiipose, although a knife may bo used; Tho lemons should be cut off so thai the. button remains intact, hut do not have any length :>f stalk attached to them. .Lemons should be ripened in the sun. so that they will lose the thick skin that they sometimes possess. All lemons that nre gathered before they are properly ripe hav! ibis thick skin, and only t! 10.-.•> that arc practically dead ripe v. .1! have lost it. After having been ripened, live lemons should bo stored until they are required for n.-.u. .\ satiable place ol storage consists of somewhere that is ury .jiul any, and dark for preference. It ia a good plan to wrap each lemon in thin paper ! ot'ore it is stored. Other work in the citrus section includes the planting of new trees. Strictly speaking citrus trees should not be planted at tho same time as the deciduous trees, but one usually has to put them in at this tipio owing to the fact that it is the orilv. time that ilev are procurable from tho nur.-.et vtnen. The autumn and the spring are the seasons when these trees ere be't planted and iheie is -i spell during the winter when Ihev should not be put out. If there is one thing that citrus trees do not tolerate it is a draught. 'I he site licit is chosen for them, therefore, should be somewhere where they will not ho exposed to the wind. A pocHvdrained situation is another condition that is distasteful to these trees, and every effort should he made to imnrove tho drainage of llie soil. Ihe method of preparing, for any of the deciduous trees, should be followed for these trees as well, at'd particular attention should be paid to the deep working of the .toil. The incorporation of a good quantity r>f cojmiost or we'l-rotfed st-iMc ire'eme in both the top-soil and the subsoil will he appreciated bv the trf>es. when thev are planted. Tu the lower soil it will assist the drainage, espcciallv iri the case of tho heavier soils, whilo in the ton-soil Si will provide fond .to start the nlants off for a while and allow them to become established. The early establishment, of the trees after they have been planted is jnost important.