THE GARDEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26777, 21 May 1948, Page 9

THE GARDEN

Contributed by D. TANNOCK, A.H.R.H.O. -P3" = 1 sts 1 . ===== - ===r= ====

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS ” Gooseberry,” Dunedin. —You had better submit specimens of your gooseberry bushes to the Horticultural Division of the Department of Agriculture, Post Office Building. I have not seen any disease on gooseberries. They always seem to be healthy and free of blight of any kind. I hope it 1$ not mildew. “ St. Kilda,” Dunedin.—Blue lupin grown as a green dressing should bo dug in when it comes into flower. It should be pulled and left to wilt for a day before digging in. PERMANENT VEGETABLE CROPS By permanent crops we mean those which have not to be grown from seed or tubers each year, and occupy the ground more or less indefinitely, such as asparagus, seakale, rhubarb, etc. In a garden of considerable extent these should occupy a reasonably good open position, well drained and well manured. GROWING OF ASPARAGUS Though asparagus is considered by some to be a luxury vegetable, it is not really so, and a well-made bed will provide a considerable amount of a very desirable food at a time when other green vegetables are scarce. Asparagus belongs to the lily family, though it does not look much like a lily, and is a native of Britain, where it is found growing wild on the Cornish and southern coasts. I have collected it on the. southern coast of England growing in sand and. seaweed, just above high-water mark, and this is an indication of the conditions it requires for successful cultivation. It naturally prefers a light sandy soil, but any kind of soil can be made suitable, and as a well-made and properly-treated bed will last for years, it is worth while going to some trouble in its preparation. In a light, sandy soil all that will be necessary is to trench the site to a depth of at least two feet, breaking up the subsoil with a fork and mixing in a good dressing of compost, seaweed, or any kind of organic matter. If the soil is heavy, with a clay subsoil, It is better to remove the soil to a depth of two feet and a-half, and to put in a layer of lime rubble, clinkers, shingle, or coke breeze. On top of this put a layer of sods with the grassy side downwards to prevent the soil from washing down and blocking up the drainage layer. It will, of course, be necessary to provide a suitable outlet for the water in the drainage layer. When returning fhe soil with the lower layer, mix with each barrowful half a barrowful of compost made up of lime rubble, vegetable compost, and strawy manure in equal parts. To the top foot of soil add to each barrowful half a barrowful of well-made compost, half a barrowful of sea sand or lime rubble, and, if available. half a barrowful of well-rotted manure. Seaweed can take the place of the compost where it is available. This can be heaped up roughly, and left to settle down during the winter, but where the soil is heavy it is better to have the beds raised about a foot above the ground level.

For a two-row bed, allow three feet, with a two-foot alley between, and for a three-row bed. five feet. Though the winter is the best time to prepare new beds, September is the best month for planting, for then the sap is flowing freely. Either one or two-year-old plants are suitable, and it would be wise for those intending to plant a new bed to order the necessary plants now. SEAKALE Seakale is also a seaside plant and is found growing on coastal regions under similar conditions to asparagus. Though it can be grown in any kind of soil, it prefers an open, light, sandy loam. The preparation of the bed need not be so thorough as for asparagus, but trenching to a depth of two feet, and mixing in a good dressing of compost and sea "sand, with both the bottom and top spit, is desirable. Seaweed is also a good form of organic matter for seakale, and, if convenient, a very liberal dressing can be worked in during the operation of trenching. If lime rubble is available a liberal dressing can be forked into the surface now; if not. a dressing of lime can be given when preparing for planting in the spring. ' Propagation can be carried out either by means of seed or cuttings. Seed can be sown towards the end of September in drills 15 inches apart, and when • the young plants can be handled they are thinned out to six inches apart. The following spring the plants are lifted, the tops cut off to prevent them from running unduly to seed, and planted out in their permanent positions, planting at two feet apart each way. Young plants can sometimes be obtained from seedsmen in the spring. When old plants are lifted for forcing, the young side roots about as thick as a lead pencil are cut into pieces about four inches long, the top end being cut straight across, and the lower end with a slant to indicate which end to put uppermost when planting. They are tied in bundles and buried In the soil a few inches deep, where they will have formed some rots by the spring and be ready to plant out in September in their permanent positions. Seakale has to be blanched before it is fit for use, but this part of its cultivation will be dealt with later. CULTIVATION OF RHUBARB

Rhubarb is a very hardy plant, a native of Southern Siberia, and was probably first cultivated for its medicinal virtues. Owing to its hardiness and its tenacity of life, it is often planted in a position where little else will grow and there neglected. With such treatment it will continue to yield some leaf-stalks, but they are poor in quality and flavour. It should have a nice open situation in full sunshine, and when preparing the ground trench two feet deep, ana with every square yard of both spits mix a bucketful of well-rotted manure or well-made compost, and also four ounces of wood ashes and two ounces of bone meal. If old roots are lifted it will be found that the clump consists of five crowns, one in the centre and four subdivisions. The old crown in the centre is the weakest, and will be thrown away, and the other younger crowns reserved for planting. Make good big holes at three feet apart and plant a crown in each, taking care to have the top of the crown just showing on the surface. Planting can be done at any time while the plants are at rest, but in common with most things, autumn planting is best. As a rule, rhubarb is better when lifted and replanted every three years, but as it is not desirable to pull any stalks the first year, it is better to lift- portion of the patch every year. At one time it was an advantage to force rhubarb to get early supplies, but now there are varieties which send up leaves all the year round. The variety Cherry Ripe produces all the year round bright cherry-red stems of the highest quality and thickness, and Topp’s Improved Winter, Crimson Winter and Wilson’s Winter are also good varieties. Another permanent vegetable is the globe artichoke, but it is usually grown for its decorative effect rather than its culinary value.