THE GARDEN

Otago Witness, Issue 4042, 1 September 1931, Page 11

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK

NOTES BY

D. TANNOCK,

by

The repotting should be finished by now, and the main work will be pricking out seedlings of half-hardy annuals, and shifting the most forward out into cold frames to harden off. It is too early to put the tender plants outside altogether, but peutstemons, chrysanthemums, calceolarias, and pansies or violas, which were rooted in the autumn, and kept in the frames during the winter, can be put out in a sheltered position to make room for the bedding plants. The first lot of chrysanthemums will be rooted now, and these can be potted up into three-inch pots, using a nice light soil composed of two parts of loam, one of leafmould, half a part of sand, with a dusting of bone meal, wood ashes, and lime rubble. THE FLOWER GARDEN Complete the rose pruning as soon as possible, and though it is usually quite possible to plant out roses, trees, an 3 shrubs for another month yet, there is nothing to be gained by delay, and the sooner they are in their permanent positions the better. Continue to divide tip and replant the herbaceous border plants, to clean the dead leaves off the rock garden, and to plant out the carnations. Grass is now growing, and the mower should be run over it before it gets too long. First roll the lawn to press down any stones or rubbish into the soil, and, after cutting, give a dressing of sulphate of ammonia and sea sand. THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN Continue to make small sowings and plantings of the early kinds of vegetables, and get the ground into order for planting the second early potatoes and maiu crop vegetables.

CROPPING THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

About this time of the year, when we have a few warm sunny days in succession, and there is evidence of growth all round, the amateur is very apt. to rush to the seedsman’s shop, purchase a selection of seeds, plants, and tubers and fill up the greater part of the garden right away. This will mean abundance for a time when all vegetables are plentiful and cheap, and scarcity when the. are expensive. The motto of the gardener who desires to maintain supplies all the year round should be “ little and often,” and as soon as one crop is finished it should be cleared out and another put in. In addition to the importance of maintaining supplies, consideration should be given to a proper rotation of crops, so that as far as possible the crop which is finished should not be succeeded by another of- the same kind. Different crops require different quantities of essential plant foods, and these are more fully utilised when a rotation is followed. There is also the question of jsolating the different diseases which attack crops. For example, potato disease does not attack carrots or cabbages, and club root, which attacks turnips and cabbages, does , not attack carrots and beet. It may not be easy to work out a x very satisfactory plan for a small back garden, but no matter how small it may be it should be divided into four plots of about equal size. No. 1 could be planted with the more permanent crops, such as rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries and probably a few bush fruits; No. 2 will be mainly potatoes for early and second early supplies; No. 3, cabbages and leaf crops; No. 4 will be root crops. Later on the potato plot will be planted up with greens for winter. The crops in Nos. 2, 3 and 4 will change round every year, and the plot which was trenched during the winter will always be the potato patch. Tall growing crops such as peas, runner beans, artichokes and broad beans are better distributed through the dwarf crops, or planted along near the margins to provide shelter. In these days when men have so much time to spare, they could not employ it in a more profitable way than in growing their own supplies of vegetables, and if their own plot is too small or otherwise unsuitable, I am sure there are plenty of plots at present producing nothing which could be utilised with advantage. I have run out a simple planting plan for the plots which would ensure a varied selection and a proper succession. It is set out for a plot IGft in width, but there is no limit to the length of rows, and if more space is available the number of rows can be increased. Begin with the potato plot (No. 2). At 12in from the margin plant a row of Jerusalem artichokes, 18in apart. They will grow up and shelter the potatoes _ and also the winter greens, which will’be planted to follow. Next plant three rows of first early potatoes at 21in apart, and follow on with another three rows of second

early potatoes, 24in apart. Finish up with a row of broad beans at 18in from , the potatoes. Remember to give the ground a good dusting with lime, and to plant the sprouted sets with a trowel and the dormant ones with a hoe or spade. No. 3 plot will be devoted to the cabbage and bean crops, and will begin six ifiches from the margin with a row of parsley. At 18in from the parsley

plant a row of early peas, and 12in from the peas sow a row of spinach, which will be removed before the peas are ready to pick. At 18in from the spinach two rows of early cabbage can be sown, at 18in apart, followed by two rows of early cauliflower, also 18in apart. A row of French beans, . 18in from the cauliflower, and a row of butter beans 18in from the French beans can be followed by a row of lettuce, at 12in from the beans. Sow a row of second early peas at 18in from the lettuce, and then a row of transplanted lettuce on the outside of the peas. By transplanting a row of lettuce wljen thinning, they will follow on and provide a succession, and they should both be removed by the time the peas are ready to pick. No. 4 plot will be devoted mainly to root crops, and will begin with a row of peas. At 12in from the peas a row of spinach can be sown, and at 16in from the spinach a row of Egyptian turnip rooted beet can be planted. At another 16in plant a row of Dell’s Crimson beet; at IGin from Dell’s beet a row of shorthorn carrots, and at another Ifiin a row of intermediate carrots. Eighteen inches from the carrots plant a row of onions, which can be followed by a row of white turnips at 18in from the onions and a row of yellow turnips at ISin from the white. Sow a row of parsnips 18in from the turnips. Next plant a row of runner beans, and finish off with a row of radish, I2in from the beans. As radishes go past quickly, it will not be advisable to sow the whole row at once.

No. 4 plot is the winter crops, and after the artichokes, which will still be in the ground, we put in two rows of cabbage at 18 inches apart. At another 18 inches a row of savoys is sown, to be followed by a row of autumn broccoli and then a row of kale, all at 18 inches apart. At 18 inches from the kale sow a row of spring cabbage and then at another 18 inches a row of leeks, to be followed by a row of spring broccoli, and then a celery trench with one or two rows of plants. A row of lettuce may be accommodated on the outside. Tomatoes can be planted against a wall or fence, and the vegetable marrow can be planted on the manure or compost heap, or in some odd corner. BRASSICAS Following on the cultivation of vegetables we come to brassicas, and these are probably the most widely cultivated of all the vegetable crops, consisting as they do of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, and savoys. They belong to the natural order Cruciferse, which also includes turnips, radish, swedes, and kohlrabi, and such troublesome weeds as shepherd’s purse and cress.

All the members of the cabbage tribe are alike in their likes and dislikes, and they hate a sour soil and like lime. Soil for members of this family should be deeply dug, and well manured with farmyard manure if it is available. If not, bone meal, or, better still, blood and bone can be added to the soil, and liquid manure supplied later when growth is vigorous. Lime can be added when preparing the soil for planting, and later on to protect the plants from slugs, should the weather be moist. It is verv important to plant out the seedlings in their permanent positions with as little root disturbance as possible, and, though plants with apparently little roots will grow, they will never be so satisfactory as those with a ball of soil and the roots intact. It is usual to draw a drill from two to three inches deep, and to plant in the bottom of this, thereby sheltering the plants from the strong winds, and making watering much more satisfactory.

The common cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is divided into two groups, one with smooth leaves and another with curled leaves like savoys. The smooth kinds are again divided into those with a pointed conical head, and those with a flat drum head. The wild cabbage is found growing on the coats of England and France, but it has only thick flat leaves and a stem which attains a height of two and a-half to three feet, and which bears at the top a spike of yellow or white flowers. In the cultivated cabbage the internodes are short, and the leaves overlap one another closely, so as to form a close, firm head, the interior leaves being tender and succulent.

To maintain supplies all the year round, or at least in the spring and early summer (before beans and peas are plentiful), and in the autumn and winter, several plantings have to be made. In the autumn a planting is made to come in in the spring, and the first lot of plants put out in the spring are raised under glass and brought on like halfhardy annuals. Another planting can be made from seed sown in the open, and about the beginning of the new year plants can be put out to provide the winter supplies. The variety with red leaves, used for pickling, is usually raised in the open in the spring, and planted out in October, or later on to come into use in autumn and winter.

Among the group of Savoy cabbages are included all those with curled or crimped leaves. These are considered

to be hardier than the smooth-leaved kinds, and the flavour is also considered to be milder and less musky than that of the ordinary winter cabbage. Varieties to sow would be Flower of Spring, to plant in the late autumn and come in in the spring; Early York, to sow in the heat; to follow on, Winningstadt and Enfield Market; and for winter, Blair's Phenomenal.