WORK FOR THE WEEK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5686, 3 October 1896, Page 2

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

TO GARDENERS. Kitchen Garden. — It will be found a great assistance to arrange at this time of the year a complete plan of cropping for the whole season, the object being to facilitate the work at a busy time, and make the most of the ground by ensuring a good system of alternate cropping and the classification and assignment of the different sorts of vegetables to the best positions. For this purpose the first thing to do is to take a rough sketch or plan of the garden, and make a note of the existing crops and ground they occupy, so as to know when the ground is likely to fall vacant. This done, the full extent of ground for the earliest as well as main crops can be allotted. Presuming that by the beginning of September all vacant ground has been well manured and dug, it will be easy to call to mind the exact positions of last season's crops, and thereby avoid a repetition of the same, for the variation of crops is a sound principle to work upon, and each crop should be as dissimilar as possible from the preceding one. For instance, the ground that last year grew parsnips, carrots, or any other tap-rooted crop should be succeeded by a fibrousrooted crop, and vice versa. It is generally acknowledged that a succession of crops of the same kind will impoverish the soil much more than the variation or rotation system, and the crops are likely year by year to become deteriorated, although heavy manuring may in some, measure improve the fertility of the soil. Again, some crops are more exhausting than others, and this should be carefully noted, for when manure is limited and the garden is small, it may be impossible to vary the crops so precisely as to give every one its proper place. It will be found an advantage to classify the main crop by sowing parsnips, earrota, beetroot, salsafy, turnips and onions on one plot of ground, one after the other ; the same may be said of Brussels sprouts, the different sorts of broccoli, cabbage, winter and spring greens, which occupy the ground for the greatest length of time — the soil then becomes vacant in more regular order. Peas, beans, potatoes, leeks and celery should be subject to the same treatment. Having now given a general idea of arrangement, the next important matter is to choose a plot of ground for the sowing of small seeds. This ought not only to be a sheltered place, but should have some extra preparation by adding a fair quantity of charred refuse rather than manure. Dig it over in two or three directions, and leave it as it falls from the spade, to be raked down fine as required. Here nearly all the plants that are wanted for the season can be raised by sowing at different times, choosing a day when the surface is dry. Begin with the early crops, and treat them separately, as they ought to have the best and driest soil as well as the most sheltered positionin the garden, which is generally on a border with a . northern aspect, the soil of which should have been previously prepared during the winter. Here may be grown peas, broad beans, early sorts of potatoes, early shorthorn carrots, and a few turnips ; and between the peas a few rows of spinach, lettuce and radishes, which come off quickly, and are therefore no hindrance to those crops of larger growth. A piece of ground on this border should be reserved for the earliest cauliflowers from frames, and later on for a crop of dwarf beans. All the crops above-mentioned will come off in time for cauliflowers, a late crop of kidney beanß, broccoli, endive and lettuces, or any other crop of short duration. Coming to the main crops, for instance, peas, which are an important crop on (account of the great demand for them while in season, and which will do well on ground previously occupied by celery, or even where parsnips or carrots have grown— a good plan when short of ground is to sow on the ridges between celery trenches. Parsuipu, cazzota

and other tap-root crops may succeed potatoes, while the latter can take the space the former occupied ; but the plot for onions should be manured in autumn and laid up rough or in ridges, broken down early in September and allowed to get well pulverised and dry before sowing. Firm soils suit onions well. The space occupied by Brussels sprouts, broccoli and spring greens should be squared off for the whole crop of celery, leeks and some late peas, beans and spinach ; and as this soil has carried a rather exhausting crop and lain -so long unmoved, extra manure and labour will be necessary to restore it to its former state. Runner Beans grow next to the peas, provided the soil is rich and there is room enough. These require mulching in dry weather, and frequent waterings; therefore, grow them where these can be plentifully supplied. Success depends as much or more upon that than on a rich- soil. The space for the main summer crops being provided for, a very-important consideration is those that are to stand the winter and afford a supply for several months. The first of these are Brussels, sprouts, and as they should be planted early there will be no time to take a crop from the ground previously; therefore, a plot. of sufficient size of the winter-prepared ground should be selected, not only on which to grow this crop, but most of the late broccoli also. By this arrangement a large plot of ground will fall vacant about the same time for summer use the following year. Autumn and winter broccoli may follow these if space can be allowed, arranging the sorts so as to come into rotation, as near as possible. For such important crops it is not desirable to see so much of a patching system carried on. It is a great hindrance to a systematic cropping, and increases the difficulty of the preparation of the soil for any particular crop. Savoys, sprouting broccoli and winter greens of sorts are the next to consider. Space for these can be found from that taken up by early summer crops as they come off, such as where spinach, broad beans, peas and potatoes have "grown. There are many crops to be considered, which are important and indispensible, but which occupy little space, and yet come quickly into use, such as' spinach, lettuce and small salading; there will always be found ground at command for thorn. Vegetable marrows will do well on a mixture of garden rubbish and manure, and cucumbers may be planted in a similar position.