THE BURDEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16260, 29 October 1920, Page 10

THE BURDEN.

WORK FOB THi WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN*, feseds to fcso\v•—rJdeajis, beet,. broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, capsicum, celery/ cucumber, gourds, ietmee, mustard!-, peas, savoy, spinach, tomatoes, turnips, vegetable marrow. What to Plant.—Cabbage, cauliiiower, Brussels sprouts, leeks, lettuce, tomatoes. lhe‘ frost on October 26 was very severe m some gardens, and did much damage to beans,'potatoes and tomatoes, Many were killed down to the ground, and others injured so much tnat they will be a ions' time getting over it. ... 6 November is a very busy month in the garden. The weather is often changeable, alternating from extreme heal to slight frosts, with strong, drying winds. All crops should be. carefully examined, and failures made good. Borne complaints are made that onions have come up very patchy. The bare patches can be hlled up by transplanting thinnings from the thick portionsBeaus of any variety may bo sown during this month. .Give each plant plenty of room. They give a bigger crop, and of a better quality, than when the plants are crowded. Sow beet for succession now, and make another sowing at the end of the month. Capsicum may be sown in a warm situation, but it is much the best' plan to raise these plants, in heat early in spring and plant them out at the end of November or early in December, Gourds can he sown in the open. These are most useful climbing plants. They «>n be trained on fences or over low !™ ldni f s :, Joroune a pretty covering. j -® 0 - t , lO irnite are very ornamental cun mg late summer and autumn. .im,!n et n ble marrow and Pumpkins should be town Give these an open position wheVe they get plenty of sun. these can b e grown on the flat, or on ' d *! s 0 ™.bbish. _ Their chief , requireUC ivf are air and water. But a pinch of savoy seed in now, and make another sowing early in Decernei. _As a rule, the bulk of savors come m too early, at a time when there' is J|ttle demand for them. Tito result aat they have to stand some weeks alter they reach their best condition, and many of them burst and become almost useless for. the kitchen. The best samples of savoys are those of medium size, green and tender, men they get very large, they need so much boiling to get them soft that most of the flavour is lost. sprouts should -be • put in their final quarters as soon as possibleDon t wait until the plants are very -arge. Set them out as soon as possible after they_ have three leaves. This plant requires a long season to make its to rovi .i. Heavy soil should be used preference in open position, and plenty of room, 3ft apart, should be given. p ",t cr °P s should -he .thinned j Garrets are. often left to 'bo mnned as young roots are required for ic -utchen, but this is an unsatisfactory method. It is much better to make frequent small sowings to provide tender roots for the'kitchen, and tlnn the mam crop as soon as'possible Cauliflowers must have water during hot dry weather. If they suffer for n ant of water the results are never satisfactory. Immediately the plant sufiers a check, its development is arrested. The head (or flower) is formed, anu the delicate flavour is gone. It is better to grow a few and do these well Uian attempt a. lot and spoil them. . J omato plants had a bad time last WC s. Many wore killed, and others v ere injured so much that little good can be expected from them. Examine each plant, and if the stem is black below the bottom leaf put- another plant in, as it is useless to expect such a one to produce a payable crop. Asparagus seedlings should he thinned scvei’ely, leaving the young plants some distance apart. If it is a permanent bed/ thin to fifteen inches. If the plants are raised for sale, thin.them to six inches. If left any closer together than this they cannot make good saleable plants. Don’t fie in a hurry to cut off the frosted tops from the potatoes. It is more than pfobable that there will be several more frosts, and those damaged . tops will protect the live parts below if they are left -on the plants. If .removed the parts that will be exposed will be very tender, because they were under tbo parts that ' were frosted, and are very susceptible to a slight frost. flowed garden. November is the month for heddin" out; a great variety of decorative plants* but some regard should be given to weather conditions. l n sheltered distncts all kinds can with safety fie setout, but hero in Christchurch all the more tender subjects had better be kept in the frame ground until the end or the month. Alternanthera, heliotrope, irisino, salacia and begonias are all very tender in the spring, although tliey will stand several degrees of frost. Dahlias that were not lifted aresending up their growths. These are very tender, - and suffer from the slightest lost. A lew spray branches of gorse. manuka or macrocarpa pub on the east S' of thepbnts wm protect thei)l I .™, S lgllt frosts. Take care that the hoots are not buried by their protect-mur-i n tb° na i ' ? , they are coverecl ' tedrl IMU OtS beC ° me blanched and ender, and they soon suffer from a low and f *ost. All plants that -ued the support ol stakes should have t ' L " I at ? ncc - Deiuhiniunis are very «roith t^ gr °? nd lin . e ’ where the .owth starts from the root stock. Above this the stem is strong. Rat * 'Orfe strong stakes to each shoot, drive tliem in the ground about twelve inches and leave about two feet six inches above the sin-face. These, if strong. rbl i' ? P (% Shp ? ts " pri S ,l(i - and bv ,tuo end of November they will bo cov cred with foliage. The most objectionable feature of stakes is their aggress yeness. Often one sees more stake than plant. Tins is because there is a to one -t C i rO, D r. n,t V e all the shoot, to one .stoke, makine it look more like But iv^I C Ti° r - ig ~ircil tooom. them onT'ei T U each - and tocm out of sight as much as possible