The Home Garden in August

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 101, Issue 1, 15 July 1960, Page 37

The Home Garden in August

By

A. G. KENNELLY,

Horticultural Instructor,

Department of Agriculture, Dunedin

THE extent to which sowings of hardy vegetables can be made in August depends on local conditions, usually largely on ground temperatures, which even in the milder parts of New Zealand are not high enough for large sowings of hardy vegetables to be an advisable general practice. Small sowings will ensure a continuous supply of fresh vegetables which is one of the main aims of home production.

THE importance of continuity of supply in the production of vegetables can hardly be overstressed and because in most gardens a break in supply is most likely early in the season when winter vegetables are exhausted and before the new season’s supplies are ready, seed sowing or the setting out of young plants should be started in the new season as soon as possible. However, August sowings

should not be extensive, because though conditions are usually sunnier in August than in June and July, soil temperatures are still comparatively low and frosts may be heavy; also, ground conditions, particularly where the soil is heavy or moderately heavy, are rarely consistently good throughout New Zealand in August and if there is a cold, wet spell after sowing, crops may . fail. Suitability of Soil for Sowing The suitability of soil for sowing can be tested after it has been dug over. It is usually in the right moisture condition if it does not stick to the soles of the boots when it is walked on. If there is enough moisture, soil condition is less important for planting, but if the soil is inclined to be wet, it is better to work from a board laid on the ground than to walk on the surface when either sowing or planting.

Small sowings of most hardy vegetables can be made in well drained soils in favourably situated gardens where the ground has warmed enough. Seed of beetroot, carrots, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, summer cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, leeks, turnips,

radish, peas, salsify, scorzonera, spinach, silver beet, parsley, and many other herbs can be sown. Lettuces, silver beet and perpetual or spinach beet, early cabbages, cauliflowers, and

onions can be set out in most districts and should mature quickly if strong, well rooted seedlings are planted in well manured soil. In a few districts frost-tender plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, marrows, pumpkins, and melons can be sown under glass to be ready for setting out when frost danger is past. Though the time taken to produce good plants for planting out varies according to the treatment given, tomatoes started in warm, favourable conditions usually take about six weeks and the other plants mentioned about half that time to reach a suitable state for planting out.

Sowing should be governed by the facilities available and the extent of damaging frost. It is not advisable to have plants ready too early. The date of commencement of planting out varies from about mid October to late October in some northern districts and to the second week in November in some southern districts. Asparagus In most districts August is the preferred month for setting out plants to establish a new bed of asparagus, as usually ground conditions and the plants or crowns to be set out are in the most suitable condition then. One-year-old seedlings are usually preferred, as they transplant better and establish more readily than the twoyear crowns, which are considerably larger and therefore more subject to damage during transplanting. Crowns can be set out about 8 in. below soil level and the roots spread evenly over a small mound drawn up in the bottom of the trench. The top bud should not at first be covered with more than 2 in. of soil, as a young plant is liable to be smothered and retarded if deeply covered before it has become established and sufficiently strengthened. Double rows are often planted in home

gardens, though commercial growers prefer single rows. Crowns should be about 18 in. apart and rows at least 42 in. apart for single rows. Built up or raised beds are an advantage where the soil is shallow or drainage poor. Good drainage is essential and the site on which it is intended to establish a bed should first be dug deeply. All perennial weeds should be removed. Where possible a good dressing of organic manure such as farmyard or stable manure or compost should. be applied. A complete fertiliser (one containing nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash) is also advisable on most well worked home garden soils. It should be applied at up to about 4 oz to 5 oz a square yard. Broad Beans Broad beans can still be sown in districts where soil moisture is likely to be adequate up to the time of harvesting the crop. Carrots Seed of carrots can be sown as soon as soil conditions are favourable. In most home gardens several small successional sowings are preferable to one large one. Carrots are high yielding

and grow well in deep, rich, well drained, and well cultivated soils that contain adequate well rotted organic matter. Popular varieties include Red Cored Chantenay, Taranaki Strongtop, and Nantes. Onions In most northern districts or where it is customary to sow the main crop in autumn, onion plants can be set out 3 in. to 4 in. apart in rows 12 in. apart in August. In most southern districts the main crop is sown in September, ' but in favourably situated gardens where soil conditions are good a small early sowing may be made toward the end of August.

Peas Where the soil is well drained and the aspect is favourable peas can be sown now, even in southern districts. However, nothing is to be gained and the crop may be disappointing if seed is sown in cold, wet ground. It is not unusual for crops sown in favourable conditions to mature before crops sown several weeks earlier under unfavourable conditions. Peas do well in cool conditions and prefer a moist, well drained soil rich in humus. They repay good cultivation methods and the ground should be deeply dug and manured, preferably in autumn, with organic material such as stack bottom, compost, or farmyard manure. Dwarf varieties such as William Massey and Little Marvel can be grown without staking, but the rows should be kept earthed up. If, however, short sticks or suitable twiggy materials are available, dwarf varieties should be staked, because plants are usually better if given support. Most varieties of peas can be harvested only for a comparatively short time. To obtain a succession it is usually advisable to make sowings at intervals of about three to four

weeks of varieties having nearly similar maturity periods or to sow at about the same time several varieties each of which will mature its crop in succession. Seed should be sown lg in. to 2 in. apart in V-shaped or broad, flat drills, which can be drawn out with a hoe 18 in. to 30 in. apart according, to variety. Drills should be 2 in. to 3 in. deep except where conditions are hot and dry, when they should be considerably deeper so that though the seed should not be covered by more than l-J in. to 2 in. of soil, the roots will be well down in the lower, cooler, and moister soil levels. Potatoes It is much too early yet in most districts to plant main crop potatoes, but tubers can be set to sprout in a box in a light, airy, frost-free shed or outbuilding. Well sprouted tubers planted shallowly in well drained soil in a favourable situation send shoots above the ground more quickly than unsprouted ones. Frost is likely in many districts until late October and in some southern districts until early November and shoots of tubers planted in August are likely to be destroyed unless continuously earthed up. For early maturity an early variety should be chosen. Popular early varieties include Epicure and Arran Banner, but there are other good varieties well suited to specific locations. Where space permits a good plan is to try out several varieties. Early potatoes can be set 10 in. to 15 in. apart in the bottom of trenches 4 in. to 5 in. deep and 24 in. apart. If tubers planted very early are set deeply, they usually respond slowly because of the colder ground temperatures; if planted shallowly, they must be regularly earthed up to prevent' frost damage. Earthing up protects the tops from frost, but normal development is impossible unless the plant can develop green leaves, with which in the presence of light it manufactures sugar, which it builds up into starches and other substances. The advantage of early planting therefore lies mainly in the development of the underground system, which even if of only moderate size, forms an excellent basis for development when frost danger is past. Because of its freedom from disease, Government certified seed is recommended, but in districts where disease is not specially troublesome and goodsized certified seed is difficult to get, some home gardeners prefer to use medium or large tubers from a disease-free crop for early planting, because, other factors being equal, large tubers usually produce large plants earlier than small tubers.

If the tubers are to be cut, at least two eyes should be left on each section and planting should be done immediately after cutting. Rhubarb August is a good month to establish a new rhubarb bed or to break up and replant an old one. Rhubarb is hardy, easy to grow, and yields heavily if well supplied with moisture and plant foods. The soil should be 'veil drained and . preferably well supplied with organic matter. The lighter soils that dry out are less suitable than the heavier, well drained soils. In New Zealand varieties can be grouped as early, main crop, and ever bearing, though in good soils that do not dry out most varieties can be grown throughout the year. Rhubarb can be raised from seed, which is usually sown in spring as soon as the soil has warmed enough, but to obtain varieties true to name plants for new plantations must be obtained from the breaking up of existing crowns.

Except in specially favoured situations rhubarb should preferably be lifted every four or five years, as the large roots or crowns tend to become hollow and weakened if undisturbed for f° n S er periods. After lifting, the crowns should be divided with a sharp spade. Shallots In the home garden shallots are mainly grown for pickling or flavouring. They are easily grown and prefer a well drained soil in a sunny situation. Culture and harvesting of shallots are similar to that for onions except that shallots are increased by offsets or cloves and can usually be set out earlier than onions. May is often favoured for planting, though the common rule for culture of shallots is to plant on the shortest day and to harvest on the longest. The shallot is a particularly hardy vegetable, and because it is planted as a small bulb, it is better adapted to stand rigorous conditions than plants of

closely allied families which are grown from seed. However, planting on the shortest day is of little advantage if . soil conditions and weather are unfavourable. Bulbs should be graded according to size and planted 5 in. to 8 in. apart in rows 12 in. apart. Each bulb should be pressed firmly sufficiently far into the soil to keep it in position, though some growers prefer deeper planting and set bulbs to half to three-quarters of their depth. If bulbs are set deeply, the earth should be drawn away from them as they mature. Any flower heads that arise during the growing period should be removed. New Fields Superintendent at Palmerston North

MR A. STUART, Assistant Fields Superintendent in the Department of Agriculture at Dunedin, has been appointed Fields Superintendent in the Department at Palmerston North. He succeeds the late Mr C. J. Hamblyn.

Mr Stuart joined the Department of Agriculture as an Assistant Instructor in Agriculture at Ruakura in 1927. Since then he has been associated with farming in the South Island, specially in Otago and Southland, having served as an Instructor at Gore, Alexandra, Dunedin, and Invercargill. He was appointed Assistant Fields Superintendent at Dunedin in 1946. As Fields Superintendent at Palmerston North, Mr Stuart will be in charge of the Department of Agriculture’s farm advisory work in the lower half of the North Island, including Taranaki and the East Coast.

Sowing and Planting Small Early Sowings Only in favourable soils and situations: Beetroot, carrots, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, summer cabbage, kohlrabi, lettuce, . leeks, turnips, radish, peas, . salsify, scorzonera, spinach, silver beet, parsley, and many other herbs. , • Plant out Rhubarb, asparagus, horse radish, lettuces, silver beet, onions, cabbages, cauliflowers, kohlrabi, Jerusalem artichokes.

Success in Home Gardening

some gardeners have “green fingers” is debatable, but it is true with practically all gardeners that success follows the observance of a few simple but fundamental rules or practices which, though they seem to the beginner involved and difficult to learn, are quite logical and straightforward. Most of them can be discovered by common-sense consideration of the needs of plants in the different stages of their growth. The little knowledge needed of varieties can usually be obtained quite simply from a good descriptive seed list. Claims of extraordinary merit for secret manurial mixtures or garden practices usually need not be taken very seriously. The gardener who practises good husbandry, the essentials of which are common knowledge among successful growers everywhere, will succeed with most of the crops he grows. The successful gardener does not necessarily need to have had great experience, though experience helps when unforeseen problems arise. Even the best growers have failures which may be due to weather, poor seed, or other factors over which they have no control.