HOME GARDENS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 15, 23 January 1948, Page 6

HOME GARDENS

(By J. W. Goodwin, N.D.H. (N.Z.), F.R.H.S. Massey Agricultural College.)

(Continued from previous issue) These few notes may serve to show just how important our vegetable patch may be to the health of a nation. Home-grown vegetables are fresher and much more palatable. Greens are important, so take stock now and see if you have sufficient greens planted for winter use. The Season’s Rotations The garden is now almost full except for those crops to be planted this month. Some of the early summer crops may be finished now and the ground may be turned over and fallowed till the autumn.

Where a crop-rotation plan is being followed, No. 1 plot will have been deeply dug and manured and should now be carrying a good-crop of potatoes. Keep them well earthed up and sprayed to prevent blight gaining a hold. When the “earlies” are dug, clean up and burn the hautins, which may be diseased, and dig the ground over in readiness for autumn sowings of onions and carrots. These are the first sowings in the succession which will bring the root crops into this section of the rotation.

No. 2 plot, which was manured last season for a crop of potatoes, will now contain maturing root crops, onions, carrots, parsnips, turnips, swede, kohl rabbi and beetroot. Be on the alert for aphis attacks on carrots and parsnips and the white butterfly or diamond-back moth on turnips and swede. No. 3 plot was cleared from root crops last winter, and for convenience was divided into two sections. Two-thirds of the plot had a liberal dressing of stable manure which was dug into the top spit of soil. This section may also have been limed, as this is the most suitable plot to lime because potatoes, which follow plot 4, do not like lime, and members of the cabbage tribe are more subject to clubroot disease if lime is absent. This section should now contain crops of cabbage, and cauliflower for summer and autumn use, and brussels sprouts to follow on. There should still be room to plant out savoy cabbage, winter broccoli and curly or Scotch kale for winter use.

The last-mentioned, which is rich in iron and vitamins, is not grown as much as it should be. A few plants will provide a valuable change of greens over a long period. Some gardeners may have raised their own plants by sowing seed towards the end of November, others should buy plants now. The white butterfly and diamond-back moth caterpillars may be troublesome. It is advisable to dip the plants in arsenate of lead before planting as this is easier and more economical. Mix -4OZ. of arsenate of lead with -goz. of hydrated lime, making a creamy paste, and add water to make 2% pints of liquid. Leeks and Celery The other third of this section (of No. 3 plot) which last season contained kohl rabbi, turnip and swede, should not be planted with cabbages, as they belong to the same family, and should not follow one another in rotation. This ground was doubledug in the spring, incorporated farm yard manure into the bottom spit of soil. This ground now contains a few early leeks and some golden self-blanching celery for autumn use. There may also be a row of celeriac, the turnip-rooted celery. The remaining ground has been prepared for the winter crops of celery and leeks. These may be raised from seed sown about the third week in November or plants may be purchased now. Leeks may be set in holes eight inches or nine inches apart and about the same in depth with the rows 15 inches apart. The easiest method is to prepare the holes with a crowbar or long dibber, and the tip of the plant should just show. Do not fill in the hole, but give sufficient water to settle a little soil round the roots. If the plants are arge or leafy, and particularly if the weather is dry, it would be wise to cut the foliage back by from one quarter to onethird of its length. Neither the early crop of celery or celeriac is grown in a trench, and they do not require blanching. The main crop should be planted in trenches either 12 inches wide by 12 inches deep for a single row, or 18 inches v/ide by 12 inches deep to take two rows of plants. The soil should be heaped on either side, as it will be required later for blanching.

If the ground was double-dug you will now be planting in soil which was enriched with stable manure. If not previously prepared dig manure, if available, into the bottom of the trench and add 2oz. of sulphate of potash per square yard. If farm yard manure is' not available, add compost or other material, plus 2oz. -of blood and bone per square yard. Plants should be healthy and well grown. ’ They should be set 10 to 12 inches apart and well watered. Never allow celery to become dry, spray with bordeaux to prevent fungus attacks, and watch for the carrot rust fly which also attacks this plant. The early cabbage and cauliflower will be finished now, and the ground may

be dug and fallowed until required for sowing broad beans in the autumn. Green Manure Crops No. 4 plot, which last season was manured for the cabbage family greens, leeks and celery, will this year contain crops of beans and peas following the cabbage section, and spinch, silver beet and lettuce following leeks and celery. Another sowing of peas and French beans may be made this month and for all but the milder climates, will be the last for the season. Lettuce or celtuce may also be sown or planted but just sufficient to provide a succession for salads.

This plot (No. ”4), which could be planted in potatoes next year, may be sown in a green manure crop as the early crops are cleared. Blue lupin, oats or barley may be sown for this purpose, and should be dug in as soon as flowers or ears begin to show. This will be well decomposed before the ground is again required. Should you be troubled with the smooth, shiny-brown wireworm in your garden, it is an aidvantage to sow a crop of mustard and dig this in for green manure. It will not kill the wireworms but it will drive them away. Green manuring is an excellent way in which to build up the humus content of the soil, particularly if farm yard manure, stack bottom, compost or other materials are not available. The onions, schallots and early crops will soon be cleared from No. 2 plot, and this may also be sown in green manure crops if desired, as the next season’s crops of cabbage, etc., will benefit from the nitrogen and humus. This outline of crop rotation is one of several which may be developed along similar lines and, once in operation, will result in better, healthier crops and the maintenance of the, soil in good heart. BULBS AND ALLIED PLANTS Bulbous plants are fascinating, and new and improved forms are being developed each year. Once they find a happy home there is a natural increase which soon builds up a good stock. The majority are suitable for picking if desired, and they are less trouble than most herbaceous plants. There is little staking, disbudding or watering required. The main point is this respect is to be careful to avoid damage when cultivating among dormant bulbs. At that season there is no leaf growth to warn the gardener, and spades and hoes may do untold damage. In general garden practice, a very wide range of plants is included under the title of bulbs and allied plants. Technically speaking, there are two classes of true bulbs. The first, a firm bulb, built up of layer upon layer of scale leaves, is referred to as a tumcated bulb, and includes the hyacinth, narcissus and onion. In the second, the scales are free and the bulb, of which lilium is the commonest, is termed a “scaly” bulb. Under the more general title we have “corms,” which are solid and possess no scales but bear one or more buds at the apex, e.g., gladioli, cyclamen, crocus, etc. “Tubers” are fleshy thickened underground stems, sometimes with eyes as in the tuberous begonia and potato, and sometimes with eyes only at the union of the tuber with the stem, as in the dahlia. “Rhizomes” are fleshy creeping underground stems of which the bearded iris is a common example. “Pips” or “crowns” are terms applied to Lily of the Valley and similar plants. Generally they may be said to consist of one or more buds supported by thick fleshy tissue which serves to protect them and nourish the new season’s growth from the food reserves stored within. Endless Variety in Habit With 1 the majority, the fibrous roots below, and the foliage above, ripen -off annually. A few, notably among the “rhizomes” and “pips,” may be evergreen or develop permanent fleshy roots. In these cases, and those which are soft and fleshy, they must not be allowed to dry out. Examples are liliums, erythron•iums (dog’s tooth violets), fritillaria and others. These may be stored in damp, but not wet, spagnum moss for a considerable period or may be “laid in” in sandy, leafy soil in a cool part of the garden. There is endless variety in habit, form, size and colour. They are adaptable to many purposes; some are unique, others are flowers of remarkable beauty. Nerines, colchiums, amaryllis (Belladonna Lily) and allied autumn-flowering subjects develop their foliage after flowering and during the cooler part of the year. They become dormant during' the fierce, dry summer conditions of their natural habitat. Other subjects come from countries where there is ample spring rainfall, and these may flower in autumn or spring and develop their leaf growth during the spring months. In most cases root growth commences with the late summer or autumn rains, and a good root system is developed which will enable the plant to make the fullest possible leaf growth.