Gardening Notes

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 45, 17 April 1930, Page 9

Gardening Notes

VEGETABLES AND THEIR

CULTIVATION. f

To grow vegetables and ensure a succession all the year round requires" a great deal of care and attention.

In the first place, the ground must be seen to, and if not already drained, iLat operation must bo the first consideration, as t-here is nothing more •harmful than stagnant water lying about. lam a great believer in trenching, and where ,the' soil is deep enough |to allow that operation being carried I ob I, much better results will be gained. It also helps to conserve the moisture iii the ground, jnueh. better tha^ plain

uiggm-g. v : -. ,;, In the matter of scejls, after one >has iiiade up ttoir nxind the quantity required, they, should go to some of the lending .seedsmen where they will be .sari. of..getting the very and trtie

to name

Tiierc is-nothing more .disappointing t'h;.-i lad seed, to say nothing about Hie time and labour lost in trying to

ruse them

The main object in the kitchen garden sliuv.ld be to keep up a succession as long as possible. It is much better to put in a little and often tharTputting in a big batch of plants all at once, as -half of them are sure to go to waste, and there is nothing coming on to take ■its place. ,The quantity should be judged by the amount of space available, and the demand^ of the kitchen.

In preparing the ground for the seed beds-it should be well worked, and plenty of well-rotted manure added. It i^ a great mistake to sow tthe. seed thickly, for wihen they come up they get. .drawn, and when ready for planting they suffer' greatly from, the cheek. Personally I believe in pricking the seedling cabbages, etc., when they be<no. to show their rough leaves; tlhen they can be lifted with a ball of earth, and they never feel the shift. All planting, if possible, should bo done on dull days.

Cabbage, one of the most useful and most popular vegetables, being gross feeders, require a' licit soil to, grow them. They should be planted out in drills, and the distance judged "by the variety grown. ■ Two feet each way will be found a convenient distance, but if required for exhibition purposes, more space should be allowed.

During the summer months and early autumn all the Brassica family are liable to attacks from the cabbage, moth and aphis. I have tried a great many remedies, and'find ono of the'best is to spray them with a mixture of x>ne part phenyle to one hundredth part: water (anything stronger than tftat will burn) and this mixture shtaild never bo put on.-when the sun'is shihnig, only.in the evening. There are a great many^ varieties of cabbage to choose frni for early work. Champion^;-'Early, AH Head, Flower of:> Spring, > ; are two of the best. Succession" makes good autumn and winter" cabbage, and for early spring Improved Enfield "Market is an excellent variety. Then there are the Savoys; but we lack the frosts in the Valley to bring tiiem properly to maturity. . . .^ -.

Cauliflowers require similar.treatment to cabbages, only they must be-planted, .wider in the drills. For a good, allround variety, Eclipse -will stand its own with any. of its' fellows, although not quite so early-as Burpee Early ot Early London. '■-'.'.

Brussels Sprouts form one of * out best winter vegetables- Cloths and aphis are* extremely; fond; of them, and one has to be- continually pn : the look-out for them, and keep tnersrpaycx going. President Carnot and One arid All, are two ideal sprouts. s v

Onions, . another of' the principal crops, require a good deep soil (on the heavy side, for preference) and-much, manure. If:extra:.. large onions aTe required,, the -seed should -be sown towards the end of April, and transplanted into rows about 12 or 15 inches apart, and about 9inches between fhe plants. After \'sxey. have -become, well established a little, manure may be given them at intervals. A little dry fowl manure,.. spTirikled between the rows, and well hoed in, suits them well. Giant Rocea; V- a.nd Ailsa Craig make idea! e*fcibition varieties, but they don't keep too^well. For a main crop variety, Browrji Spanish is one of tihe best. ''..'•' .

Carrots require a rich, deep, sandy soil—the deeper the better, so as to let the roots go down straight. If the soil is. shallow, Short Horn varieties will be .best. Improved Red Intermediate is a splendid carrot for deep soils- — colour and shape are all that can be desired. Sow the seed in drills, 12 to .15 inches between the rows. The same treatment will'suifiee for Parsnips, only the distance between the drills must be wider. Eighteen inches will be found sufficient, and the-plants thinned to 6 or 7-inches. Beetroot, also will do well under, the same treatement.

Peas require a soil that has been well worked and manured, new soil for pre-' ferenee; but I have seen good peas "grown on old ground. Of varieties thereare many, but for a good early one" I would recommend . The Sherwood, nnd for a good" main crop Juno ..is hard to. beat, and it stands the dry weather well. French Beans are very liable to attacks from Red Spider, but if they axe kept welL watered,' that will help tokecp tthem clean. Never let a crop that is exhausted stand too long on the. ground; get them' out as soon as pos-.

sible, and burnt. Once the spider gets a hold, it's not an easy matter to get rid of it again. Canadian _ Wonder is one of the best croppers; -we have. Magnum Bonum is also a splendid bean and much longer, and broader than the first-named. Care must be taken wihen it is sown, not ''to give .it too much water, as I nnd it is liable to rot more so than other .varieties.

Leeks like a s'oii that has been well manured and trenched. When, the young plants are "about the size of an ordinary lead pencil they should bo planted out in drills, 18 inches apart, and a foot between the plants. When planting* make the hole witoh a dibber, and drop the plants in. Don't be afraid to' put them down—they will come up all rigiit.

The main thing in vegetable culture is to trench deeply, manure liberally, water plentifully, and keep the soil -well stirred up with the hae.