Gardening Notes

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 48, 8 May 1930, Page 9

Gardening Notes

BEGINNING A VEGETABLE

GARDEN.

In locating and making a vegetable garden, the .following .points should be kept in mmd;:^-r(a) That the prospective • garden must be wtell. .sheltered fi-Oni strong /winds. (b)--:l>haA--#he..-ia;nd-'----mufeit bei well.drained; (c) that the soil must, bo fertile, a-iah in humus, light and easily worked. ' ' If not naturally protected by buildings- or vegetation, •& windbreak may. i be constructed, by, the planting .of shtubs or small trees around the -gar-, den, ycl? it should be well exposed to the sun. . Well-drained land is "absolute^ ■■■ ly essential;' if t-3ie site for the garden ' is not well drained naturally, drainage must bo provided by ditching. . . Preparation of the Garden: A well-planned garden is laid out in long, broad beds, of a convenient width, so that tlie vegetables can be watered, weeded and cultivated with case. ~ The land should never be cut up into small/ short or narrow beds with more paths than necessary,, in order to properly care for the plants. This is wasteful of land and labour,and the soil dries out more rapidly and requires more irrigation than if large beds are made. (Drdinarily the high beds are not to be recommended, as the soil dries out .too rapidly^ but they are sometimes necessary Avhere the rainfall is excessive or where the drainage of >the level land is imperfect.,.'.. : Spade or plough the ground well to a depth of not less than 12 inches; break "up all lumps, remove all trash, and leVe-1 the land with a garden rake, If the soil is not naturally fertile, and is heavy, stiff inclined to bake, it may be improved: by adding to it stable manure or decaying vegetable matter and a little sand, which substances should be WoTougihly worked into the . soil. As a matter of fact,-unless the ground is exceptionally fertile, heavy applications of well-decayed manure or compost should be the rule rather than .the exception, and the grower will find himself surprisingly well repaid- for this extra expense in the better veg&taibles produced. A poOr grWth odi vegetables in a large majority of eases is due merely to. the, fact that the land is not sufficiently fertile or that"'the: land was not properly ;. prepared. Especially is this tinie of European vegetables, many of which, prove very satisfactory if the soil is enriched. Do not attempt to work the soil when it is wet and soggy after a heavy rain. The soil is about rigjtt for working. and planting when it CM»mblcs and falls apart under moderate pressure in t»he hand; the land is then in good condition for planting seed direct in the soil for the setting out of plants from the seed bed. Seed Beds. Many plants succeed better if the seed is sown in a seed bed, where, during the early stages of their growth, they may be protected better from t>he hot rays of :the sun, heavy rains, and noxious insects,''titan if the seed is sown in the open, ■grouiid. . If the seed bed i« prepared in the garden, a small bamboo frame should be erected .over it. ■ :■:'•■;'i--':: Seed Boxes. '','' "■ ■ If insects, particularly ants,,are trou" ' blesome, it; is best to sow the seeds in shallow boxes, commonlycalled "flats": placed under a raiiipi'obi shelter. Make the fiats about 6 inches deep, and in nailing them allow .enough spaces, between the bottom boards to provide for drainage;. a number of small holes bored in the bottopi of the flat will also serve to carry off any surplus water. Gfood seed flats are obtained by sawing a kerosen box in two so as to make two ; shallow boxes. :. .-•■.•■■■,-■ v : . y ■ ■<■.■;:'■■. : - ~- I

Cover the bottom of ;the flat with, a layer {about ; an inch deep of coal,ashes, gravel> or small stones^ and: then fill ■the fla.t alnwst; to the top with fine, rich, preferably'sandy loam. Heavy, sticky soil!is not suitable. Level and pa*sk Hie "soil moderately firm before sowing the seed.

Jii seed Beds and flats sow tike seeds in raws about 2 inches apart, depending upon the size of seed and vigour of the plant. Cover the seed slightly ■with a layer of soil, ot two or fhree tinues the thickness of the seed, pack tihe soil well, and then water thoroughly.

After planting the seed, do not allotr the soil in the flat to dry out, or the seed will not germinate; nor, on the other hand, should it be watered so often that the soil is kept continually wet and soggy, for in this case the seed decays or tihe young plants are likely to r/Crt off at the surface of the

ground. With many plants this stage is the most critical in their development and many are lost by excessive watering if this is not carefully attended to.

After the plants have appeared above ground, a good Tule is to allow the soil to befeome so dry that the plants are on the point of wilting, and then water the flat thoroughly,. so that^ the water penetrates to the bottom. Frequent an-d watering is veiy pernicious in. that it encourages a. shallow root "system, near the surface of the soil and prevents the development, of deep-going roots, thuse stunts .the plants.' "

"Wieeds should, of course, be pulled out whenever they appear. ' If ants' and" oth&r crawling insects are troublesome) placfe the seed boxes on a table 'ma.de of bamboo, with the legs standing'in tin .cans filled with water. ■'"■'■.: Transplanting. . When the"- yoijng- plants ,begin to crowd ( \each other, transplant them about 2 inches apart into • other boxes prepared as heretofore described. Before removing the .plants, the seed flat should he watered thoroughly and the flat into wMcih the plamts are transplanted should be well watered after the operation. Then, when <the plants are 2 or 3 inches high, depending^ upon the kind, they arc ready to set out in their permanent position in the garden. jlt is well to place the plant box in the full sunlight a few flays prjor to setting out the plants in order to accustom them to the change. Tihe transplanting: of fhe plants from the seed bed or flat to the garden is best accompuished during a cloudy day or.: late in the''afternoon. ■ Cut off about one-half of the leaves. Disturb tihe roots as little as possible, and Arm the soil well around them wihen the plants are' set out. Wat9r them unless it is raining. Saving Seeds. Seed of European vegetables sometimes deteriorates so rapidly thait it x. is lisually not avisable to collect seed fox planting another year, the better plan being to obtain fresh imported seed for each season. It. should be the rule to save enough seed for planting the next crop.' Save the seeds from tlie best plants when they are ripe, spread them Out to dry on ,a papeT in the shade, and when dried, place them in a tightly corked bottle' stored in a cool place. iSeeds in vegetables like the Tomato; Passion Fruit, Cu.cumijer and M!elon ■should be carefully washed of all pulp

and then dried

NEW USES TOR LEMONS

Now the problem of using more lemons cames along. We cannot eat very many lemons without danger to our dispositions, but I have found several xises for lemons in. my household •tihat otherwise I would iiave disregarfled had tihe "lemon market stayed up.".

I find that a cup of strained lemon juice added to a boiler of clothes on wash day blea-ehes and takes out stains, as well as the commercial bleacthes. It also .softens tihe wate-r. If the waiter is hard the juice of two lemons in the dish water makes unnecessary use of lye or other softeners. '

\ find lemon juioe, combined with Bon Ami and water, makes an excellent cleaner for wihite shoes. The lemon juice takes out tihe stains that otherwise would have to be covered iip.

For discoloured teeth, lemons again come to the fronit. Cover the tooth brush: with, common: .baking soda, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over it, and.brush the,teeth Vigorously while the soda is bubbling;. Repeat this two or three times, and notee the. great improvenrent. > ;The\lemoii:,; juice also acts as a diisanfec'tan,t. -Tliis treatment folTowed by j the use of a pleasant tasting tooth paste or*mouth wia^sh leaves nothing to be desired; . "j: A /eiip of lemon juice added to the liiop water prevents the usual roughness of the hands caused by the mopping. It also *help remove -the- stains and spots from oldi linoleum floors.; •

Butter colouring is almost impossible to remove from oilcloth without spoil-

ing the cloth. Accidentally I found that lemon .juice removes this : staan without injury to the oilcloth if used wihile t<he stain is fresh.

Lemon juice and salt will remove iron rust, while the pure Lemon juice will remove ink stains and fruit stains from white goods.

,We have known several persons trou-" bled with occasional attacks of bilious headaches to prevent an attack "by drinking a glass of strong unsweetened lemonade upon rising, and.omitting the largest poTtion of their breakfast.

I find t&e easiest; arid one of the moat delicious cake fillings andfrostings

is made of the juice of two lemons and powelered sugar. Strain the juice, adding enougk of the powdered sugar to make an easily spread paste, then use immediately, The frosting will harden in a cool place within an. hour.;

Tihreo of fout lemons aiid enough, orange juice to fill a quart ,jar, witfi about a half-cxip of sugar,^ brought to the boil, then sealed in a glass, jar, T\dll keep indefinitely. This juice, with a double amount of water, is one of our 'most die-Liewus drinks. :

There' are many other uses for the lemon,. such as . Jembn syrup, for the itching • eoiigh,, and lemon juice in., a cup of black coffee for relief of a- sick, headaehie. ".Again, w-e. find the .lemon an aid ;to .taking stains from the fingers during* the fruit canning season.

In fact, lieinons are i*sed in. one .way or anoiher- every day in households ■where the lemon habit is formed.