FRANKLIN GARDENING NOTES.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 582, 9 November 1920, Page 2

FRANKLIN GARDENING NOTES.

By OCCASIONAL SCRIBfc In the successful culture of i» la ' r, % Vsi ife there are a few necessary ruletf any one of which neglected mcryfs that the best results obnned. I will deal with hese as pfeiniy as possible. Drainage. This is very important, n and around Pukekohe, as the soil s, generally speaking, of a stiff, retentive nature. Consequently, with ■rdinary rainfall, the soil becomes sodden and with a 4'iange to dry weather becomes hard and cakey and ,

lifhcult to-work down to a fine tilth. !.i this it is impossible to earTy vegetables successfully. tVherever possible the ground should. Ie tile-chained at a depth of about 'ft. 6in. If this is not practicable nuch good may be accomplished by ' oosening the subsoid with a fork when digging. This of course tajfces ime, but far better to do a umall- • >art of the garden thoroughly thai i large area indifferently. Whether in mmmer or winter it ms bettSr to ;row all vegetables in raised beds, the '.rains between the beds enabling the j&rdener to weed and work his vithout trafeding on the beds when in a wet state, and in addition the - urface drains keep down the water level in the soil. It if; now nown that manures are useless he soil is in a waterlogged Condi* ion as the soil bacteria cannot work - 1. excessive moisture, therjffore manres are worthless to plant life unless the soil is in a fit state. Badly Irained. shallow worked soil is the , irst to feel the effects of dry weaher, as it is not in a fit condition to moisture.

Watering. Most gardeners have only a hazy ; dea of what proper watering means, md much injury is done to growing » plants by injudicious watering. ItjV : s best to water in the evening, bey; ause evaporation is at the lowest at light, and the water has time to Sinkin. Our Pukekohe soil, in"*the driest ,eason, water applied twice a week will be found sufficient, but the' soil must be well soused. Sprinkling-with watering can, just damping the surface, is injurious, as it only encourages the roots to the surface. The object is to encourage the plants/ to root as deeply as possible. On the morning subsequent to watering the surface soil must be hoed or loosened to form a mulch, firJftly "to retard evaporation, and secondly to admit air to the soil. I have found it "a pood plan to draw a shallow trench iround plants such as tomatoes, CU-? cumbers, melons, lettuce, fill with/' water, and when soaked in thorough-; ly fill up again with dry soil, lank water is best as any other water colder than the soil reduces the *soil temperature and arrests growth. With many out-of-season plants it is advisable to use tepid water to raise the soil temperature. Cultivation. )•*-

Without cultivation maeftre is wasted. With thorough cultivation better vegetables can be grown with,out fertilizers than can be grown ' with liberal manuring without cultivation. The hoe must be kept continually going, the surface soil must not be allowed to cake. Cultivation aerates the soil, prevents loss of mois'r ture in dry wfather, and helps to reduce excessive moisture in wet'weft-., ther, keeps down weeds and pro- \ motes healthy growth. To conserve moisture at this season no opportunity should be lost to break up. the surface crust immediately after rain.

Weeds. j| "* * ,'. Nearly all troublesome weeds have fine seeds. It is well to remember this. The finer the seeds the finer must be the seed bed. Therefore, when preparing your seed bed, prepare it in Veeping with the size of the seeds. For instance, if you .are sowing peas, leave the ground as rough as possible—within reason of course—and you will find that the weeds will be fewer. We have a mk practical, example with onion cul- I ture. Thre extra fine seed-bed assists the germination of fine weed seeds such as spurrey, rib-grass and sorrell, which are hardly seen when the ground is in ordinary tilth. The garden without a weed will be found td grow indifferent vegetables, therefore '.' we must put up with a necessary .' evil, but the weeds in the r seedling stage. Care must be taken —particularly tt this season—to pre- . vent weeds from seeding. One year's seeding, .seven years' weeding. True":. to-day as fifty years ago. I will next deal with manures, green soiling crops, and liming, ""pc