THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

Shannon News, 11 April 1924, Page 2

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.

There is not much that can'be done in the vegetable garden now except keeping the hoe- going amongst plants of every’kind. The reason for Using u now is different,to using it so tiniuicli in the summer and early autumn. Every rainfall now will moisten the surface of the ground and will bring up thousands oi small seedling weeds which are easily killed in their infancy, but if they'are left to grow until the rain comes it is almost impossible to check them except by digging them under. Every avaliable space in the garden should be cleaned up now and manured and trenched in readiness lor spring cropping. It is a waste ol good manure and soil to allow a crop that has passed its prime to he allowed to remain in the-ground and tjlie sooner it is out the better for -everything. Trenching and draining are the two methods which will turn heavy clay land into fertile soil and. when th*e two. are finished give the surface a good dressing oi lime and you will have done all that is possible for a while. Generally speaking, the clay that is below a well-trenched garden holds as much plant food as the surface soil, but if manure can bo added to it with something to keep it open it Will hie found that it lasts . ... longer and holds moisture longer than some of the lighter and more alluvial lands. While there are not many seeds that can be sown now, provisions should be made for spring planting by sowing cabbages, cauliflowers, lettuce and onion seed. Cabbages may be sown in the open ground as long| as the soil between the rows is kept clean and free from wieeds, tout we have always had. the t best results from cauliflowers sown in boxes and transplanted out into other boxes as soon as they are large enough to handle. Th£ great secret of growing cauliflowers is to see that they never get a check and when the - plants are set out in the open, see that the soil they are put into-is ■" fflesh or has been liberally, manured. They should never -be grown where tifbre " lias ‘been a previous cabbage or turnip crop for some four years at least or the club root disease will malic its appearance and tills cannot be controlled once it is in the soil, sdw onion seed oil a welbmanured piece of ground because they do not grow very much during the winter and all the growth they are likely to make is between, now and the .cold weather. 1 They must 'be kept clean.- and free from weeds. It is time that leeks and celery AMere given copious waterings • with liquid manure. Some of these plants may be reSdy for earthing up, b\it still they Avill toe all the better for the manure water. Wrap pieces of brown paper round the stems of the celery to stop, dirt getting into their hearts while the earth is being ■ drawn up to them. If they are being tgrown on the flat as Avas recommended some time ago a couple of boards , will be necessary to keep the soil in place. These boards should be about 12 inches Av,ide and long enough to reach along each side of the row. The width for them to be placed apart will depend upon the Avidth of the row or rows. There a,re generally plenty of plants of NeAV Zealand spinach springing up in the garden to provide a crop for a long time yet and if you have plants that have not yet come to seeding you Avill find that they will last all through the Avinter even though the frosts are hard and severe. .This is a vegetable that is too much neglected as it is one that will provide a good dish .when other things are not' growing at all, and when the ground gets moister in the autumn it. gives a tremendous supply of green stuff. There is another thing about this vegetable, and that is if one has too much for use it- can be dug into the soil where it will make a splendid manure. We have tried it on a piece of very poor--ground and the recovery that the soil has made is' little less thiani marvellous. It keeps heavy clay land*, open and as the stuff rots down it gives a very large amount of plant food. Although the Aveather is still A r ery Avarm A at nights, avc must be prepared for frosts any time noAV and should pick any marrows and pumpkins that are £ipc enough. Store them away in a dry place under a hedge or under trees and they will keep most of the Avinter through; ini fact, there are some that will keep until the next crop is ready "Tor picking. Givie the small fruits and the rhubarb bed a good dressing of manure mow just fork some soil over it. This is allso a good time. to clean up asparagus beds and to give them; a good dressing of manure. We do not believe that the- old idea of putting salt on the bed is any good, hut would rather AValt until the spring and o|ive it a dressing of nitrate of soda b Gut the top of the asparagus as soon as they begin to turn yellow and clear them away or so many voung seedlings''AAdll come that they will b,e worse than weeds.—(Palmerston Standard.