THE GARDEN

Southland Times, Issue 24831, 25 August 1942, Page 6

THE GARDEN

SOWING VEGETABLE SEEDS By RIWHI Good seeds are always valuable, but at the present time they are precious and the greatest of care and thought should be given to the planting of them. Perhaps the most vexed problem here is when to sow. It is useless to generalize because so many factors have to be considered; they include the type of soil being handled—if it is light, sowings may be made as much as a month earlier than is customary on heavy soils. Then there is the rainfall and climate generally, the aspect of the garden, its exposure to winds, its state of cultivation. Certain general principles may, however, be followed with confidence. (1) Seeds must never be soon when the soil is cold and wet. This may be said to be just common sense, but many gardeners will transgress in the rush to get seeds in during the first spell of warm weather. (2) Thorough cultivation and the working of the surface soil down to a fine tilth are essential factors in successful seed sowing. One should never hesitate to delay seed sowing when the soil is ill-prepared for it. (3) Choose the time of sowing so as to secure uniform growth of the crop from germination to maturity. If early carrots are to be sown, consider the time for sowing in relation to the shelter available, drainage and any other evident factors. As an early crop they will do best on a sandy loam. Absence of favourable conditions will give rise to checks in their growth that may ruin prospects of an early harvest. In fact under poor conditions the seedlings may never push through to the surface even after germinating 90 per cent. Generally speaking, Southland gardeners sow their seeds too early. I am referring more especially to main crop sowings. The latter half of September and even up to mid-October make the best period for general sowings. QUANTITIES TO SOW Another serious weakness in the gardening practice of many gardeners, and of especial consequence to those with small town sections, is the making of too extensive sowings. Because one packet of each variety has been purchased many seem to think it must all be sown. With crops such as white turnips, silver beet, red beet and lettuce short rows, 10 or 12 feet long are quite adequate for a household of four or five. These rows will be sown in succession so that fresh, young specimens will be available for use right through the season. To sow more of such a crop as silver beet is pure waste of space. Further, before filling up all available space the relative economic values of crops should be considered. In an average season the town gardener would plant early potatoes, but not main crop ones for the space needed would be put to better use producing a succesI sion of autumn cauliflowers, broccoli, : peas, butter beans, lettuce and spring onions. Onions, although a most inter- ; esting crop to grow, might come under 1 the same category as main crop potatoes where space is limited. Further aspects of the cropping problem will be dealt with next week.