GARDENS IN TAUPO

Taupo Times, Volume III, Issue 110, 5 March 1954, Page 8

GARDENS IN TAUPO

DRY WEATHER NOTES

(By

Flora).

Until we are blessed with a rain that will actually soak into the hot dry soil little can be done in the garden except general maintenance work. . And that is a trial, when every bush is laden with dust and one tug at a weed or cut at a spent head literally covers one with dust. But it will pay if a few jobs are gone on with, as there will be many things to do when the drought does break. Cut back all dead heads from the perennials and mulch, you may get another flowering from them. If you have raspberries which have finished fruiting, cut out the old wood that bore the fruit, leaving about four new canes per root. These will carry next year's crop. Mulch these remaining canes with compost so that they may build up sturdy plants for next season. During this dry spell many crops have reached maturity together. You no doubt will have quite a few that have run to seed, or dried off before they could be used. Even from this sad state of affairs, good can come, it is well known that seed harvested in Taupo has an exceptionally high germinating percentage. Before seed saving can be successfully carried out there are several factors that must be considered. First and most important is that of purity of line, that is, a strain of plants will produce offspring identical with or better in some respects than themselves. Variation of the strain from generation to generation is usually brought about by cross pollination. As some kinds of vegetables cross very readily it is essential, if you want the plants from the seed saved to be like their parent to isolate those from which it is intended to save seed. From the vegetable garden you may save seed from the broad bean, french bean, tomato, peas and lettuce without fear of cross pollination, resultant crops will not show any appreciable deviation from the original strain. The pumpkin, marrow, cucumber, celery, carrot and parsnip may be self pollinated, but they also crosspollinate very readily. with another variety growing in the neighbourhood. The resultant offspring therefore may be slightly different from the parent, but often just as good, and at times, even better. Care in the selection of individual plants from which you will save seed is worthwhile, this is not possible or necessary where the whole crop will be harvested, for instance peas and beans. Plants showing undesirable characteristics should not be retained for seed production. For example, do not save the seed from a lettuce that has bolted without first hearting, or subsequent generations may continue to bolt to seed. Therefore set aside one of the heartiest lettuce,, and let this one go to seed. Plants can be divided into two main groups according to their seeding habits, annuals and bi-en-nials. Vegetables of which the seed and fruit are eaten are mostly annuals, and most leaf, root and stem vegetables are bi-ennials. Peas, beans, marrows, pumpkins and corn come under the annuals for they grow and produce seed in one year. Whereas the cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, parsnip, onion and

beet-root are bi-ennials and only produce seed during their second year of growth. When saVing your own seed, harvest, in all cases, only from plants that appear disease free. Store in a well ventilated shed, preferably in tins so as to be away from rats and mice. If the seed has been carefully- dried and stored most will remain fertile for a number of years.