GARDEN NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 9, 14 May 1920, Page 14

GARDEN NOTES.

V EG ETA BL E CULTU RE. Garden- work at the present time conJsists mostly in attention to growing crops. j Spinach sbould be thinned to single plants standing 8 to 10 in. apart. The ob- | ject is to produce strong i.odividual plants, j as the 1-eaves are gathered separately, and the larger they are the more succulcnt they will be. If growth is not satisfa-ctory give a dressiiig oi" nitrate of soda, foz. per square yard. Keep the surface soil loose by 1'ght hoeing. Turnips intended to stand for late use sbould be thinned to about 4in apart. TI ose intended for puling early need very little thinning of the young plants. It can be done by drawing ihe roots as they become large enough for use, thus obtaiuing a very large yield. Cabbage, Broccoli, etc., sbould be m&ulded up as soon as they have made sufficient growth. Moulding up sbould be dorie in a way that will cover weeds ; | growing between the plants as .well as j those between the rows. The growth of the plants sbould then cover the ground ancl pr.actically prevcnt further growth of weeds. Celery may be all mouided up uow, but tbis should not be done while the soil about the roots is dry, as after moulding up water can not reach most of the roots, and the result would be pithy stems. If possible, the trench.es should be given a , thorough soaking of water. If this is not; practicable, delay moulding-up till after a heavy fall of rain. The way, ! the moulding-up is dorie ig of co'n- . siderable importance if the heads ; are well grown. The soil should be ' packed very firmly about the lower part of the heads, so as to prevent the stems , bulging or bending, which the _weight of soil will cause unless it ig well packed at ihe base. There are various methods employed in blanching, such as the use of caidboard collars, strips of strong paper, etc., in which the heads are enveloped before the earth is packed around them. These methods are not necessary for ordinary purposes. It is important, however, to prevent the soil getting to the hearts. This is done by ffrst tying the heads tigether with a strand of green flax or rafia, or by naaking a two-handed job of it, when a man or boy holds the heads together while another throws in the soil. The person holding the heads also uses his hand to pack the soil iirm, and this is the most expeditions method. In places wbere. slugs or wireworms are troublesorne a good dusting of a mixture of lime and soon should he given an hour or two before beginning to mou.ld up. Leeks should be sufficiently advanced for moulding-up. Some people still adhere to the old-fashioned way of growing leeks in trenches, an expensi ve method that has been abandoned by most growers. If in trenches, moulding-up sixnply consists in fillirig tlie trenches. When grown by the method described in forrner notes there are no trenches. The plants are set deep, and a considerahle portion ig blanch©d naturally. An additional length oan ha blanched by drawing soil up round the plants, the best results being secured by first wrapping each plant round with a strip of newspaper cut about 6in. wide and secured with a tie of rafia, soil being then drawn up as high as possible. The sowing of caulifiower, cabbage, onion, and lettuce was advised for the last w,eek in March or the first week in April. Two varieties of caulifiower were advised, an early and a giant kind. Early varieties are very prone to form heads prematurely, when, of course, they are useless. A little extra car,e can elimina-te this had hahit. As soon as the s&edlin gs are large enough to handle they should be pricked ofF into a plot of good soil, spacing them about 3in. apart. The pricking-off will cause a future stronger growth than is possible with plants not so treated. This extra shift, though it is an advantage, is not really important for ihe larger variety, nor for cahbages.