| |
|
*Here are two March items for the seedbed:––
BRUSSELS SPROUTS A
small packet of seed is enough for each of the cabbage family. Seed may be
sown in seedbed drills about 1-1/2 in. deep––1 ft. apart––from third week in
March to end of April. Sow thinly, allowing 1/8 in. between each seed. To
protect seedlings from birds use black cotton or wire guards and do it
immediately after sowing.
LEEKS Sow thinly in mid-March in shallow seedbed drills.
Here are several items for sowing in March on the actual site where the
crops will grow:––
PARSNIPS may be sown from mid-February to mid-March. The
Ministry's cropping plan (300 square yards) provides fro three rows. Soil
for parsnips should always be deeply dug and worked to a fine surface tilth
before sowing. Sow in drills 15 in. apart and 1 in. deep, dropping the seed
in small clusters of three or four, 6 in. apart. Thin seedlings of each
cluster so as to leave only one. |
|
PEAS The Ministry's plan provides for three rows of dwarf peas 2 ft. 6
in. apart. In view of the difficulty of getting pea sticks, dwarf and medium
varieties are most suitable for the garden or allotment, since they can be
supported by fewer sticks or by string stretched between short sticks
inserted at intervals either side of the row.
If mice are troublesome, before sowing shake the seed
in a tin containing a little red lead or paraffin.NEVER SOW PEAS IN
WET SOIL Wait until it is just nicely moist and works freely. Sow in
broad, flat drills from 2 to 2-1/2 in. deep, made with either draw-hoe or
spade.
Don't just scatter the seeds slapdash in the drill: set them out in
three rows (as illustrated) allowing about 3 in. each way between seeds.
This may sound unnecessarily finicky, but it is worth it and the job takes
only a few extra minutes.
Space the rows according to the height of variety, 2
ft. for dwarfs, 3 ft. for medium and 5 ft. for tall.
Birds will attack the germinating seeds as they come
up, so protect the rows with black cotton stretched on sticks about 6 in.
about soil. Or you can use pea guards.
|
