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May to June is the period for planting out your Brussels.
The
Ministry's plan provides for two rows, 2-1/2 ft. between rows and the same
distance between plants. Don't forget that the plants need a long season of
growth to develop properly. If your ground is poor, you would do well to
fork well into the surface, before planting, 2 oz. to the square yard of
some complete fertiliser such as "National Growmore", which is of special
value to crops that have to stand the winter.
Be careful in lifting from the seedbed to see that you get a good
ball of soil round the roots. Should the weather be dry, water the seedbed
row the night before. |
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Plant with a dibber deep enough to bury the roots and stem up to the first
leaves. Press the soil firmly round the plant with the dibber or your heel.
If you plant in dry weather give the plants a good watering. Some gardeners
practise puddling, placing soil and water in a bucket and plunging the
plants' roots in it before planting. If the dry weather continues, water the
plants each day, if you can, until they are established and show signs of
making new growth. Hoe frequently between rows and plants. To make watering
more effective some gardeners plant in a drill about three or four in. deep. |
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Runners do best on soil
well trenched and given a good dressing of manure or compost, as advised in
the February Guide (page 8). Clay soils are usually too wet and cold for
them. One pint will sow a double row of 50 ft.
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The plants are very tender and
seeds should not be sown in the open until May, though early crops may be
secured by sowing in boxes in a frame or a greenhouse and transplanting
later. In the open, sow the seed in double rows with 9 in. of space between
the plants. For single rows, the plants should stand 12 in. apart.
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