e-book:
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Ministry of Agriculture Allotment &
Garden Guide
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Click image for
facsimile of
page 4
May 1945
Page:
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Sow RUNNERS (continued) |
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If you have double rows, it is an advantage for staking to put
the plants opposite each other. It is a mistake to overcrowd runner beans.
Seeds are best sown in a trench and should be placed 2 in. deep. Don't
forget to sow a few extra at the end of the rows to fill up gaps in the
rows.
Runner beans produce best when supported by stakes or some other
contraption that allows them to climb; they can also be grown as dwarf
plants by pinching out the growing shoots as they appear, but the yield will
not be so heavy. |
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Stout, straight stakes 6-8 ft. long, without branches or twigs, are best for
runner beans. Stakes are inserted against each plant and slightly inclined
so that they cross at the top, allowing for a cross stake to be fixed as
illustrated.
During dry weather, runner beans derive great benefit from
watering; in fact, drought is often responsible for the flowers dropping and
failing to set. To induce a good set it may be necessary to syringe the
flowers with water. Keep the beans closely gathered as they mature so as to
prolong cropping. |
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Sow MARROWS
Choose a sunny corner for your marrows, digging in some well-rotted
manure or compost into the bottom of the bed, which should be taken out one
spit deep. Sow towards the end of May, placing groups of four or five |
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seeds about 6 in. apart and 1 in. deep. Eventually thin to two plants, 12 to
15 in. apart. Take care not to let the young plants suffer from lack of
water; give them plenty in dry weather and hoe regularly to keep the bed
free from weeks. |
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Plant CELERY
If you want to grow celery (and you have not been able to sow seeds
in heat), you should buy the plants ready for planting out in late May or
June. Celery likes richly prepared ground. Dig out a trench 18 in. wide and
1 ft. deep, and fork in manure or compost into the bottom of it, returning
the soil to within 2 in. of the level of the ground. Set the plants
carefully in staggered double rows, 1 ft. apart––10 to 12 in. between
plants. |
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Water them in and give them plenty of water when the weather is dry. Dust
with soot at intervals, as a prevention against leaf maggot. Earthing up
will be dealt with in the June Guide.
Some people like celeriac––a turnip-rooted celery––for flavouring
stews. You may like to try a row as an experiment. Plant in shallow drills
18 in. apart, 12 in. between plants. Celeriac also needs plenty of water in
dry weather. Remove side shoots as they appear and hoe regularly. |
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