IRISH GARDENING 



47 



Southern and Western Counties. 



By Mr. J. Matthews, Gardener to Sir Richard 



J. Musgrave, Bart., Touriii, Cappoquin, 



County Waterford. 



The Kitchen Garden. 



March is one of the most important months of the 

 year for the gardener who aims at success in the 

 production of first rate vegetables. Most varieties 

 of vegetabk^ seeds may be sown during the next 

 few weeks with a view to cairy on an unbroken 

 supply throughout the year. Ground operations 

 have been very much retarded owing to the long 

 spell of wet weather, therefore every opportunity 

 should be fully utilised to luring forward arrears 

 of digging. Get all vacant ground manured and 

 turned up as early as possil)le to receive the bene- 

 fits of the east winds usually experieni'cd in March. 

 The winter has been exceptionally mild and 

 vegetation is more advanced than 1 have seen it 

 for some years. 



Asparagus. — If new plantations are contemplated 

 thorough preparation of the soil is advised; well 

 made beds will give a supply of good stout stems 

 for many years. A well drained soil of a light, 

 sandy nature suits it best, and heavy land can be 

 brought into the proper condition by adding sand, 

 leaf-mould and burnt soil. In raising young 

 crowns for planting I believe in sowing in pots. 

 A few seeds placed in three-inch pots and germin- 

 ated in a cold frame, which take some time, 

 thinning out all but the strongest when large 

 enough to pull out; these ought to be fit to plant 

 in their permanent quarters towards the end of 

 June, and will make strong growth before the end 

 of the season. Give existing buds a light dressing 

 of salt now, and occtisional dressings in showery 

 weathei' tiiroughout the season; water with liquid 

 niaiuii'e in dry weather. 



Beet Root. — A small sowing should lie made 

 towards the end of the month and pulled in a 

 young state for the salad l)owl, the thinnings 

 from later sowings being used for this purpose. 



Brussels Sprouts. — A small sowing made early 

 in the month in boxes and pricked out in a frame 

 will afford a supply in early autumn; keep them 

 well ventilated to secure sturdy plants to put out 

 early in May. 



Broccoli for early winter supplies should lie 

 sown about the end of the month, such as Snow's 

 Winter White. 



Broad Beans. — Successional sowings may be 

 made to keep up summer supplies. 



Gauliflowers should be sown in variety. Early 

 l.ondon, W^ilcheren, early and late Frankfort 

 and Veitch's Autumn Giant give a good succes- 

 sion till late in the autumn. Plants in frames 

 should be hardened off to plant out about the end 

 of the month, if weather conditions are suitable; 

 some protection should be used till danger ot 

 frost is past; spruce branches, which are light, 

 if i)laced on each side of the drills, will answer the 

 purpose, or if planted between the lines of early 

 Peas very little more will l)e necessary. If a light 

 frost comes on during the night spray the plants 

 with cold water early in the morning before the 

 sun strikes them. 



Cabbage.— A good breadth of the larger varieties 

 for summer supplies should be sown either in beds 

 or drills; I prefer the latter, a foot apart, for all 

 seeds of this class, as it enables one to run the hoe 



between tliem. Early Offenham, Winningstadt, 

 and Copenhagen Market are good varieties. Pro- 

 tect from birds by placing a strawbei-ry net over 

 them, supported on stakes. These little pests will 

 clear whole drills in a morning just when the seeds 

 have burst; leave the net on till the seedlin^-s 

 are an inch or so high. A few black bottles stuck 

 through the drills on l)amboo canes will frighten 

 off pigeons. 



Celery for main crops may be sown in pans or 

 boxes, and .placed in gentle heat to germinate, and 

 pricked off in frames when the first leaf is made. 

 Place a few inches of well-rotted manure on the 

 l)Ottom, with four inches soil on top; the little 

 seedlings will go ahead in this and lift with good 

 balls of roots. 



Carrots.— Make another sowing of the stump- 

 rooted variety about the end of the month; the 

 main crop will Ije dealt with later. 



French Beans. — A further sowing in pots may 

 be made to keep the supply going. Canadian 

 Wonder is a good variety for sowing now, giving 

 good heavy crops of long tender pods. 



Peas.— Second early varieties should be sown 

 now, and at intervals of a fortnight, following on 

 with main crop and late kinds till the end of 

 June. Plants raised inside should l)ear i)lanting 

 out now, staking at once as a protection against 

 wind. Frost does very little harm to Peas if well 

 hardened off before planting. 



Parsley sown in heat early in the month and 

 pricked off into boxes, planting out at the end of 

 April in rich ground, will give a supply when the 

 autumn sowing i.s iiinning to seed; it has a pleas- 

 ing eft'ect ])lanted as an edging to walks or vege- 

 table borders. 



Potatoes. — Further plantings of early varieties 

 should lie made during the early days of the 

 month, following with second earlier later on. 

 Keejj sprouting tubers well to the light in cool 

 sheds, free from frost; on wet days turn over 

 those in store, rubbing off the sprouts. 



Salads, Lettuce and Radish should be sown in 

 small quantities on an early border fortnightly to 

 keep up a continual supply. Cucumber, too, should 

 be sown in small pots to provide plants for frame 

 culture. Frames may be prepared for these made 

 up with hot-bed material. Place a moimd of goo<l 

 loam in each top corner, and when warmed 

 tlirough place a plant in each. Plants bearing 

 crops under glass will require regular tying and 

 thinning of the shoots; water with weak liquid 

 manure, topdressing with good loam when the 

 roots come to the surface of the bed. 



Seakale will l)lanch outside now if covered over 

 with pots and banked up with stal)le manure; 

 much better heads are produced in tiiis way than 

 when lifted and forced inside. 



Turnips. — Make another sowing early in the 

 month of Early Snowball; avoid overcrowding by 

 early thinning. 



Vegetable Marrows. — An early supply may be 

 obtained grown in frames, and for this purpose 

 seeds may be sown now in heat. A hot-bed is not 

 necessary for tln^se; a frame where Potatoes had 

 been forced would accommodate them. 



General Remarks. — Attend to the watering and 

 ventilation of crops in frames. Remove the lights 

 entirely on bright days, watering early in the fore- 

 noon. Keep Tomatoes growing near the glass, 

 potting into larger pots as they require it. Hoe 

 garden walks and burn up rubbish, turn over 

 manure heaps, look over Broccoli plants, bending 



