168 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES 



in September we should begin to blanch the hearts by 

 tying up the outer leaves loosely or by placing a piece of 

 slate, a not too heavy tile, a circle of wood, or an inverted 

 pot over the centres. 



Plants required for late use should be lifted in Novem- 

 ber with a good ball of soil clinging to the roots. All 

 slimy or decayed outer leaves must then be removed 

 and storage provided in a cold frame. Dry leaves or 

 bracken spread over the crowns will maintain the 

 blanching. Lettuces, it may be added, can be stored in 

 the same way. 



Mustard and Cress. These popular plants are too 

 well known to need description. They may be grown 

 almost anywhere, but if raised in ordinary soil are apt 

 to be very gritty when served,, as no amount of washing 

 seems able to remove all the particles of earth. Far 

 better it is to sow thickly on wet flannel placed in a 

 square dish or tray (a half-plate photographic dish of 

 granite answers admirably). Keep the dish indoors, near 

 to a window, in a hot or cold conservatory, or in a cold 

 frame. Mustard develops quicker than cress, therefore 

 the latter needs to be sown from three to six days before 

 the former in cases where it is desired to gather supplies 

 of each at the same time. 



Watercress is easier to grow than most people 

 imagine. Purchase a penny bunch and select the 

 thickest stalks, preferably those possessing many white 

 root hairs. Take some ordinary medicine bottles, fill 

 them with water and place a stalk in each. Arrange the 

 bottles on a shelf in the conservatory. In most weathers 



