Amateur Gardening – 10 August 2019

48 AMATEUR GARDENING10 AUGUST 2019

35 years of practicaladvice

Oldest Gardening Magazine

Amateur

1884 2019

TheseextractsfromAGcomefromvariousissues

publishedin 1926andfocusonvegetables that

were being talked about at the time:

Theviews,informationandopinionsexpressedduringthisseriesof extractsfrompastissuesofAGaresolelythoseof theindividualsinvolved,at thetimetheywere

written,andarenotnecessarilyrelevantorevenlegaltoday.Pleasetreatthesepagesasa lookbackat howthings were done in the past and not necessarily how they

are done today.AG accepts no responsibility if readers follow advice given in these articles from past issues.

The vegetable garden

FromAG 20 November 1926

Cauliflowernote

CAULIFLOWERSwillkeepfreshfor

weeksif dugupbytherootsandhung

headdownwardsin a coolbutfrost-

proofplace.When‘thenorthwinddoth

blow, and we shall have snow’, this is the

bestwayof treatinggoodheadsof

cauliflower.If theweatherremainsmild,

turnin a fewof theinnerleavesoverthe

curds.Thiswillnotonlyprotectthe

curds,butalsoretardthema bit.

Probablythegreatestbotherabout

thisexcellentvegetableis thattoomany

heads mature at the same time. When

FromAG3 July 1926

GoodKingHenry

GOODKingHenry(Chenopodium

bonus-henricus) is popularin theNorth

andMidlands,butscarcelyknownat all

in theSouth,sothattomanyit is quitean

uncommonvegetable.Theplantmaybe

usedin twoways,eitherasasparagus,

orasa substituteforspinach.It is a long-

livedplant,fora plantationwilllast for

manyyearswithoutrenewal.

Whereraisedfromseed,thisshould

be sown in March rather thinly, in drills

18in[46cm]apart,andultimatelythinned

to 1ft[30cm]apart.Butlittlefurtherin the

wayof cultureis needed,thoughtheplot

shouldreceivea goodcoatingof manure

eachautumn.Theyoungshoots,where

requiredforuseasasparagus,shouldbe

cutassoonassufficientlylong;but,where

intendedforuseasspinach,thegrowth

shouldbeallowedto extenduntilthe

leavesarelargeenoughforgathering.

OneEnglishnameanditsbotanical

oneis givenabove;anotherEnglish

cognomenis Lincolnshire spinach.

H.W.C.W.

FromAG17 July 1926

Outdoorfigs

INfavourablelocalities,

particularlyin thesouthern

counties,figsripenperfectly

onwallsandfences,andthe

treeswillsucceedin soilstoo

hardandpoorforanyother

kindof fruittree.Toripenthe

fruitproperly,however,a few

simpleculturaldetailsrequire

attentionat thisseason,for

comparativelyfewpeople

knowwhatreally well-ripened

figsarelike.

Whenthefruitis swelling

freely,particularlywhen

approachingmaturity,the

rootsmustbekeptwell

suppliedwithmoistureby

anoccasionalgoodsoaking

withwaterasfarastheyare

likelytoextend.Thismay

alsobesupplementedby

liberalsuppliesof weak

liquid manure.

Anotherimportantdetail

is thepruningandtraining,

butthisneedonlybeof the

simplestkind.Allthatis

necessaryis totrainoutthe

younggrowthwhereverthere

is sufficientspace;onno

account,however,should

theshootsandbranchesbe

trainedorlaidin toothickly.

Thefruitandfoliageof thefig

mustalwayshaveplentyof

lightandsun,sothat6-8in

[15-20cm]apartwillbenear

enoughtotraintheshoots,

andallgrowthnotrequired

oughttobecutcleanaway.

Thechiefpointsin the

successfulcultureof outdoor

figsarethereforekeepingthe

younggrowthtrainedthinly,

andwateringwell,sokeeping

therootsmoistandfedin hot,

dryweather.Theverybest

varietyforoutdoors is

‘BrownTurkey’.

Fleet

The perennial Good King Henry

‘Brown Turkey’ – recommended for growing outdoors in 1926

Tipsonstoringcauliflowers,singingthepraisesfor

Good King Henry, and how to grow figs outdoors

theydiscolourandspreadout,they

makeanexcellentpickle,eitheralone

orwiththeoddmentsfromthevegetable

garden.Wherethereis sucha garden

orallotment,thereshouldalwaysbe

a piccalillimixturemade,andfresh

vegetables added from time to time.

E.C.M.

Alamy

Alamy