Spirit level – for making level paths, or checking the levels of existing paths, or for making sure that the foundations for a greenhouse are correct.

Fertilizer distributor – for distributing different kinds of fertilizers.

Seed driller – for ensuring even planting.

Questions and tasks for comprehension.

1. What kind of organisms are the plants?

2. Why do we use plants?

3. What should we take on account selecting a crop?

4. What type of soil is the best for cultivation? Why?

5. What types of soil prevail in your region?

6. Why lime is so important for the soil?

7. Why is humus so valuable?

8. What kinds of soil tools and equipment are in common uses?

9. What kinds of tools or equipment do we use for sowing crops?

Task 1. Study Table 1. Say what kinds of fertilizers are the most and the least valuable food for plants.

Task 2. Complete the following sentences.

Lack of lime in the soil can lead to …

Lime in the soil can …

Task 3. Sum up:

1. Give instructions for soil testing.

Compare types of soil.

Unit 2

In this unit you will find the answers for the following questions:

- What is rotation?

- What is three and four year rotation?

- What is a frame?

- What kinds of greenhouses are there?

- Why do we like to cook with herbs?

Rotation

Rotational cropping should be practiced in even the smallest vegetable garden. This will help prevent the pests and diseases which attack one particular group of plants from building up in the soil. In some cases this build up can only be reduced; if you are unfortunate enough to have club root in your soil, this fungus can live for twenty years in the ground which is more than any rotational system can eradicate.

If you practice rotation, a balance will be maintained between the various plant foods, and the soil will be less likely to build up an adverse reaction to any particular plant. As well as this, the different methods of cultivation followed for each plant will make certain that the soil is well dug and properly treated to a considerable depth, and this will all help to restore and maintain a healthy balance. The soil will be opened up and aerated, the bacteria will be able to obtain the supplies of oxygen which they need to convert the fertilizers and manure which the gardener will add into a form in which the plants can absorb them.

Making the Most of the Soil

The correct rotation of cropping will bring about the most economical use of the vegetable plot because one will need fewer fertilizers. As an example, cabbages and cauliflowers take large amounts of nitrates from the soil, while the legumes (peas and beans) return nitrogen to the soil — their roots have nodules which 'fix' the nitrogen in the earth. The brassicas (cabbages, cauliflowers, sprouts, broccoli, kale) should therefore follow the peas and beans. Salads can be grown as 'catch crops' in any of the sections.

To keep the soil in good condition you must ensure that it does not have a deficiency of lime, but whereas some crops require large quantities of lime, others such as potatoes do best in a slightly acid soil. If there is not enough lime, the inert plant foods stored in the soil will not be able to be released for the growing crops to take up and all the manure or garden compost that you may possibly add will be of little use. Rotation helps constantly to correct the various imbalances.

Four Year Rotation

If there is enough space, it is better to follow a four year rotational plan rather than a three year one, and if you are going to grow main crop potatoes, a four year plan is really essential. If your plot is being cultivated for the first time, a potato crop will be of great value: they clear the ground in a way that no other crop can equal, and by moving them around the vegetable garden, the plot will be kept reasonably free of weeds.

When planting the potatoes, manure the ground first. A heavy application of manure given to the potatoes will mean that only quite small quantities will need to be given to the following crops during the next three years before that particular patch of land is used for potatoes again. Follow the potatoes with root crops: these need a well-limed soil, and always do best in one which has been manured for a previous crop. If they are sown in freshly manured ground, this causes the roots to grow forked, and their keeping quality will also be reduced. Follow the root crops with legumes, which will increase the nitrogen content of the soil, and this will benefit the fourth and final crop from the plot, the brassicas.

Then start all over again, manuring that site heavily for the potatoes.

Three Year Rotation

There is room in a three year plan for early potatoes, but not really for maincrop ones. The early potatoes can be grown with beetroots, carrots, parsnips, radishes, swedes and turnips, but the site must not be manured. The peas and beans and leeks will follow them on the site, and then the brassicas.

Table 2: Four-year rotation

A Potatoes

B Roots

C Pears&Beans

D Brassicas

There are three year rotation which go the same way except that potatoes will not be included.

Frames and Greenhouses

Frames

The simplest type of frame consists of four pieces of wood, a low one at the front, a tall one at the back, and two sloping sides. On top of this is placed a large glass window, hinged to the back of the frame, and known as a light. The light is opened from the front, and should be arranged so that it can be propped open in varying positions. This way one can harden off the seedlings, or fully ventilate studier plants. Traditionally, plants with frames are grown in the ground. The slope of the frame should face south, to trap maximum sunlight and warmth. A frame enables you to sow seeds two or three weeks earlier than can be done outdoors in your area, and will enable crops to grow on for the same amount of time after the first frost.

Light To get maximum sunlight penetration, the glass should be at right angles to the sun's rays. Unless you lived on the equator, the sun's rays will not strike the glass at the same angle all the year round; so probably the best idea is to set the glass to gain maximum benefit from winter sunlight, on the grounds that there will be sufficient light in late spring and summer anyway.

Heat If you want to use your frame to the utmost, you can put soil-warming cables inside it buried in a layer of grit under the growing mix. Soil temperature can then be controlled with a thermostat linked to a thermometer set in the soil. Simpler ideas include covering the frame with an old rug or coconut matting to conserve heat on frosty winter nights, putting an additional sheet of glass on top to provide double glazing. Plastic netting will break the force of strong winds when the frame is open, and will also keep birds, cats, and other small animals away. If two frames are built back to back, this will provide a mini-greenhouse.

It is possible to buy lightweight aluminium frames which can be moved around easily; these are effectively large scale cloches, and can be moved around the vegetable patch to help along whichever crop is needed next.

Greenhouses

A greenhouse ameliorates the extremer effects of the weather, and is of great benefit in enabling the amateur gardener to grow unusual vegetables, or to get the more ordinary crops that much earlier. There are basically four sorts of greenhouse to choose from, classified according to the minimum temperatures at which they are maintained.

Cold These are heated by the sun only. This restricts the house's usefulness to the spring, summer and autumn, and success will be greatest in spots which are naturally sheltered.

Cool These are suitable in terms of running costs and efficiency for a very large number of gardeners. They are not heated in summer, but warmed artificially from autumn to spring to keep the temperature at about 7°C. They are frost free, and can be used for overwintering many vegetables and herbs. During the summer they can be used for tomatoes, aubergines and sweet peppers, which are not always sure to do well out of doors.

Intermediate or warm In these the temperature never falls below 13°C. This means that tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces and so on can be raised in both winter and summer.

Stove or hot These are most unlikely to be of any benefit to the vegetable grower, with temperatures having to be maintained at a minimum of 18^cC. Leave these to those gardeners specializing in orchids, palms and exotic fruits.

Greenhouses are often classified according to the shapes of their roofs.

Span-roofed houses The most popular kind, these are tent-shaped and have sides which are either vertical or slightly sloping. The roof rises to a ridge in the centre. The angle of the roof varies widely between different models. If you live in an area with heavy winter snowfalls, choose a more sloping roof; this will minimize the risk of damage, especially in an unheated house. The greenhouse glass can come right down to the level of the foundations, or there may be walls from a height of two bricks to half the total height made either of bricks or of composition blocks. Some greenhouses come with prepared bases of metal, wood or asbestos. A compromise can be a half wall on one side, and a glass wall on the other, usually the south, side.

Gutters or eaves traverse the span-roofed house at between 120 and 180cm, while the ridge itself is usually half as high again. The roof should have at least one ventilator.

Lean-to greenhouses These have been unpopular in the past due to the difficulty of ventilating them properly, but they are more favourably regarded now as they take up little space, are convenient to use, and can be heated directly from the domestic heating circuit. It is possible to buy fans to solve the ventilation difficulties, and they can turn out to be a very successful enterprise, especially where they face south.

The roof of the lean-to can either be a single slope or a threequarter pitch with a ridge. If you cannot afford extractor fans, make sure that the ventilators on sides and front of any lean-to give a good through current of air.

Dutch light houses These consist of single sheets of glass, each framed lightly in wood and measuring 150 by 75cm, which are then bracketed together by their grooved sides. The gable ends are hinged so that they can be lifted to make room for a tall crop. They are popular with commercial lettuce and tomato growers, but for the amateur, their composition means a large heat loss from between the frames. They are however comparatively cheap to buy and easy to put up.

The low roof tends to restrict head and working room, but the whole structure could be mounted on a brick base wall to add height.

Curvilinear or Mansard houses These allow very large amounts of light to enter and make ideal all-purpose greenhouses. It tends to be more suitable for propagation and perhaps pot plants than for vegetables however.

Circular houses These have only comparatively recently become available, but are rapidly growing in popularity. Air conditioning or extractor fans must be used to prevent overheating in summer.

Plastic greenhouses These are made of 500 or 1000 gauge polythene or PVC with rigid plastic supports, and are cheap and simple to construct, although they do have disadvantages. A greenhouse made of one of these materials will probably only have a life of two years, as eventually the ultra-violet rays from the sun will weaken the material, and it may get torn by the wind. Another disadvantage is that the plastic quickly becomes cloudy and dirty, because dust clings to it very tightly. Although it can transmit light efficiently, it will not, unlike a glass one, trap heat from the soil and from metal fittings, so that it will cool down very quickly. PVC is better in this respect than polythene.

Inside a plastic greenhouse, ventilation by fan is necessary to cut down condensation. The greenhouse needs to be anchored firmly, and crops growing against the walls will need extra support.

Whatever their design, all greenhouses should be stable enough to withstand strong winds and constructed so that the panes of glass do not vibrate and shatter. When choosing a model, make sure that the door is conveniently placed and wide enough to take a wheelbarrow, and that it opens inwards or slides sideways.

Selecting a site

The success of your greenhouse will depend a great deal on where you put it, for a convenient spot in the garden will be useless if it gets no sun. Remember to take into account the shade cast by trees if you are putting up your greenhouse in winter time after the leaves have fallen.

A sheltered position in sun is ideal; make sure that the edge is at least 3m from any hedge, so that there will be no interference from roots; and consider the ease with which water and electricity supplies can be brought into the greenhouse when choosing the best spot in your garden to site it.

The Herbs

Most people think of herbs as a specific type of plant, which is to be added to cooking to enhance the flavour or give a completely different taste. However, any herbaceous or woody plant which is aromatic in one or more of its parts, and which is considered to have culinary, medicinal or cosmetic value can be called a herb.

One of the most satisfying ways to grow herbs is to enclose them in their own garden within the main garden. Nearly all kinds like full sun, well cultivated soil, and a certainamount of shelter.

DillAnethum graveolens

This is a hardy annual growing to 90cm tall, with a spread of 30cm. It is not unlike fennel in appearance, with very finely divided fern-like leaves and a thick stem. It bears small, dull yellow flowers from June to August. Seed should be sown outdoors in March or April in a moist but well-drained soil, and in a sunny position. Germination takes two to three weeks depending on the soil temperature. Rows should be 30cm apart, and the seedlings should be thinned to 23cm in the rows. It does not transplant well. July sowings can also be made for autumn use. Keep the plants well watered to prevent premature flowering.

The leaves are used for flavouring salads, fish and vegetables; the seeds taste unpleasant but can aid digestion and also act as a mild soporific.

GarlicAllium sativum

It has a bulbous base made of separate segments called cloves, and grass-like leaves about 30cm tall. The flowers are white, appearing in the summer, and grown to 60cm tall. The cloves should be planted in mid-February or March, or in October, in a light rich soil on a sunny site. Plant them with just the tips showing above the soil surface, about 20cm apart in the rows, and with 30cm between the rows. Take the flowering stems off, and harvest the crop when the leaves turn yellow, and hang the cloves to dry in a warm shady place. Use a new site every year to reduce the risk of white rot attacks.

Garlic has a very strong flavour and odour, and should be used sparingly in cooking. It is sometimes thought to have considerable antiseptic and antibiotic qualities.

HorseradishArmoracia rusticana

Horseradish grows to 60cm tall. It is a perennial, with large basal leaves 30 to 60cm long, and produces small white flowers in May. The roots are fleshy and fanged. Be sure you really want it; it can be very hard to eradicate once established. Cultivation should supply a rich moist soil worked to a depth of 60cm. Plant 8cm root cuttings in March, 30cm apart, just covered with soil, in an individual bed. Lift all the plants in late autumn, store the larger roots in sand, and keep the smaller ones in a separate box of sand for planting the following spring.

In cooking, the peppery roots are grated, and generally made into horseradish sauce. It has antibiotic qualities, and aids indigestion.

Parsley Petroselinum crispum

This is usually grown as an annual, though in fact it is a hardy biennial. It grows to about 30cm high and 15cm wide. The leaves are deeply cut and curled, and there are tiny greenish-yellow flowers from June to August in the second year. For a summer crop, sow parsley seeds in March or April. Soak the seeds in water overnight; this will encourage germination, always a slow process with parsley. It will grow in moist soil, either in sun or shade. Rows should be 30cm apart, and the plants thinned to 15cm in the rows. Do not be surprised if no seedlings appear for up to four weeks.

For winter use, seeds should be sown in July, and protected under cloches in winter. It is a good container herb: 12cm pots are best. If you forget to make a summer sowing, pot a few of the earlier sown plants in October and keep them in the greenhouse or on the kitchen windowsill.

Parsley leaves have a strong and distinctive flavour, and are very popular for cooking. They contain a sizeable quantity of vitamin C. Parsley water is sometimes said to help get rid of freckles.

Sorrel Rumex scutatus

This is a hardy perennial plant, dying down in the autumn. The flowering stems can reach 30cm, and the spread is the same. The leaves are 4cm wide, and slightly fleshy. There are insignificant green flowers in summer. Plant in spring or early autumn in moist soil allowing 30cm between the plants; remove the flowering stems to encourage leaf production. Divide in spring or sow in April, thinning when the plants are large enough to handle.

The bitter leaves can be used to make sorrel soup, but should be used cautiously in other dishes on account of their very strong taste. They contain vitamin C.

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