Page 43 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2023

Growing food for health and profit
This short article is another extract from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries booklet.
The Part the Hoe Plays
The gardener may be forgiven if he is sometimes confused by the number of “secrets of success” imparted to him by one old hand after another. If he refuses at first to believe that merely scratching over the ground can be an operation of much importance, he will not be the first who has failed to appreciate the value of the hoe. Too often the beginner only brings out his hoe to destroy a colony of weeds that has established a firm hold on the ground instead of using it as a matter of routine. Just because no seedling weeds can be seen it does not necessarily mean that no hoeing is needed.
Loosening the top inch or two (25
to 50mm!) of the soil has the effect of destroying seedling weeds at an early stage before they have begun to rob the soil of the plant food you have been at such pains to provide. And the birds can more easily get at the pests in the loose soil. Disturbing the soil brings fresh particles
to the surface and in contact with the sun and rain tending towards freshness and the release of more chemical plant foods. ( I
am not sure about this and have seen little evidence to support it – Ed).
Besides these advantages the top layer of loose soil acts as a mulch during the summer. The soil moisture is prevented by the loose soil from evaporating rapidly; and the early morning dews are caught more successfully than on a hard crust, from which the moisture will evaporate as soon as the sun’s rays fall on it. There is certainly more in hoeing than meets the eye.
For generations the advice of “keep the hoe going” has been given and accepted with out question, but the results of 12 years work at Rothamsted Experimental Station however show that this advice needs a little qualification. In simple
terms these experiments have shown
that repeated hoeing’s do not always give heavier crops. They have shown however that hoeing when seedlings or plants are small and just beginning to take a firm grip of the soil is very beneficial. One hoeing then appears to be worth several later
on. In addition, the hoe should always be used after rain or watering has capped and hardened the soil surface. This is especially needed on loamy or clay soils as the surface is likely to crack so damaging tender roots and allowing soil moisture to evaporate.
So, hoe between your crops at an early stage in their growth and keep down weeds by disturbing them as soon as they have germinated. Hoe after rain and watering and your crops should benefit from your labours.
A word of warning though to beginners, move warily at first and try your hoe out on a spare piece of ground so that you have complete control over it. A hoe can be a dangerous weapon to young plants unless it is carefully used. If you use a Dutch hoe, you walk backwards leaving the ground free of footmarks. If you prefer a draw how – swan necked pattern – you either have to walk at the side of the row you are hoeing or trample on part, you have already hoed since you do not work backwards with this type of hoe.
With both the Dutch and draw hoe remember it is the hand halfway down
the handle that controls it. Grip the handle mid-way with the left hand (if you are right-handed) and keep your knuckles on the top. By pressing the weight of your hand downwards in this way you will be able, after a little practice, to steer your hoe around your plants without scratching them.
The value of gardening books in the internet age
Nowadays Google is the source of reference for information on every topic, accessed handily by way of the smartphone. A wealth of information on any field of study can be studied while out in any actual field or garden. Some people nowadays would have no time to do any work out in a garden because of the amount of time spent on various social media.
I still prefer books, because I started out with them. After the first summer I became interested in growing vegetables, my mother gave me the hardback ‘How to Grow Fruit and Vegetables’ _by Percy Thrower. Many years later I still have it on my bookshelf and anytime I look through it, memories of long ago are triggered.
They were easy to read individual
run downs on each vegetable, how to grow and look after the crop, pests and diseases and a few suggested varieties. What also left a mark were the drawings and also the coloured photographs of the Author with his own vegetables. He looked every inch the professional in
his jacket and tie with fine specimens
of onions (which mine still haven’t matched). I was very interested in the plan of the plot drawn and I still do this
before I start every year.
Over the years I built up my collection
of gardening books I later added a
copy of the book Basic Vegetable Gardening by Max Davidson that I had first borrowed from the library as well as the definitive book on the subject ‘the Vegetable and Herb Expert’ _by Dr D.G. Hessayon with its photographs, graphic images and charts.
What impressed me about the latter was fact that it was written by a doctor. I later found out that he’s a doctor of Botany. It’s one of the best selling non fiction books of all time and
updated versions are
still in print. Like many
others in the vegetable
growing world an interest in vegetables seems to have
kept him going, as he’s now
94 years old.
If anyone has drawings, stories or research based
on their own experiences
in vegetable gardening I’d encourage them to send them in to us for consideration for publishing. It’s still good to sit down and open up a book or
magazine with a cup of tea. It’s believed that up to 90% of people have lost or will lose photos stored on their quite delicate smartphones. Time will tell if people will still be able to access their memories and information from their smartphones in 30 years from now.
Michael Gordon FNVS
Simply Vegetables 43