brussel choko

8/7/2019 brussel choko

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Brussels sproutsrussels sprouts (Br msi ca oleraoeaariety gemmijera) grow best

where the plant can develop inelatively cool conditions.

Although the seedlings for themain crop are transplanted in themiddle of summer, sprouts formwhen the weather is much cooler.Sprouts are not hard to grow ifiven a good deeply cultivatedoil which has been well manurednd fertilised. They are frostardy.

Long Island is the earliestariety. The first seedlings cane planted out in September, but

most early plantings are made inOctober and November. Themain crop is planted in early

anuary.Fillbasket is a late variety. It

s best planted out in February;arlier plantings tend to formoose sprouts. It is a taller planthan Long Island.

New F, hybrid varieties gener-lly produce smaller tighterprouts. They are being used

more extensively by commercialrowers. F, hybrids include Peer

Gynt.

Soil preparation and fertilisers

oil requirements and fertilisersare very similar to those of cab-bage as outlined on page 77.

When land is being preparedor transplanting Brussels sprouts,emember that the crop may be inhe ground from three to 10

months. The main reason for

ailure in home gardens is probablydue to inadequate manuring andertilising.

Sprouts do best on a fairlyheavy soil; although they can begrown on lighter soils well suppliedwith organic matter.

A liberal quantity of stablemanure or fowl manure shouldbe applied plus superphosphate at75 to 100 g to the square metre.If

animal manure is unavailableapply 150 g of NPK 5:8:4 to thequare metre.

Planting out

Seedlings are raised the same wayas cabbage seedlings. Chooseshort, sturdy, even sized plants,rather than those showing rank orlush growth. Seedlings should beplanted so that the lowest leavesare just above soil level. Eachseedling should be watered in.

Ten to 15 plants should provideenough for the average family overa season extending from late Aprilthrough September. Brusselssprouts seedlings should not beplanted later than early in March.Seedlings should be spaced600 mm apart in rows 750 mm toone metre apart.

It is desirable to hill up soilaround the stems as they grow toprevent the plants blowing aboutin the wind and damaging the rootsystem.

Side-dressings

During growth, side-dresshould be applied, starting fromthe time the first sprout buds arseen, and at fortnightly to threeweekly intervals thereafteUsually three side-dressings arsufficient.

Side-dressings are of 30 g o

either of sulphate of ammonia onitrate of soda or 15 g of urea teach plant. If there is adequatpotassium in the base dressing nfurther application of potassium inecessary in the side-dressing

One dressing of fowl manurabout 25 mm thick and spreaaround the plant is also aexcellent side-dressing.

While varieties such as LonIsland can be forced on by sidedressing with nitrogen fertiliserwith little fear of producing loos

Brussels sprouts can be picked as soon as they are large enough to use, blbefore the outer leaves turn yellow. Pick f rom the bottom ripwards.


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sprouts, the looser Fillbasket typesshould not be forced to the sameextent until they have settleddown to forming solid sprouts.

The grey cabbage aphid is themain insect pest. It hides in thetight leaves of the sprout. Usea similar pest and disease programas set out for cabbage.

Harvesting

The yield, quality and length ofseason of Brussels sprouts can beaffected by the method of pickinghe sprouts. The first buds starto form at the junction of theower leaves at an early stage of

growth. When these are the sizeof a pea, the leaves above andbelow them should be stripped offwithout allowing a stub to remain

on the stem. This enables the fulldevelopment of the sprout. Thetripping of leaves above the

developing sprouts should con-inue as the stem elongates, untilwo thirds of the leaves have beentripped.

The first sprouts formed areusually loose and open. Thesehould be picked off. Sprouts

which form properly are hard

rom the time they are the size ofa plum, and may be picked fromhis stage and until they showigns of opening. Small sprouts

have the more delicate flavor.The lowest sprouts should be

picked first. Sprouts should bebroken off flush with the stem.The main stem below the un-harvested sprouts must be keptlean and free from secondaryprouting.

The development of the sproutsat the top of the stem is helpedby taking out the growing point athe top of the plant, when it haseached its full height.

CabbageCabbage (Brassica oleracea,variety capitata) grows best in

cool to cold conditions. In mostparts of Victoria, the climate issuitable for this vegetable through-out the year. The main problem isthe formation of a seed-head in-stead of a heart. This sometimesoccurs with crops growing throughthe winter and maturing in thespring. Failures can be avoidedby sowing the varieties best suitedto the season.

VarietiesThe planting table below sets outvarieties suitable for growing insouthern Victoria. Details ofplanting dates for northern

districts are given on page115.

your own seedlings is that youcan be more certain of the varietyyou are sowing.

The seed bed should be raisedabove the general soil level toprovide adequate surface drainageThe soil should have been freefrom cabbages and related cropsfor a number of seasons as many

soil-borne diseases can be spreadin the seed bed.A light fertiliser dressing of

superphosphate may be applied,but seedlings grown on very richsoil are soft and are retarded whenplanted out. The seed should bedusted with thiram to protect itagainst damping-off diseases.

Sow the seed in rows 100mmapart rather than broadcast it.On

heavier soils, it pays to

Maturity Variety Sow seed Plant out Cut

Spring Oxheart April June Oct-NovemberParisian May-June August Nov-DecemberBallhead Hybrid May-June June-July Nov-DecemberGreengold Hybrid May-June June-July Nov-December

Summer Ballhead Hybrid July-Sept Sept-Nov Jan-MarchJubilee July-Sept Sept-Nov Jan-March

Autumn Succession Oct-NovAllhead NovemberSavoy Hybrid NovemberBallhead Hybrid Nov-Dec

Winter Ballhead DecemberEastham JanuaryAllhead DecemberSavoy December

Dec-Jan March-AprilJanuary AprilJanuary AprilJan-Feb April

February June-JulyMarch JuneFebruary July-SeptFebruary July-Sept

Varieties of Chinese cabbageinclude Pe-tsai and Wong Bok.Chinese cabbage ( Brassicapekinensis ) is a member of thecabbage family but it belongs to adifferent species of the Brassica

genus. It has long leaves some-what similar to lettuce, and it canbe eaten raw in salads, or cookedlike the ordinary cabbage.

Chinese cabbage is sown in thespring in the south and in theearly autumn in the north.Cultural requirements are thesame as cabbage but, generally,it is easier to grow and is lesssusceptible to pests and diseases.

Seed bedThe main advantage of growing

mulch the surface of the bed withlawn clippings, straw or rice hullsto help keep the surface soil moist.Thin seedlings to make adequateroom for the seedling roots, andto prevent later crowding of the

plants. This encourages downymildew attack. If mildewappears, the crop should be dustedor sprayed with copper hydroxideor copper oxychloride. Sprayscontaining maldison also protectseedlings from grubs and aphids.

In the winter, seedlings will beready to plant out eight to 10weeks after sowing the seed.

Soil preparation and fertilisersCabbages are shallow-rooted, butare gross feeders and respond to

77


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Cabbage grows best in cool to cold conditions, and can be grown throughout the year in most parts of Victoria.

heavy fertilising. Cabbages prefersoils which are only slightly acid,and best results in southern dist-ricts are obtained on a recentlylimed bed.

A fast-growing cabbage pro-duces a much better quality headthan one which takes longer tomature. This vegetable will growwell after heavy dressings of fowland stable manure, but it can begrown as well using only commer-cial fertiliser mixtures.

Ifanimal manures are available,they can be applied to best advant-

age to crucifer crops. Dependingon the amount of animal manureapplied 75 to 150 g per squaremetre of a NPK 5:8:4 completefertiliser.

The best results from thefertiliser application are obtainedwhen it is placed in a band underthe seedlings.

In southern Victoria cruciferplants sometimes suffer from adisorder called " leaf scorch "caused by a deficiency of the

element potassium. The edges ofthe older leaves gradually die,giving a rusted appearance to theleaf margin. This can occurwhere blood and bone has beenapplied as a base dressing withoutadditional potassium.PlantingDuring the summer trim the leavesto reduce the loss of moisturefrom the seedlings. In the wintermonths, some trimming ofroots to the dspth of the dibberhole may be necessary, but leaftrimming is not required. Healthy

disease-free seedlings with a thick,firm stem should be chosen.Smaller cabbages such as

Superette are popular withhousewives. Size can be reducedby planting seedlings closertogether. The greater number ofplants will make up for thereduced mass of individualheads. Rows may be 600 to7 5 0mm apart, and plants 300 to600 mm apart.

It may be well to experiment

with plant spacings to find out thbest one for your particular conditions. Seedlings are usualplanted using a dibber.dibber-hole should be made anthe seedling placed in the hole tthe depth just below the firleaves, making sure the roots arnot doubled back at the basethe hole. Another dibber-hoshould be made about 75100mm away at an angle of 4degrees, and the dibber pusheback towards the seedling.

This will consolidate the so

around the roots and providehole for watering the seedlinAlways water-in the seedlings.will help if a small quantitysoluble fertiliser mixture is addeto provide a ready supply of planfood in the early stages of growtDirect seedingCabbage can be seeded direct bsowing two or three seedseach site at the required distanceMulching will assist emergence

Thin to the strongest seedling.


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ultivationtrogen is essential to rapidowth of cabbages. In the wetteronths, this element is likely to

washed out in the drainageater and the base-dressing ofrogen will need to be supple-ented. Apply a side-dressing ofphate of ammonia or nitrate of

da at 30 g per metre of drillw. In some areas, cabbage

also respond to a side-essing of nitrate of potash atg per two metres or row.

A mixture of maldison andor other fungicide should be

sted or sprayed at fortnightlyervals. Do not apply maldison

tltree days ofharvest.This program will control grubs,hids and downy mildew. Otheril borne diseases, such as clubot or " finger and toe " diseases,n be controlled only by soil

or by liming and cropation.

CapsicumsCapsicums (Capsicum annuum)or peppers have become verypopular, both as a salad vegetableand as a cooked vegetable. Theyare extremely rich in vitamin C .

Capsicums can be considered intwo groups-sweet and mild or

hot. he sweet capsicum areeaten uncooked in salads, in soupsand goulash, or stuffed. The hotpeppers, or chillies, are used as aflavoring-either fresh or dried.

The culture of ca~sicums isvery similar to tomatoes. Theygrow best under warm conditionsbut are extremely sensitive to frost.Seedlings are transplanted in theopen from September throug5November, but early crops aregrown in green houses.

Soil requirements and fertilisersCapsicums grow well in a deeprich well drained soil. Heavydressing of animal manure or

other organic manure should bapplied well before transplantingAdditional applications of NPK3:6:7 complete fertiliser or markegarden manure should be appliedat the rate of 150 g per squaremetre before making up the bedand planting out the seedlings.

Side-dressings of nitrogenfertiliser should be applied aftethe first fruits have set, and thenas required.

Sowing and plantingSeedlings are raised in beds undeglass in the same way as tomatoseedlings. Seed can be sown fromJuly in the north and from Augusin the south.

In October or November, seed

can be sown directly in the beds inthe open. However these plantwill be later than the transplantedones started in the seed bed. Ifcapsicums are direct seeded, it inecessary to prepare a finer bedThe young plants must be pro

ray cabbages against grubs andhids. Capsicums are very popular as a salad vegetable and a cooked vegetable.


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from insect attack.Plant capsicums in rows 450

mm apart, with 400 mm to 600mm between plants. Directseeded plants can be thinned toa similar spacing when they are75 to 100 mm high.

Keep the beds free of weedsby shallow cultivation. Water

frequently to maintain soil mois-

ture, but do not over-water. Ir-regular water supply will cause theblossoms to drop and, later in theseason, induce blossom-end rot onthe end of the fruit away from theplant.

Caterpillars, thrips, aphids, andgreen vegetable bugs are the maininsect pests which attackcapsicums. They will causeblossom drop and reduce fruit set.

Spray the plants at 14-dayintervals. with maldison to controlthese pests. Do not spray withina week of harvest.

Powdery mildew and leaf spot-ting diseases may be a problemwhen conditions are humid. Abenomyl spray will give control.

HarvestingSweet capsicums are picked at the

mature green stage, but the hotvarieties are picked when thefruits are full colored and havestarted to shrivel. Fruit of hotvarieties can be dried by threadingon strings and hanging up to dryin an airy shed.

Carrots

Carrots are easy to grow a ~ ~ dyieldwell.

Carrots (Daucus carote) are byfar the most important of trueroot crops and are a welcomevegetable at all times of the

year

-

raw or cooked. They arerelatively easy to grow, and yieldwell. Successive sowings shouldbe made to keep the kitchen wellsupplied 6 to 7 metres of row issufficient for a family of four foreight to 10 weeks.

During the spring, there is ahigh population of the aphidswhich spread the motley dwarfcarrot virus disease. As Chan-tenay varieties are susceptible tothis disease, sowings in southernVictoria should be restricted tolate November and December.

Soil requirements and fertilisersCarrots, parsnips and beetrootrequire similar growing conditions.The soil in the bed should be atleast 2 0 0mm deep and not betoo heavy. A deep loam is pre-ferable. The lighter the soil typethe better the shape of the rootsand the texture of the skins.

However, root crops can be growsuccessfully on well preparedeep clay loam soils.

As fresh animal manure cacause forking and other malformtions of root cror>s. a bed whiA zreceived manure for the previocrop should be chosen. Rocrops can follow leaf crops su

as cauliflowers in the rotatiowithout additional fertiliser, bthey can also be grown with NP5:8:4 complete fertiliser.

The rate of application wdepend on the previous treatmewhere the bed has received animmanure or compost for the prvious crop 75 g per square metshould be applied ; where nanimal manure has been used, 15g per square metre is necessarFertiliser should be broadcast anworked into the soil.

Seed bed preparationAn even germination of seedlinis essential for good quality rooThis means that seed must hahigh germination ability and thseed bed should be well prepareFirm the base of the bed leavia friable surface which will n

crust.For ordinary table carro

drill seed in rows 250 to 300 mwide and 10 mm deep; for " bacarrots " thinly broadcast the seover the bed and lightly covwith soil. Chantenay variety used extensively for baby carrproduction.

The base of the seed bed mbe firmed by tamping lightly wi

a board or the back of the rakSow seed thinly and cover withsandy loam.

On heavier soils, varioumethods to prevent the develoment of a crust can be useMulches of animal manure, compost or grass clippings can bused over the drill row to keep thtop soil moist and friable.board placed over the drill rois quite satisfactory, but it mube removed as soon as the seelings appear.


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hinningeed of root crops is sown thicklyo ensure an even stand but asrowded seedlings very soon com-ete for water nutrients and lighthinning should generally beginarly. On the other hand if babyarrots are desired no thinning atll should be necessary. Ifnormalable size carrots are wanted, thinrst when the seedlings are 50

mm high to a spacing of 25 mmetween seedlings. To avoidamage to the remaining seedlings,he bed should be watered beforehinning to soften the soil and,fter thinning, to refirm the soilround the roots.Later, when the leaves are 150

mm high and the roots of theemoved seedlings are big enough

o be used in the kitchen, thinningo 65 mm spacings is necessary.

Cultivationarrot seedlings germinate slowlynd weeds can be a problem inhe early stages of growth. Caremust be taken not to cultivate tooeeply, as the carrot has a numberf roots growing in the surfaceoil.

Carrots, and also parsnips, areesistant to oil sprays. Henceweeds can be controlled with amixture of power and lightingerosene. The toxicity of powererosene to weeds varies, soegin with a 50 : 50 mixture and

the proportion of powererosene in the mixture until theest weed control is obtained

without damaging the carrots.Spray the carrots when they

ave developed between two andour fern leaves. Do not sprayfter four leaves have developedecause of the risk of tainting therop. Sprays should not be ap-lied when temperatures arebove 29OC or if frosts are im-

minent.Aphids which spread the mot-

ey dwarf virus can be kept underontrol with maldison sprays.

Maldison can be used to withinhree days of harvest.

CauliflowerCauliflower (Brmsica oleracea,variety botrytis) is a valuablewinter vegetable which growsvery well in southern Victoria.With a little extra care, it can begrown in northern districts. I t isa member of the cabbage familyand, while its soil and climate

requirements are essentially thesame, it is more sensitive to ex-tremes of hot and cold, and wetand dry weather. If the growthof cauliflower is checked in anyway it will only form smallminiature heads instead of a fullcurd. This is called "button-ing ".

will be ready for transplanting inJanuary and will mature in Marchor April.

This variety is unsuitable fornorthern districts as it matureswhile temperatures are still highand the curd discolors.

Soil requiremqnts and fertiliserSoil requirements and fertilisers

are essentially the same as thoseoutlined for cabbage on page 77Good soil preparation is parti-cularly necessary for cauliflowerso that steady growth can bemaintained.

Dressings of organic manureshould be supplemented with acomplete fertiliser. Side-dress-

ii f r r l f clrrci of rile cauliflower r c ~ ( I Iunchecked.

A continued supply of cauli-flower from autumn to spring isobtained by staggering plantingsover several months or plantinga range of varieties whichmature in different lengths of

time. Seedlings of PhenomenalTwelve Weeks sown in November

ings of sulphate of ammonia ornitrate of soda, about 45 g pemetre of row should be appliedwhen the plants are about halfgrown.

Whiptail, a disorder caused by

a deficiency of molybdenum, icommon where soils are acid


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The best cure for whiptail is tospray the seedlings in the seedbed with a molybdenum solutionabout two weeks before trans-planting.

The problem can also be over-come if the plants are sprayedin the field before a curd hasbegun to form. A molybdenumsolution can be made by dissolv-

ing 10 g of sodium molybdate or8 g ammonium molybdate in 10litres of water. This is sufficientfor 100 plants. Add a wettingagent to the mixture.

Sowing, planting and cultivationSeedlings are grown in the sameway as cabbage seedlings andthen transplanted in the bed. Itis important to cull cauliflowerseedlings vigorously so that weakspindly plants are discarded;especially those with " blind "growing points which will not

develop curds.Cauliflowers require ample

water, especially during the warmsummer months. They should begiven a thorough soaking ratherthan frequent light waterings.

Cauliflower curds are damagedby frost which causes discolora-tion and allows the entry of softrots. In areas susceptible tofrost, it is advisable to tie the

outer leaves across the curd forprotection.

CeleryCelery (Ap i um graveolens, varietydu lce ) is a popular salad veget-able throughout the year. It isalso useful for flavoring soups andstews. However it is not oftenfound growing in the home garden.

Celery is not an easy vegetableto grow as it requires a good deal

of soil preparation, careful fer-tiliser application and watering.It does not grow well in hot dis-tricts or in poor, shallow soils,but with incorporation of largeamounts of organic manure, mosthome garden beds can be madesuitable for celery production.

Celery has a very shallow rootsystem and it must have adequatesupplies of plant nutrients andwater available to ensure that itgrows quickly. Slow-grown celeryis of poor quality as it is high infibre.

Soil preparation and fertilisersA celery bed should receive heavydressings of poultry manure plusNPK 5 : 8 : 4 complete fertiliserat 150 g to the square metre. Afortnight after transplanting, seed-lings should receive a side-dress-in; of sulphate of ammonia at35 g per square metre. Furtherside dressings should be made atmonthly intervals or when neces-sary.

Sowing and plantingBuy seedlings from a nursery orraise them from seed under glassin much the same way as tomatoseedlings are grown.

The planting method will de-

pend on the method of blanchingused, but as only a small amountis required at any one time, asingle row of plants which can beblanched individually is usuallymost satisfactory in the homegarden. Transplant seedlings inrows spaced 300 to 375 mm apartand the seedlings 250 mm withinthe rows.

Cultivation

As already mentioned, it is essen-

tial for celery to receive a con-

Celery-a popular salad vegetable. Tplant requires a good deal of care aattention.

tinuous supply of water. Frquent applications are necessarespecially on light sandy soiGardeners who intend to grocelery must be prepared to watplants once a day during tsummer.

Leaf spotting is the most seious disease of celery. It cbe controlled by spraying wicopper fungicides at the manfacturers directions.

BlanchingWhite celery is still generaldemanded in Australia, althoug


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Newspaper is satisfactory for blarzchii~gelery for small areas o f planting.

most celery now marketed in theUnited States is green. This haslso rapidly gained popularity in

New Zealend. Green Pascal1 andUtah varieties are used for greenelery production, although thesearieties are not generally avail-

able from local seed suppliers.They have a shorter leaf stalkhan the white blanching types.

Blanching "is done by shadinghe stems from light with paper,wo to three weeks before har-

vest. Commercial growers useheavy kraft paper or opaque

polythene sheet but newspaper isquite satisfactory for small areas.Break off the small short suckertems before blanching.

Even self-blanching varietieswill grow green outside stems un-ess they are blanched. It is not

to blanch celery ;forcooking. A few inner stems arecrisp enough for salads.

CeleriacCeleriac (Apium graveolens, vari-ety ropaceum) is a useful substi-tute for celery in soups and forother cooking and flavoring pur-poses, as it is more adaptable tosoils and climates, and less subjectto disease. Soil requirements andcultivation are the same as for

celery. Blanching is not neces-sary, but draw soil around the bulbas it develops.

ChokoThe choko or chayote (Sechiumedulis) is the only perennial mem-ber of the pumpkin family growncommercially. The fleshy root ofthe choko is sometimes alsoeaten. In tropical regions whereample rainfall is spread over theyear the plant will fruit contin-uously. The plant itself is anherbaceous, perennial, frost-pronecreeper which has much the sameappearance as a climbing cucum-ber.

The choko fruit is pear-shaped,green to cream in color and fairlysmooth of skin and the flesh mustbe free of fibre. Fruits have amass of from 500 g to one kilo-gram and are similar in taste tovegetable marrow.

The crop is grown commerciallyin Queensland and grows best inthe far north of that state. The

crop is not grown commercially inVictoria, however, because thechoko does not flower and initiatefruit until the day length is atleast of 12 hours duration. Thefruit reaches full size from 28 to32 days after setting. In southernVictoria the odd plant that is

grown produces its first fruit aboutCeleriac is more adaptable to soils and the end of March. The vine pro-conditions than celery. duces fruit for two or three months

before temperatures become un-suitable and as winter progressesthe vigor of the plant declinesuntil it is cut back by frost. The

plant lies dormant until springwhen temperatures are again suit-able for growth.

When' the plant has beenfrosted, a layer of 75 to 100 rnmof straw should be spread on theground above the tuberous root toprevent hard freezing d theground, which would damage theroot of the vine.

Soil requirementsBecause they are a perennial,chokos require a well drained soito ensure that the tuberous rootis not lost by waterlogging. How-

ever, they require ample moisture


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Choko-the only perennial member the pzrrnpkin family which is growcommercially.

and plant food to support the largevine and produce fruit, so a welldrained loam enriched by animalmanure or compost is ideal.

Fertiliser requirementApply one bag of fowl manure to25 square metres plus 125 g ofNPK 3 : 6 : 7 complete fertiliserper square metre. Fork into thedepth of 200 to 300 mm.

PlantingThe entire fruit is planted. Eachfruit has only one seed which isborne at the base or blossom endof the fruit. Mature fruit will

start to grow in spring whentemperatures are warm enough topromote germination. Plant outwhen frost danger is passed. Earlyplanting is essential to ensure thatthe vine will establish itself

strongly in the first year. Anideal situation is an area receiv-ing full sun adjacent to a fenceor shed which can be used as atrellis for the vine.

When the seed has started toshoot it is ready to plant. It isusual to plant the fruit on its side

base downwards, at an angle of

45 degrees so that the shoot is75 to 100 mm below the surface

the narrow end is at ground level.Plants established late in the

season will not produce fruit in thefirst year, but if sufficient vegeta-tive growth is made they will est-

ablish themselves and be fruitfulthe following season.

Watering

The choko has a high water re-quirement when it is actively

growing and it should not allowed to suffer drought at thtime.

Si,de-dressingThe plants are gross feeders anwill respond to applicationsNPK 6 : 6 : 6 complete fertilisat the rate of 40-g per squametre over a radius of 2 tometres from th e plant every 4 toweeks over the season. In yeasubsequent to establishment anial manure should be appliedspring prior to the re-growththe plant.

HarvestingChokos are best harvested rgularly when fully grown ; thensures good quality fruit anpromotes the setting of furthfruits.

brussel choko

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