14 NOVEMBER 1941, Page 10

In the Garden The present month, often regarded in England

as a dead time in the garden, is one of the busy months among French gardeners or maraichers, and indeed Dutch gardeners. The very early vegetables or primeurs with which they flooded the English market in peace-time were, of course, nearly all grown in hot soil under bell-jars or in frames. Frame-gardening on the Dutch principle has begun to enjoy a certain vogue in England and has had good results ; but much more might be done with the continuous cloche, which is the English form of the French bell-jar. It can help us in some measure, if not to defy the winter, to make sure of early lettuces that are not tough from too slow a growth. On the subject of preserving harvested vegetables, vegetable marrows may be kept till February so long as they are not exposed to cold. They need a warm place,