Garden Calendar for May

Bruce Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2849, 30 April 1897, Page 5

Garden Calendar for May

« [By a Practical Gardener ] Where convenient, arrange the ground for next year's crops and manure according to what you are going to grow on it. For artichokeß, cut the Btema off, but not too close ; asparagus, cut off the Btems, and clean from weeds. Plant cabbage for nee in early spring : if planted oco foot apart each way, every other one can be cat for early use, leaving the others to grow to hearts. Any work that was recommended to be done laat month, and neglected, Bhould be done aa early as possible. Any ground that is clear of crops should be turned over and left quite rough, so that the frost can get through it ; if any trenching requires to be done, this is a very good time to do it. I have seen very little ground properly trenched in this country, and the way I would recommend it to be done is : Take a trench out three feet wide and the depth you intend to trenoh \ j tike the top Boil and put in the bittom of your trenoh ; your olay or Bubsoil put like the letter A ; the froßt will then get well through it. In the month of August turn the subsoil back again, put some well-rotted manure in with it, and put the soil on top again. Your labor will be repaid by the good crops you will reap. Rasps, if not already transplanted, where new atook Ib required, should be done at once. It is surprising what a few raspberries are grown in Otago, as they are easy to grow, and pay well to grow for sale. There is plenty of spare grouud on a farm, where they could be grown, and where there are a lot of children to pick them. I know of nothing that would pay better for the labor bestowed on them. In making new plantations, plant three or four canes three feet apart, and tie the tops together with flit. In pruning out the tops off, then out the last year's fruitbeariDg caneß away, and leave four to six to bear fruit in the coming season, The blackberry is another small fruit that would pay to grow, like the rasp ; there ie a good demand for the fruit, and mixed with appleß or by themselveß, they make a. splendid preserve. In all oases of transplanting or removing trees, &\, oare should be taken to make the hole larger than the rootß extend, and see that none of them are doubled up, and any that are damaged should be cut off. Never in any caße dig the hole deeper than the ground is dug or trenched, as it only forms a trap for the roots to grow down in Bummer, and in winter the water settles in, and causes the roots to rot away, and the trees become unhealthy.