Before You Leave

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 300, 18 December 1937, Page 9 (Supplement)

Before You Leave

IN a few days many people will be on holiday, and this means that very little will be done in the garden. This period of neglect is the cause of a lot of disappointment, but if a little forethought is given, the garden can be left in order so as to come through a holiday season with little harm. With glasshouses, however, this is almost impossible. Attendance of some sort must be given every day.

All transplanting, sowing, or thinning of crops should be finished at least a week before the holiday, so that the plants are established and can stand on their own. All vacant areas should be filled. All weeds should be cut out and one of the final jobs should be to give a deep lioeing to every part of tho garden.

The garden will have to do without watering while you are away, so if you have been in the habit of watering it every evening break it off at least a fortnight before you go away and substitute a mulch. A mulch of cut grass, leaves, compost, can bo applied to almost everything. The watering should be discontinued so that the plants can harden and be able to stand dry weather. In fact, if you intend leaving the garden for a period in January, do not start the free use of the hose till

you return. Better let the plants grow slowly than force them and then let them suffer. It takes a lot of drought to injure a plant if it is left to grow in a natural manner. Just before leaving, cut off flowers and even unopened buds of sweet peas, dahlias and other bedding plants. This will save the forming of seed pods and will in a measure retard flowering for a week or so. Any plants in pots, whether or not in the greenhouse, if they have to be left should be plunged to the rim in the open garden, given a good watering and also have a shading erected over them. It is not good to plunge the pots close to the shade of trees, as the trees are inclined to rob them of moisture. Rotter plunge them in an open space and erect a temporary shading over them. Any staking or tying that is necessary should be done and where such work can be anticipated it is an advantage to do so. Any signs of insect pests should be met with an immediate application of spray, so that the insects are under control prior to the holidays. In the vegetable garden any crop* of beans that will be spoiled before maturity should be picked and given away. In many eases this will mean that tho plants will give a further crop later 011. but if this is not characteristic of tho plant make a sowing, so that there will be a crop coining on after the holidays.