Oh, to be in the garden now that April’s here!

Press, 3 April 1980, Page 13

Oh, to be in the garden now that April’s here!

GARDENING

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M. Lusty

The onset of autumn, which seems to have arrived a little earlier this year, generally brings with it cooler day temperatures and greater variation between day and night conditions. Such .variations tend to reduce the amount of growth made by most plants. Soil, however, takes longer to loose its warmth just as it takes a little longer to gain it after the winter is over. The type and content of such a medium will greatly influence its response either way, as will the location of the garden, its drainage, and aspect. All these factors must be taken into account when assessing the planting potential and growth response of one bit of land against another. Gardening must be flexible, according to pre vailing conditions, and not dogmatically pursued because it has always been done in such and such a way or at a particular time. Adaptability, ingenuity and intuition play a leading role in successful gardening. VEGETABLES The storage and freezing potential of many less hardy crops can be lost or impaired if harvested too late, or when exposed to frost.. - ■ Pumpkins, squashes and marrows are not neces? sarily all good for longterm storage. Some of the very best long-keeping varieties include Golden

Hubbard, Crown, Queensland Blue, Butternut and Kumi-Kumi. Maturity of these vegetables can' be judged by consistency of colour and resistance to thumb nail pressure. Once they have reached this point, they should be fielded by cutting them from the vines and left out for a week or more to. harden and dry further. To reduce the incidence of fungus diseases ( during storage, spraying with a fungicide, such as Bordeaux mixture or benomyl is recommended, at least once a month.

Ripening of tomatoes can be hastened in a number of ways. One method is to gradually strip the leaves completely from the plant Towards the end of the month remaining fruits should not be picked but left on the plant, which should be uprooted and hung up in a sunny position. Where a temperature of about 60 degrees with corresponding humidity can be maintained light is not necessary and it should be possible to ripen a high percentage of the fruit. The, habit of placing green fruit on window sills behind exposed glass usually results in soft, rubbery fruits although this method is acceptable for those tomatoes which are already coloured. Kumaras are one crop which can be left for a little longer as they improve in flavour if allowed to remain in the ground until fully mature. It is however, better to have them all out. of the ground before heavy frosts damage them. The top growth of asparagus requires cutting down at ground level as soon as it yellows, but those carrying berries should 'be carefully removed to avoid dispersing seed aIL over the garden.

The appearance of flower heads on rhubarb is a common enough occurrence and should be prevented from further deveolpment as soon as

noticed for the simple reason that it weakens the plant. Winter-bearing varieties will benefit from the application of a complete fertiliser at the rate of 120 g per plant. April is a good month to sow broad beans and onions, both of which are hardy enough to withstand a cold winter without undue set back. FRUIT Strawberry plants are suited to early autumn planting; this gives them a good start for the coming season’s cropping. Good drainage and a plentiful supply of . organic matter together with thorough ground preparation are necessary to encourage good yields. The use of polythene to suppress weeds, and also to keep the berries clean, is now standard commercial practice and is equally feasible on a smaller scale. Indeed, anyone who has not tried this method of growing strawberries may be pleasantly surprised at the difference it makes.

Black polythene (.001 gauge) is needed and it should be firmly laid but not stretched too much. The soil should be ridged into rows and a good s 1 o w-release fertiliser worked into the top 25mm before the polythene is laid. Allow 300 to 350 mm between plants and set them into the soil by cutting a slit in the polythene; dib them in, firm well and water.

All fruiting subjects, which includes the top fruit, soft fruit and vines, deaux mixture plus lind-

should be thoroughly sprayed just as soon as the last of the crops have been picked. Either Borane (now available again), or lime sulphur is recommended to provide a really effective clean-up spray. This has become all the more important this

year because of the build up of certain insects and diseases.

ORNAMENTAL

Bulb-planting should be given top priority now and every effort should be made to get them in as soon as possible. The later they are planted the longer it will take them to become established, with the likely consequence that flowering will suffer. Remember, the results will bear testimony not only to the attention given at planting time but also to the stock involved. If inferior bulbs are put in then the expectations cannot be placed too high on the outcome.

Dahlias are still providing very good displays and these can be maintained until frost blackens the foliage. Now is the time to mark those which,. by their current performance or colour of flower, are worth retaining for division and replanting. Also to be noted are those plants which have

shown severe signs of virus infection and these should be thrown out. Virus-infected dahlias display mottled and curled leaves and cannot be cured.

La t e-flowering chrysanthemums will respond to a little extra attention even at this late stage of the season. Disbudding can still be carried out — it is surprising just how these plants will continue to produce blooms. Earwigs may be troublesome. . To avoid possible frost damage to the flowers, polythene bags should be put over them.

Now is the time to complete the trimming and cutting of all hedges so that it gives them time to recover well before the onset of colder weather. Many of them, particularly of coniferous type, may be harbouring fo-liage-eating caterpillars which can be most damaging. Scale insects may also be revealed. A thorough spraying with carbarvl (or lindane) and summer oil, respectively, is recommended. Weed control of lawns can be carried out now. Turfmaster spray will give the best general results, but as this is a hormone it must be used with greatest care to avoid drift on to bordering vege-. tation. Application is best made on a cool, windless: day.

bo not spray new lawns until they have been mown at least twice and then exercise great care to ensure evenness of application so to prevent damage to brown-top grass.