GARDENING FOR THE WEEK.

Evening Star, Issue 13090, 24 October 1908, Page 11

GARDENING FOR THE WEEK.

[By H.O.] [We have completed arrangements with a well-known gardener to conduct a weekly letter. Our contributor wifi be glad to answer questions, which must lie received not later than Tuesday of each week.] ' —Vegetable Garden.— ’ Small eitcreesion sowings of vegetables are in meet cases preferable to ono or* two largo sowings, as they are not so likely to get too old for use, and there will not be so much waste. Of course, this does not apply in Mich cases as vegetable marrows, cucumbers, and such-liko; but turnips, radishes, mustard and' cress, lettuce, and such-liko should be sown for succession, also peas, French beans, and lettuce. Young, early celery that has been pricked out must be kept watered, and not allowed to get dry, or it may run to seed, and the late main crop of celery should be sown at once. If not sown soon it does not give time to make goed strong sticks before the cold, weather sets in. So also scarlet runner beans—these should be put in double rows. To make a double row, lay your line down, draw a good deep drill with a large draw hoe on either side of the line, and put the runner beans in Bin apart on each side, then draw soil over nice and smooth. Proceed in a similar way with the next row, 4ft apart. I like the double row system, as when they are staked they come in direct contact with supports, and twine at once. If well grown, these a,re one of the most profitable flops, and well deserve one of the best spots in the garden. Early sown turnips, carrots, and suchlike will require thinning, and potatoes should be moulded. Peas will require staking. Stout wire sheep netting, with strong stakes driven in for support, and tied at top. make excellent pea stakes or supports, 'they are made of stout wire, and the mesh is 6in. They last for several years if taken care of. ‘Branches of fir trees or any such trees put in a;sloping position, so that they will meet at the top, will also do. Always select branches the proper height, and stake them as soon as they are about 6in high. Cucumbers in Frame.—We shall suppose you have '-he frames and manure, but no plants, so must commence with seeds. Bay your frame is a two-light or sash frame, each sash 6ft x 2ft 6in. This will give a 6ft by sft frame. If your manure (say, four loads) is fresh, and has not been turned, you must shake it out and water it, as described in last week’s issue. Let it remain for a fortnight, then commence hy driving in four sticks to form a square Bft hy 7ft. Shake out the manure, and stack or build it up carefully, taking care to beat it down firmly with the back of vour fork until all the four loads have been

rsed up. Then place your frame on top in the centre, and you will have a margin of lit around the frame. Put on the lights, and leave for a few days to get pro|>er!y heated, ’then procure some good turfy soil ; chop it up nice and lumpy—not too tine—place it in the frame to the depth of about 9in. Then sow your seeds (be day after the soil has been put in, and put a few more seeds in than you require, to allow for accidents. If you have the plants, so nmoh the better, and you can plant out at once. Four good plants will be enough. The next thing to consider is the proper ventilating and watering. In the lirst place, it is necessary to shade the plants a little, but as they acquire strength they should have mere light and more air. A temperature of 60dcg by night and SCdeg by day will he found safe, and will promote a healthy growth that will keep them in good fruiting condition, though they will stand the glass to run up to 95deg without injury, providing the plants have air and plenty of moisture at the roots. Keep the soil nice and moist, hut not wet. Have a block of wood with notches cut into it to regulate the lights—that is, to lift or lower the lights. If the temperature should rise above 60deg at night, put a small niche ot air on. Vegetable marrows should bo got in by throwing out a trench 2ft 6in wide and ift 6in deep. Fill with good hotbed dung, then cover with the soil. Place the seeds or plants at intervals of 2;t or 3ft; protect with boxes with the bottoms, knocked out, and a sheet of glass placed over them to give them a start. The after-treatment will not he much, as the marrows can look after themselves. providing they have a goed position and a good watering in dry weather.

In reply to “ Amateur Gardener," to grave tomatoes outside the first .thing to be considered is the position, 'if you have a brick wall or a weed one facing the full sun, so much the hotter, but full sunligh 1 they must have, and to grow tomatoes outside it is much better to pot them in 4in pots and grow them nice and hardy and strong before planting out. If you have a frame, procure some plants at'once. Pot them in nice turfy, sandy soil. Get them well established in their pots. While this is going on you can get your ground ready by deep digging. Give them some good old manure, but be sure and put it welt down, and if your ground is of a sandy nature so much the better. If not, get some wood ashes or lime rubbish from any old building that is being pulled down. This makes excellent stuff to incorporate in the soil. Pork this in well. If you put them against a wall and the ground is very hard, all that is necessary is to dig large holes and fill up with the good soil, but place some good manure in the bottom first, then the soil, and he- sure you tread it very firm—ln fact, this must be done wherever they are planted. If left loose they make rank growth, too soft to set a crop of fruit, let alone to ripen. If they are to be planted in the open ground, plant them 3ft apart. Drive in a stake at each plant to tie them to, and pick off all laterals ,as they appear up the stem. It is very important that this should be attended to. As I have said, they must have light and air. If they are planted against a wall or fence they con be planted much closer—-18in apart only—on the one-stem principle; that is where the disbudding comes in. If they are not disbedded they will scon form many [ stems and get overcrowded, then you would

get all top and no fruit. If against a wall, they may require some water in very dry weather, but do not overdo it. —Fruit Garden.— Ihe vinery will require strict attention by stepping and tying and ventilating. Be sure and keep things nice and moist on very hot days. Strawberries will require looking after, and unless you want some young plants, cut off all young runners. Now is a good time to prut on a dressing of strawy manure. By the time the fruit appears it will b© washed nice and clean for the fruit to 'lie upon, and also act as a stimulant to the p.ants. Raspberries should be looked over, and all suckers that are coming up in the middle of the rows should be cut out, and get a good Dutch hoeing; in fact, this useful tool should be kept going pretty much among all the fruit trees. —The Flower Garden.— As the sun is getting strong now, it is very important that your plants be properly shaded. A good shade that I have used for many years consists of turpentine and white lead, with a very small bit of blue color paint put into it* to make it a little darker than a- pure white. Mix to a thickness of between milk and cream. This, if properly put on with a paint brush, and then gone over with a stippling brush, can be made to appear like frosted glass. This gives a nice soft light, and pleasant in appearance. It should be put on now; then