GARDENING FOR THE WEEK

Evening Star, Issue 17312, 27 March 1920, Page 4

GARDENING FOR THE WEEK

Our contributor, a gardener, will be glad to answer questions, which must be received not later than 'Tuesday of each, week. VEGETABLES. Dig and trench all vacant plots. Spent crops vrhich have passed their usefulness should be cleared, and the ground manured and dug. No better place can be found for disposing of -waste material than in the bottom of good deep trenches. This not only disposes of the material, but benefits the ground. It is very important that all such work should be got off hand early, so that the soil may get the full benefit of the winter frosts and rains. We have now come to a period of the soason when seed sowing is about over, except in a few cases, such,as the sowing of dwarf peas to stand the winter and come in early in November. Broad beans may also be sown to come in early next season. Make a last sowing of spinach. The prickly is the most suitable for this late sowing. Sow in drills 12in apart, and thin out to 4in apart; but this need not be done before the young plants become sufficiently large io be of use for cooking. A last sowing of parsley may be got in for winter use. Thin out the voting plants to 4in. Plant out lettuce from the seed bed. FLOWERS. Plant out in beds early-sown polyanthus. Plant divisions from established" plants, more especially from those marked as show flowers. Lift and divide each clump into single crowns. Auriculas may be treated in the same way, bearing in irfind .that to have good flowers it is necessarv to give them rich soil. Anemone tubers may be planted out from now onward. Plant out early-sown and early-rooted muisies.

Plant out carnations as soon as thev are sufficiently rooted. Plant out hyacinths not less than 4in nor more than 6in apart. The lighter the soil the deeper they" should be planted, and with heavy soils tho reverse.

It is very desirable to plant narcissus as early as possible. Tf they are not already in, no time should be loot in setting them planted; but where the bulbs are sound and good and have been lifted early they will " give good flowers from late planting. - The depth to plant must depend upon the size of the bulbs and the nature of the soil. Three times thp depth of the bulb is a good depth to plant, except in heavy, damp situations, y:hen less will bs better. Errors in planting are often the cause of bulbs riot flowering satisfactorily. This is a suitable time for planting all kinds of ranunculus. To give them justice Lie soil should be made rich with welldecayed manure. This plant is particularly lond of rich, moist eoil. Wh»u t'le soil is heavy and cold it is best to defer planting until spring. Plant the tubers oin deep. The present is a good time to plant out tulips. These also like deep rich soil. When the ground is heavv draw drill* and partly fill them with some fine compost, on which the bulbs should be planted and covered about 4in in depth The situation for tulips should be sunnv.' Plant crocuses, snowdrops, grape hyacinths, spraxias, ixias, frildarias and such like. SWEET PEAS. It is acknowledged by all experts and those who have had extensive experience m the growth of sweet peas that'autumn or winter sown seeds produce much the finer and more lasting blooms. Spring sowing is usual, and will r.o doubt be generally practised, but experience proves that autumn-sown are the best-. Some will ask " Why not sow at both 'seasons? " Quite right; it will give n longer season. But I strongly advise making the autumn or winter sowing the principal one for the season, as I have seen and proved that autumn-sown peas come on stronger and were in flower after the spring-sown seeds had ceased to bloom. Care rhiist he taken to remove faded flowers or seed pods as they appear. Neglect in this will soon cause sweet peas to cease flowering, whether they be spring or autumn sown. Another advantage of autumn sowing is that they may be "sown in pots or boxes, and grow o"n in the winter, whilst the ground may be prepared in autumn, so that at planting time the ground will be in fin© condition for planting out. But in the majority of cases _ people will wish to sow the" seed directly outside where they have to flower. In th:s case I advise trenching a.p.d preparing the ground at once, so as to ,"ivo the soil a week or to to settle before lowing. Tho middle of April is late enough for outside sowing, but where a greenhouse or cold frame can be procured to sow the seeds in pots or boxes, a later date may be taken.'

For border preparation dig out and remove the top soil say Ift deep; then dig up the bottom 'soil to the depth of_ one _ or two spades, thoroughly mixing in a good layer of well-rotted stable manure. If this eoil is heavy, work in a quantity of burnt earth, wood' ashes. or road sweepings; but where the soil is light and sandy try to secure some rotted cow or pig manure. After this has been don© replace the top soli «:ui incorporate with it the above wood ashes, or burnt garden rubbish, etc. In the case of heavy soil put some lime and soot into the light top soil, and in each case leave it as rough on tire surface as possible for the weather' to operate upon it until sowing or planting time, when it can be raked or broken down before planting. When sowing in boxes or note the soil should be light and free. A composite of loam leaf mould is good; failing that, very old hotbed or stable manure and sand well mixed. Sow the seed l;n to l£in apart and Jin deep. When the seeds aio put into pots singly, the pots (paper pots preferred) should be plunged in soil up to the rim. This will save watering a good deal, and tend to keep the soil at a more regular state of moisture. It is a gocd plan to soak the seeds for a day in water to hasten germination. When* the seeds are in give the pots or boxes a rood soaking with water, after which place them in a cold frame or cool part of a freen bowse, and grow on until they are ig enougH to be planted out. I shall" have something to say about feeding and watering later on*. - --*- -

ANSWERS. " Dabbler."—'The double ©ye in the apr>le forwarded is caused when in the embryo state of growth. Ifc is an unusual occurrence with apples, but eimilar instances oi double-headednefis occur in many plants and flowers. "Begonia" writes: "I have some begonias growing in pots. They made very good growth and flowered "fairly well, though rather tall and thin in the v stem. They are beginning to turn yellow- in the leaves, and soma are falling off, especially thosa low down. What is the cause, and how can I, grow them to keep them right for another year?"—l should say you have not given your begonias the right material, but have kept them rather dark and close in their young stage. In aaiy case, it is too late in the season to do" much with them now. What you should do is to-gra-dually withhold water. Water only when the plants require it, so that they mav be gradually ripened off. After the tops have ripened oft" store the pots away in a dry, warm outhouse where heavy frosts cannot reach them. Had your plants been strong you could have fed them and kept them flowering for Borne tune vet; but I would not advise feeding weakly-growing plants so late in the season. Gradually ripen them off ajid keep them perfectly dry during winter-and until the tubers begin to show signs .of growth in spring;' then shake them oat of their pots and "repot them in clean pots and good eoH H.C.