GARDENING NOTES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 6 November 1925, Page 8

GARDENING NOTES.

(By Waratah)

CELERY. Early-sown celery should be iai enough advanced for pricking out Ihe seedlings should be picked out din apart in rich soil containing plenty ot web-decomposed manure or vegetable refuse. It is a great advantage to make the bottom of the bed very him and hard with about 4in. of mixed soil and manure on_ top. Ihe haul bottom is to prevent the roots going down too deeply. By this method each plant can be taken up with a ball of soil with roots intact, and will suiter very ’ittle by the check of transplanting- into the permanent trenches. It is Important that celery should not receive a check at any 7 time, i If. the roots of the plants are allowed to get dry at any time in their history, the crop is almost certain to be spoilt by running to seed, or having pithy stalke . To obtain crisp, solid celery plenty of water must be given to the plants during the whole of the growing period until they are earthed up tor blanching. In places where manure is scarce or difficult to obtain it is a good plan to prepare the trenches now and till in the bottom portion of the trench with mowings from the lawn, and by 7 the time the plants- are ready to put in trenches the grass will be sufficmetlv decomposed. , The trenches should lie dug 18in. wide and 15in. deep, taking care to keep the sides straight and nearly 7 perpendicular. The excavated soil shou'd he placed on each side of the trench in equal quantity and beaten firm with the back of the spade to prevent loose soil falling back into the trench. When the grass cuttings are put into the trench, they should be well trodden, so that they will heat and decompose quickly. There should be a depth of about 4in. of the grass when decomposed. Place about 6in. of good soil, oh top of this when, planting time arrives, leaving the trench 5 inches deep. The soil on each side of the trench can -.be used to grow any crop which does not occupy the ground for a long time, such as lettuce, spinach, turnips, radishes or mustard and cress. If more than one trench is

I majle the trendies should be 4ft. apart to allow plenty of room for earthing up. A trench' 18in. wide will take a | double row of plants. Plant 9in. apart ! each way. Celery is usually planted i in double rows to economise space. j PUMPKINS AND 'MARROWS. || Pumpkins and vegetable marrows ; require the same conditions of | soil and cultural treatment. The •I old method of growing them was [on high mounds of soil heavily enriched with manure, but such a posi•Jtion is very unsuitable, as the mounds get dry very quickly in hot weather, and the plants are exposed to damage from strong winds. First-class marrows lor pumpkins can be grown on the level if a hole 3ft. across and about 18in. deep is dug out and a layer of manure or any 7 decomposed vegetable matter placed in the bottom • this is covered with the excavated soil, in which, after it has been trodden firm, seeds are sown or plants put out. It is an advantage to leave the surface 3in. below the surrounding level to facilitate watering when necessary. Pumpkins and squashes (a variety of pumpkin) should be placed 10ft. apart. Vegetable marrows, eight feet apart for trailing kinds and four feet apart fo,r bush kinds. The bush marrow, a s the name implies, is of compact, busli-like growth, and is more suitable than the trailing kind for small gardens where space is a consideration. If seed of pumpkins or marrows are sown, three or four should be inserted thin end uppermost in each position and the plants thinned out when the rough leaves are formed, leaving the strongest one. Water must be applied freely in dry weather, and the foliage i s greatly benefited by a

syringing vw-itli clean water in the evenings of hot days. As soon as they are welt established, pumpkins and marrows grow' very freely. It i s an advantage to pinch out the points of the long trailing stems; if this, is done side shoot's will develop and fruits are freely formed upon these. As the summer progresses it is a good plan to cut out some of the shoots if they are -overcrowded, but in doing so care must be taken that these bearing fruit s are not removed by mistake. Inexperienced

growers are sometimes disappointed when they find the first flowers fail to set and develop fruit. The explanation -of this is that the plants are unsexual, that is, some of the flowers are male and others female. TTie female flower can be easily recognised by the embryo fruit at its base. The plants very often produce male flowers first, and. 'this tendency is more pronounced during cold weather.

While the nkints are young slugs are their worst enemy, biit they can he kept m check by dusting soot; lime, tobacco dust, or. powdered alum round the plants. Mildew and green fly sometimes give trouble. A dusting with flowers of .sulphur will check mildew, aud a reliable insecticide should he used to destroy green-fly. CUCUMBERS.

Cucumbers can be successfully cultivated in the open garden, and with good culture the fruits will compare favourably with those grown under glass. A warm sheltered position is necessary to grow cucumbers, successfully, as they suffer severely if buffeted ‘about by boisterous winds. Holes should be dug 6ft apart, about 2.ft Bin in diameter and a foot deep. Fork up the bottom of each hole and mix with it a liberal supply of well-decayed manure or decomposed vegetable matter. Return the surface soil and tread it in firmly, leaving the. surface a few inches below the surrounding level. Sow three or fou,r seeds thin end uppermost, and thin out to the strongest one when the rough leaves are formed. For protecting the young seedlings it is a good plan to, use small square boxes, with a square of glas s over the top. As the plants grow the glass should be removed on sunny days to gradually harden them off, and when the weather becomes warm and settled the boxes may be removed. To keep cucumbers in good health, they should be watered once every three weeks with a. solution or sulphate of iron using loz to four gallons of water. MELONS. The cutlivat-ion of melons in the open garden is very similar to that advised above for cucumbers. The plan of usincr sbe'ter boxe s for seedling plants J! 1 strongly recommended. Rock 'melons should lie placed six feet apart, water melons eight feet apart, and citron or pie melons ten to twelve feet apart. The holes for water, pie and citron melons should be prepared as recommended for cucumbers, but rock melons do not re» qmre such richly-manured soil. Thev succeed best in soil that has been supplied with manure for a previous crop. routine work. Sow broad beans, French beans, butter beans, runner beans, beet, broccoli, borecole (Scotch kale), Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cress cucumber, celery, kohl-rabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onion, parsley, parsnip, peas, pumpkin, squashes, swedes tut--nips vegetab'e marrows salsify. Plant seedlings of flowering plants, lettuce plants.