THE FLOWER GARDEN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 253, 20 September 1930, Page 11

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

During the next few weeks large sowings of hardy annuals for summer displays will be made and they are the best for the garden novices to try their hands on. For one thing, seed is cheap, and even if there is a failure with some kinds, the loss is very slight and can be made up again. One of the chief things about these hardy annuals is that they flower the first year from seed. If one wishes to become proficient in garden work the raising of these annuals is a good preliminary and once this has been mastered other and more important plants can be handled. Muclr can be learned from sowing any kinds of seed even if it is nasturtium. Sowing too thickly is one of the chief troubles of the amateur and he never likes to waste plants. It would be better to throw away three-quarters of the plants than to allow them to grow spindly. Another thing about growing annuals is that a valuable lesson is to be got from picking the dead flowers off. Sweet peas are a good instance of this and unless the flowers are kept well picked they will soon stop blooming; but by keeping the flowers well picked the plants will go on blooming for a long time. When planting out, space the plants out so that they have plenty of room to expand and it will also help the work of hoeing and general cultivation. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. September and October are very busy months in the vegetable garden. For one thing thousands of young seedling weeds start into growth and these should be checked in their infancy to save much time later on. There are plenty of seeds that can be got in now even if they are only small supplies to tide over the time until the main crops begin to come in. Beans, peas, lettuce and beet may be sown in quantities now. It is a good plan to soak broad beans in a two per cent solution of formalin to check any spores of disease that may be lurking about and then to sprinkle' the row with lime before planting the seed; lime should also be used on the pea crop to keep disease away. Those who used it last season were fortunate enough to prove that the peas grown with lime were quite free from any disease and yet those in the next row where no lime i was used were poor in quality and 1 quantity. _ ... i When sowing beet seed it is a good ] plan to use a little salt in the ground. One grower has written to say that he has found considerable advantage to be gained by soaking the seeds in a good strong solution of salt and water and sowing the seeds immediately. We have not tried this yet, but are going to do so at the first opportunity. Carrot aijd parsnip seed can be sown now in drills. The soil for carrots should be on the dry side and easily worked. Thin out the young plants as soon as they, are large enough to handle. Parsnips like a deep light soil and must be thinned out to at least four inches apart. Keep the surface soil between the rows well cultivated as soon as the plants are up. Sow leek seed in well manured ground and in a shallow trench so that the plants can be earthed up slightly as they. grow. This will give you longer and better plants for setting out when the time comes for transplanting. If you have any glass handy, some marrows and cucumbers can be,sown in pots for transplanting out later on. Have the plants .well hardened off about the end of October and they can go straight out into a well-manured plot. Seeds sown in the open will not do any good until about November. Pumpkins can be treated in the same way. Plant up artichokes now, choosing the best-shaped tubers that you can ■ get. Tomato seed can be sown under glass now and as soon as the young plants are strong enough prick them out and place into other boxes where they will have more room to expand and can be grown on until they' are wanted. Any vacant soil should be got ready as soon as possible for various plants.