Operations for April

Northern Advocate, 16 April 1938, Page 13

Operations for April

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. * Sow onions for spring planting. Good drainage, a good soil, and a sunny position are necessary. If the soil is likely to be wet in winter the bod should be raised a few inches: . Complete the earthing-up of celery and leeks during dry weather. Thin put early-sown carrots. Wash and use the thinnings. Sow lettuce, radish, cabbage, cauliflower, broad beans, prickly spinach. Sow oats, mustard, blue lupins, etc., for digging-in later. Mustard discourages the grass grub. Harvest any peas or beans left for seeding purposes. Lilt late potatoes and put aside any for seed. Keep the onion bed clean. Harvest pumpkins, marrows, and squashes as they ripen. Hce the soil frequently about the crops. It helps the growth won der'f Lilly. Plant out strawberries in well-prepared ground. Firm the , ground before planting. ■’ Tomato plants that have finished bearing are just as well burned. ; THE FLOWER GARDEN. 1 am afraid that gardeners will find it hard to get away this Easter. There is too much work to do before winter sets in. You cannot leave those shabby annuals any longer. You must pull, them up, dig in all soft-wooded, plants, and burn blighted or woody material. The bod of oats will be ready for digging-in ready for planting Iceland poppies, nemesia. or other annuals in a few weeks' time. The cow manure has rotted down, and is in a nice condition for breaking; up and digging-in at a spade-depth in readiness for planting the special pansies. If you are going to renovate the mixed border, you have a busy time ahead. Do not cut back frost-tender plants. Tie them up if they are im the way. Dig in plenty of compost or wellrotted manure for hungry plants. You may rake up the fallen leaves and dig them in unless you want them stacked: for leaf-mould for potting plants. Chrysanthemums should not have liquid manure after the buds show their true colouring. Late-flowering varieties may still have manure. Suckers should be pulled away from the roots of chrysanthemums. These may be cut off short and rooted for next year’s plants. This is a good month for transplanting small shrubs and border plants. See that you keep the soil on the roots, and keep u sack handy to cover the plants when out of the ground. Never allow roots to be exposed to sun or wind. You may divide the Liliums. Lift the yellow arums, to give them a rest under a hedge. Hurry along with planting out seedlings, sowing seed; and pricking out seedlings. Early-planted Iceland poppies will be showing buds. Keep these picked off until the plants are well grown. * Calendulas should have the centres pinched out to make bushy plants.