Gardening News & Notes

Northern Advocate, 4 October 1947, Page 7

Gardening News & Notes

Vegetables

Kumaras may be planted any time now, or rather, the plants may be put in. They like a fairly good soil, with a firm bottom from 6ins to Bins below soil level. They are often planted on low ridges, though this is not necessary in the case of a well-drained, warm soil. If the planting is done during dry weather, give a good watering when setting the plants in, and screen with tea-tree or fern until the plants are established. Plant tomatoes in a well-drained, sunny position. Don't over-manure, but see that potash in one of its forms is included in the fertiliser mixture, good wood ashes would do. Wood ashes make for healthier plant growth. Pinch out the tops of early peas in flower. The pods will then fill up more quickly. Parsnips want a lot of moisture. When starting this crop see that the seeds are not allowed to go short of water, otherwise they are liable to dry out and lose their vitality. This remark applies to other seed as well, though parsnips are among the worst offenders. Make a sowing of early celery. Dust growing plants with a soot-lime mixture as a measure against celery fly. Cut asparagus close and keep the bed weeded; but when weeding be careful not to go too deep, for fear of injuring the roots. Lettuce will appreciate a mulch of old animal manure, during tne dry weather. Earth up potatoes, and spray with Bordeaux, reaching the undersides of the leaves as much as possible. Sow Broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Keep the onion bed clear. Sow onions for pickling. Make a thin sowing in firm soil, and don't thin out. Mulch the strawberries before the fruit begins to colour. Spray peach and nectarine trees with lime-sulphur, 1 in 20. When two thirds of the blossoms have fallen, spray apple and pear trees for codlin moth. Use lead arsenate. Flowers . . . The tulip is probably ihc most beautiful flower out at the present time. This flower is not likely to become as plentiful in the North, os in the South. Bulbs for market are generally grown in colder districts. When these are planted in Northland gardens, they produce beautiful blooms for a few seasons. Then the bulbs, divide into a number of small bulblets, which do not reach a satisfactory flowering size. Good sized bulbs are for sale in the autumn, and some good blooms are to be seen' in many gardens. The plants should be kept well watered, even after flowering to encourage good growth. Do not cut the leaves as they are needed to nourish the bulbs.

Clivia is another bulb in flower just now. The flowers are a lovely salmon shade, and resemble the autumnflowering belladonna lily. The bulbs

may be planted now with their necks above the grounds. They may be left to form large clumps. They do quite well in firm ground under deciduous trees. Slugs are their worst enemies. Ixias, sparaxis, babianas, tritonias are making a gay show in many gardens. The last three are very similar. The mauve and violet colouring of the babianas looks well with the brilliant sparaxis and tritonias. Just plant in sunshine in moderately good soil; but don’t manure. Many sedums are flowering at the present time in the rock garden. Sedums are succulents. They generally have numerous small star-shaped flowers in terminal clusters. Some form close mats, and are useful for crazy paving and rock gardens. Some are useful for edging borders. The varieties out just now have clear yellow flowers. The other day I noticed a strong-growing bushy variety trained to make a low-growing hedge just about 2ft high. Sedums stand hot dry conditions. They are useful in places that are hard to fill. Like most succulents, they root readily during warm weather.

Agathea, the well-known perennial small blue daisy, is a fine mixer. It looks well in borders, dividing the soft pastel tints from the more brilliant colours. This plant also looks well as an edging miniature hedge about 2ft high. After flowering, the bushes should be kept cut to make the plants shapely. Agathea may also be trained to go up a wall or fence. Cuttings of short new growths root readily at this season. Plant antirrhinum, French and tall marigolds, phlox Drummondii, lobelia, verbena, schizanthus, delplhinium, etc. for summer show of bloom. Sow seed of zinnia, salvia, phlox, aster, Kochia, petunia, celosia, sunflowers, etc. for summer and autumn bloom. Sweet peas are subject to mildew. Dust with flowers of sulphur and lime when the foliage is damp with dew on a warm morning. Nature's Compost . . . On the floor of the forest you will often find accumulations of dark-col-oured—almost black —organic matter. Sometimes, in local depressions, this may be knee-deep; and it always contains a high percentage of humus, that life-giving substance so essential to all fertile soils. It is Nature’s humus, the result of the death and decay of former vegetation. For plants, like animals. are not immortal; even the giant kauris are no exception. Nature's humus consists largely of the element carbon, chemically combined with hydrogen and oxygen to form humus; and hfis by the degradation of this carbonaceous matter that the soil is able to support a heavy vegetation. 11 you have access to this particular compost. remember that a sack or two ot it will go a long way in the vegetable or flower garden. Dig it well in and mix it thoroughly with the soil, and you get an excellent feeding ground for any or all vegetables.