Gardening News & Notes

Northern Advocate, 21 August 1948, Page 2

Gardening News & Notes

! Vegetables

i Make sowings in the open of all the ! hardier vegetables. September is early ! enough for beans. Sow tomatoes, melons, cucumbers. ' marrows and pumpkins under glass for i planting out later. Paper pots or car--1 tons are useful for sowing seed under j glass. The plants may then be planted ! in the pot, first cutting away the botj tom of the container, j It is a good plan with marrows, etc., ! to make a mound of garden refuse, j mixed with soil and animal manure, ! and sow the seed on the top with a j covering of glass. | Put out a few tomato plants in a j sheltered, sunny position .Also sow j seed in boxes for later planting. It is ! wise to plant tomatoes in new soil. Tomatoes do best in soil that has ! been enriched with well-rotted manure j or a green crop dug in with a good ! mixed fertiliser added. The drainage i should be good, as nothing is worse for blight than a water-logged soil. I Begin the earthing up of potatoes i when they have made about six inches I of growth. When the plants are less | than half-grown, spray with Bordeaux j for the blight: do not wait until the j plants have become infected. I Kohl-rahi is a useful vegetable, often ! succeeding where parsnips will not j do well. It is a cross between a turnip and a cabbage, and does better than I the turnip on dry soil. Allow about ! 15in. between the rows and Ift between the plants. Cook when young I and tender. Seed may be sown now. i Keep lettuce growing with weak | liquid manure if necessary. Sow more I seed. j Runner beans like a good trench I for their deep roots. The trench may I be opened up now and filled with garden refuse, with lime added. The I top soil should have 1 super and blood | and bone forked in. The soil will settle and be ready for next month's sowing of seed. The beetroot belongs to the sea coast and a little salt forked in about the plants will urove beneficial. Chokos should be planted when they show signs of shooting. Planted in deep, rich, friable soil, the choko is a rapid-growing, vigorous-climbing plant and nroduces large quantities of fruit which is an excellent vegetable.

Onion plants should not have the soil about their stalks. Keep the ground free of weeds, but do not disturb the soil except at the surface. Give a dusting of sulphur if the weather becomes warm and humid. Lupins and other green crops should be dug in; mustard may be sown. Flowers ... plant annuals and bedding plants that are for sale. These soon flower at. this time of the year and make a good show of bloom in late spring and early summer. If the plants are soft-looking, plant in boxes first, giving the seedlings plenty of room. In a few weeks they will be sturdy plants that may be planted out with the soil attached to their roots. Continue to plant gladioli, delphiniums, gerberas, carnations, penstemons, gaillardias, perennial sunflower, perennial phlox, michaelmas daisies, gyphsophila, perennial salvias, kniphofia (red hot pokers), and many other perennial plants suitable for the mixed border. The mixed border should be forked over and will benefit by a top-dressing of new soil or well-rotted manure. Failing this, well-matured compost with blood and bone and super added will prove beneficial. Use the fertiliser at about the rate of 2oz. to the square yard. Wood ashes may be sprinkled about the plants. Continue to plant trees and shrubs of all kinds, giving shelter to tender plants. Put in cuttings of chrysanthemums. Lightly cover dahlia tubers with soil to encourage shoots for planting later. Anemones are troubled with aphis on the flowers and under the leaves. Spray with warm, soapy water and nicotine or DDT.

Tulips are troubled with a disease called fire, which gives the plants a burnt appearance. This disease is incurable, but can be checked by spraying with Bordeaux two or three times while the bulbs are growing.

Infected bulbs should be lifted with the surrounding soil and burned. Aphis is troublesome and causes striping of the flowers; the flowers and leaves should be sprayed to kill the aphis. Geraniums and pelargoniums and fuchsias may be planted; old bushes may be cut back now.

Iresine has a rosy red leaf. It is a useful perennial plant in mixed borders or planted along with tall begonias and Chinese balsams. Plants may be divided or cuttings planted now.

Hydrangeas may have a sprinkling of lime for the pink shades and alum or sulphate of iron for the blue shades. Continue to sow seed of annuals for summer and autumn show of bloom.