Gardening News & Notes

Northern Advocate, 16 July 1949, Page 3

Gardening News & Notes

Vegetables

Light soils may be worked when dry enough, and prepared for sowings of spring vegetables. Green crops may be dug in ready for planting onions, or soying peas. A few weeks should elapse before planting or sowing, after digging in a green crop. The crop should be limed when being dug in. Plant a few early potatoes in a warm position. Sow peas in light well-drained soil, Soak in kerosene for a short time before sowing and put strands of black cotton along the rows to keep birds off.

Sow tomato feeed under glass; prick out seedlings from earlier sowing into boxes of good soil. Lettuce seed may be sown in boxes and pricked out in the usual way. If this is done the seedlings soon make good hearts when planted in the spring. A little lettuce seed should be sown every few weeks to have the plants in succession.

Seedling lettuce in boxes should be covered with fine wire netting to keep birds off.

Onions

Onions should be transplanted this month or next. Plant in rows 12in apart and 4in between the plants. Cut the roots to about 4in long and cut the tops back, leaving the new growth in the centre intact. Plant firmly and bury the roots only. Onions like a soil that will hold the moisture, but is friable and has been well worked. River silt is ideal, a rich loam is also good. The plants will die or become blighted in water-logged soil. A slight slope is good, but too much slope will often mean that the soil will be washed away from the roots or over the bulbs.

The soil should be made firm before planting onions, treading on the ground to firm it should not be done when the soil is wet. Onions may be grown on the same ground for years provided sufficient manure has been given. Well-rotted manure, compost or a green crop may be dug in. Onions should not be forced by being given large doses of quick-acting manures. Bonedust 3 to 4oz to the square yard with 2oz of super may be given. If animal manure has been dug in less bonedust, etc., will be needed. Potash is best given in the form of wmod ashes worked in at the surface.

Continue to plant, prune and spray fruit trees. Saturate the ground about the roots of the trees with spray.

Flowers

We are on the right side of winter. Although spring is not in sight we can see a change in the garden. Early Powering shrubs are beginning to

wake up, and the folowing may be cut in the bud to open in the house: —Cydonia Japonica Jasminum primulinum, Spiraea (May) magnolia stellata and others. Gladioli Plant gladioli in sheltered situations. The corms should have the husks removed and be soaked in formalin or 'other preparation sold for the purpose. Badly diseased corms should be burned. One teaspoon of lysol in 1 quart of w r ater is said to be good for soaking the gladioli corms, w'hich should be left for about quarter of an hour in the liquid. It is time to get the seed boxes .ready for sowing seed. Leaf mould is a help in the soil - mixture, but is often full of pests. It should be treated as follows a couple of weeks before using:—pour a gill of household ammonia in three gallons of water and spray the heap of leaf mould with it. Turn over and spray until the whole heap is moist. Cover with bags and keep fairly dry for a w’eek, when it will be sterilised. Compost is a good substitute for leaf mould and may be treated in the same way. Varegated foliage, trees and shrubs lighten dull corners of the garden during the winter months. Hoheria and veronicas in the cream and green shades are most attractive. The golden-leaved privet is also good, and is used as a hedge plant in Australia. l) B lohiniums promise to be more popular than ever next summer. Before planting the ground should be dug and well-rotted manure or comnos* and bonedust dug in. Road grit or lime rubble added will prove beneficial.

Grass sods or a green crop may be dug in. Delphiniums like- lime and a handful should be worked in at the surface for each plant. The crowns of delphiniums and similar perennial plants should be level with the surface of the ground. Violets, poppies, etc., should be kept picked. A little weak liquid manure will help the size of the bloom and length of stalk. Continue to plant, prune and spray roses.

Continue to plant perennial plants suitable for the mixed border such as Michaelmas daises, armeria (thrift) alstroemoria bilbergia penstremcn, gaillardia, gypsophilla, kniphofia (red hot poker), perennial sunflower, etc Plant liliums. callas, agapanthus, clivia, etc. All but the liliumes are suitable for planting in sunny spots between trees or on a bank.