Gardening News & Notes

Northern Advocate, 24 September 1949, Page 3

Gardening News & Notes

Vegetables

We.are having beautiful spring wea.ther, with sunshine and showers; good conditions for . growth and seed sowing. Sow peas, beans, tomatoes, red beet, silver beet, lima beans, celery, ccleriac, leeks, sweet corn, cucumber, lettuce, marrows, melons, pumpkin, squash, radishes, summer spinach, parsley, mustard and cress and egg plant. Lima beans are generally dried and used in the winter. They may also be shelled and cooked the same way as broad beans. Lima beans like warm conditions, and take a fair time to mature. Capsicum, or peppers, are decorative with their brilliant red fruits on small bushes. They need shelter, warm conditions and a long growing season. Egg plant requires similar conditions, with a rich soil that is on the firm side. Ccleriac. or turnip-rooted celery, is more easily grown than celery and is useful for flavouring soups and stews. The ‘seed may be sown in the open ground or in boxes and transplanted. The plants are rather slow growing. The turnip-like roots should be kept above ground and side shoots should be pulled off. A well-manured soil and plenty of water are necessary for best results. , Celery seed should be sown in boxes or in a nursery bed for planting out later. Summer spinach needs to be grown quickly in a good, rich soil with plenty of water. The round-seeded is the variety to sow now.

Peas For Christmas

Peas for the holiday season should be sown before the end of this month The dwarf early varieties do not take as long to mature as the taller growers and may be sown a little later. Peas need a good, deep soil for best results. A mixture of super and blood and bone, half and half, may be forked into the ground below the seed, a small handful to the running yard being given. Wood ashes and lime should be used freely on the surface of the ground. Stake well and do not plant too close at, this season—about 2in. apart for the dwarf varieties, and further apart for the tall, strong growing varieties.

Many growers plant a double row about sin apart. Mildew is often troublesome during the warm weather. Dust with dry sulphur in the early morning, when the foliage is damp to check mildew. The leaves also get a blight which may be controlled with Bordeaux or similar spray. Continue to plant tomatoes, potatoes, choko, etc.

Any pruning necessary to citrus trees should be done now. Cut out any sappy growths growing out of the centre of the tree and any growths that may touch the ground.

Flowers

The flower gardens are beautiful just now with the choicest of spring flowers, tulips, anemones ranunculus, polyanthus, poppies, etc. There are probably more good spring flowering shrubs in spring than at any other season. October is perhaps the best month of the year and growers should make a point of seeing shrubs and perennial plants in bloom to choose varieties for next year’s planting. Annuals for summer show of blooms are on sale in the shops. Asters, zinnias, dahlias, ceiosias, and other tender plants should not be planted in cold exposed situations. Annuals like a well-worked, deep, well-drained, moderately rich soil.

Verbenas and portulacas prefer a rather firm, gritty soil. Sweet peas, delphiniums, carnations, gypsophila and wallflowers appreciate lime in the soil. Wisterias and lilacs like lime in the soil. The suckers should be removed from these plants. The ground should be firm.

The wisteria needs a very rich soil a"d plenty of water. the lilac benefits by a mulch of manure after flowering.

Wallflowers may be rrov/n from seed sown between now and Christmas. They are also grown from cuttings Of short side growth. The plants do best in firm, not over rich, soil in partial shade. Liliums

Liliums arc growing fast. Slugs and snails often eat the new growths, but it is not wise to use lime to kill the pest as mqst liliums dislike lime. L. Regale L. Speciosum and the Madonna lily like lime rubble worked into the ground at planting time. All liliums will benefit by a mule!) of old manure, leaf mould or compost at this season. For exhibition chrysanthemums a good potting mixture consists of fibrous loam, 5 parts, leaf mould one part, well-decayed manure one part, a sprinkling of bone-dust wood ashes and sharp sand. Spray gladioli with Bordeaux or Cuprox for leaf diseases, and DDT or nicotine for thrips. The leaves have a scaly look with thrips and a blotchy appearance with fungoid diseases.