IN THE GARDEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 26 October 1928, Page 3

IN THE GARDEN

GOOD #)EAtHIER

THE VEGETABLE PLOTS The warm rains, during.the weclf have had ;i good effect on all plants ami se'tHJS {ilUl Splendid growth lias IllH'll llKulf. Slugs ami other garden pests have taken heavy toll of lender foliage, .except in cases where precautions have heeu taken to guard against their ravages. Potatoes are coining on well; and it would bo wise io give them a spraying in order to guard against, blight. Hoses are making wonderful growth, and already the. buds are, bursting. As a mailer of fact, there has-been only a short period of non-flowering between last season and this. .....,••■ •<■■.,

Transplant autumn-sown onions. Shorten back tops and also roots. Firm the ground and plant shallow. The main crop of tomatoes can. now be planted out. , There is always a.chance of a late frost, but fhis.has, to,bo.risked., . Asparagus is now coming,ijreely. When, cutting cut everything, large or small;to leave the small heads to. develdpi cheeks. t)ie supply.. When cutting ; . as-, paragus be careful not to cut or, .damage undeveloped, shoots. Keep the heels hand weeded whilst the cutting of the crop is in progress. Once allow weedsi to get away and it .is, aj.most impossible', to get the crop oft' properly. , All planting done just now should, if possible, be carried out on a damp day. The next best time is at the end of the" day, ■when, the plants will have all the night ..to recover. ......

Cabbage and cauliflower plants that were planted early should have a little nitrate of soda; also, work.between the plants so as. to give the,plants a start. Make sowings of carrots, turnips, radishes, lettuce, spinach, beetroot, parsnips, .etc. • ' Sowings "of vegetable marrows can bo made, but these plants, must .be .protected from, cold winds.and heavy rains. Both preserving and rock melons should be planted. Make-further sowings of peas.. The ground.-for .the. .present..sowings should be,deeply dug, oy,; trenched. ,The plants will probably have to stand, some hot, dry weather before they matured The majority, of vegetables can, be sown or planted, now,,,,Any seedling crops that were sown earlier should be thinned out as stion as largo enough to handle.

Make a sowing of runner beans. These inquire deeply, worked ground. , Sow. so as 'to allow nine inches, between, plants and at least four "feet between the rows.

The most useful of all the. summer vegetables are the beans. .As a ride the butter beans., came, into first. They do not !crpp as well as the French bean unless they, are well 'grown. They must not be allowed 'to stop 'growing. It is a mistake to plant them too early, as the,, cold weather, ..will, retard ..their growth. The best wayto make sure of, a supply is to put. in two sowings. _ T)o not sow too closely, or they will be inclined to ripen off at once. . The next beans, to come in are. the dwarf Frjench ,beans, , They take..longer to develop tfia'n the beans, but they will give a better crop when they are ready. They may be sown at intervals all through the "summer, unless the soil is very hard, and dry, .* , . , There is a blue podded variety that conies into cropping very quickly, otherwise the Canadian Wonder seems to be the. standard, variety. ..; They, like the butter bean, revel in deeply dug and wcil-manured land.

The main crop of beans, however, should be the runner beans. There are quite a number of varieties,., of which the. Scarlet Runner is probably the best known. It is not the best for cropping by any means. They are very hardy and have a good flavour when cooked, but they become stringy very quickly. There are some varieties that .are almost stringless and, that will remain fit for use for a considerably longer time than the Scarlet Eu'nher. 'MIDST TATE FLOWERS

There, are numerous varieties of bedding plants that can be put out now. Beds and borders should be planted with the various subjects. ... Where rib artificial moisture has been given to. anemones .'and ranunculas, they will begin to show signs of clyirig off. It their space is 'needed for soinethint, else, they may be lifted carefully and heeled, in in a suitable place to ripen aft'. As soon as they have. ripened off, they should be collected and stored until next autumn. If left in the ground, they often get iost and may have to be replaced.. ~..-; i'a.nsies are beginning to. throw up blooms, arid "now. is. the., time to use manure. Cow manure, or blood and bone are good. If blooms, are wanted for show purposes the flowers must be picked off until about .. three weeks. • before the show. Side growth .should also be removed to throw all the growth into the main stem.

Plants should be got ready to take the place ofnemesias and pansies as soon as these annuals have, 'finished, flowering. Their flowering period may be prolonged with plenty of liquid manure, or mulching. ..... When dividing dahlias, remember that it is essential that each tuber has, a bud attached. If the tuber is very large the lower part can be cut away. The ground for dahlias should.... be well manured. They require deeply worked soil and plenty of manure. Seed may now be sown outside of phlox drummondi, mignonette, silver sultan, aster, annual chrysanthemum, Virginian stock, gypsophlia elegans and banniculata, zinnias, cosmas, marguerite carnations, annual poppies, coreopsis, scabious, nigella, etc. When the narcissi, foliage becomes yellow and begins to die off, it may be removed and burned or buried.

The planting out of annuals should be continued.

The first early rasters should be planted. These arc often rather difficult to

The double-flowering peaches now finished flowering should be pruned well back.

Polyanthus and primroses should be broken up and transplanted. Rhododendrons should not be allowed to set seeds if the bushes are small.

Gladiolas for late flowering should bo planted. This bulb may be raised from seed like any other plant, and if the soil is rich and they are well looked after they will bloom the first season. A large variety of colours will be the result. They do not require a great deal at space. The second year, nearly all the small bulbs will flower, and aft inferior varieties should be discarded. Some very fine colours aro often obtained in this way. The exaciiordia. .thedoutchias and the different prunes smensis may now be pruned hack if (hey have overgrown the space allotted to them. This is the time ; to sow ireesias it I hey are to be raised from seed. When raising from seed they will grow right though the summer and will often bloom as early as the end of May,, or the beginning uf' June, if.the soil is suitable. The beds should not. b.e allowed to get diy. tf the plants become stunted during the summer, -they may ripen off without flowering. They-.may be sown oithei' iu Beds or,rows. ■ They should be thinned out as scon.as large, enough to give each plant plenty oi' room. If they are crowded the 'flowers Will be bmall and weedy.