THE HOME GARDEN

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24244, 9 April 1942, Page 2

THE HOME GARDEN

Vegetables Plant out cabbage and cauliflower for spring supplies, also plant out lettuce. Sow early horn carrots, prickly spinach and turnips for winter supplies. Sow onions for transplanting later, also parsley for use in spring. Sow seeds in raised beds at this season of the year if the soil is inclined to be wet. Earth-up celery and leeks as required, choosing a time when the soil is dry. Remove spent crops and clean up the ground; if soil pests have been prevalent, use a good soil fumigant. Dig over vacant land and sow down with green crops for digging in later. Gather pumpkins and marrows and dry well before storing in a dry, cool plac«. The Orchard Late tomatoes should be picked as soon as they show colour to prevent cracking. Take stock of any failures in the orchard with a view to replacement in the coming planting season. Citrus trees, being evergreen, can be planted at any time now while the soil is still warm. Give the citrus trees another spraying with white oil to clear up any remaining white scale. The later -fruits will require to be picked and stored as soon as ready. Do not make the mistake of picking before the fruit is mature. Complete the pruning of bramble fruits without delay and give a good spraying.

Flowers The planting of bulbs should be completed as soon as possible, with the exception of tulips, which can wait until later. Sow seeds of spring-flowering plants such as calendula, stocks, pansy, viola, dianthus, carnation and antirrhinum. Remove the spent annuals from beds and borders and replace with springflowering plants. Clean up the herbaceous borders and cut down plants that have ripened off. Liliums should not be shortened at all until the stems have ripened off. Chrysanthemums developing their buds should not be fed after the colour shows. Sow down new lawns and give established ones a good topdressing. The Greenhouse Allow tuberous begonias and gloxinias to go to rest slowly by gradually giving less water. Some liliunss should be potted up as soon as the bulbs can be obtained. Cyclamen that have filled their pots with roots should have some weak liquid manure. Water carefully when the nights are likely to be cold and avoid leaving too much moisture around at night time. Some of the shading on the glass can be dispensed with by now, but it is not wise to remove it entirely yet. Pick over the plants in frames and houses frequently to remove any dead leaves.