WORK FOR THE WEEK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21734, 27 August 1932, Page 18

WORK FOR THE WEEK

NOTES BY TAN NOCK, a.H.R.H.S.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY This is a very busy season in the greenhouse and propagating houses. Annuals have to be pricked off, seeds sown, potting has to be carried out, and us a rule every available inch of space is occupied. Schizanthua and calceolarias are now making rapid growth, and as soon as the pots or tins are filled with roots a start can be made to give weak liquid manure once a week. It is still rather soon to put halfhardy plants out in the open without protection, but this can easily be provided by stretching a piece of scrim over a temporary framework. Dahlias can be placed in heat to start them into growth, in preparation for taking cuttings or breaking them up. THE FLOWER GARDEN Continue to prune roses, to manure and dig the beds and borders, and then spray them with lime sulphur. Dig herbaceous borders, make a small planting of gladioli, and continue the planting of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. Rake moss out of lawns, give a good dressing of lime, and then roll and mow. Should there be any bare patches these should be scratched up with the rake, a little seed sown, and a top-dressing of fine soil given. Edge paths, fork and hoe among the spring flowering Elants, and prepare ground for sowing ardy annuals. THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN Make sowings and plantings of early varieties of vegetables, spray fruit trees, mulch strawberries with strawy stable manure, plant potatoes, and manure and dig all vacant ground. EARLY ROOT VEGETABLES Spring is the 1 season for sowing and planting, and though it is still rather early to put in main crop kinds, it is now time* to put in sowings of the early maturing kinds, and those such as parsnips, which take a long season to mature. Soil is in reasonably good order now, and where it is inclined to become sticky it is .better to do the soil preparation and sowing on planks, and to cover the seeds with a light, dry mixture, or to use a liberal quantity of sand. This allows a:r to get to the seeds, and renders thinning and weeding much easier. The preparation of the soil for all the root crops is practically the same, and if at all possible they should not be grown on soil which has been recently enriched with fresh farmyard manure, but in a place which was well manured for a previous crop. If lime has not already been applied, give a liberal dusting over the surface* and work it in when breaking down and preparing the soil. With a hock or fork break up the surface soil to a depth of about six inches, • taking care to keep the fine pulverised soil formed by the action of the weather on top. Make reasonably fine and level with the rake,. .arid' 4 'remove all the larger stones and lumps, which would’ interfere with subsequent cultivation. If wood ashes and charcoal are available thejj can also be worked into the surface soil during preparations. . . Radish.—These are easy to raise, the seeds being comparatively large as seeds go, and germination is usually very good. Being a crop which matures quickly, and as quickly goes past its best, it is better to treat the radish as a catch crop tor sowing among beans or peas or for sowing in some odd corner, making regular sowings every fortnight or three weeks. Draw drills two inches deep and sixinches apart, sow thinly, cover, and firm. French Breakfast and Icicle are good varieties. Turnips.—The early \vhite varieties become available very quickly and make a very nice vegetable, coming in as the swedes are past their best. Sow in drills one inch deep 'and 12 inches apart, and as germination is usually very good sow very thinly. Give a dusting of superphosphate if the ground has already been limed, with basic superphosphate if it has not. Coyer with fine “d ahdjflm. Early Snowball or Early White Milan are good varieties. . Carrots.—The old carrots begin to grow in late spring, to send up flower sterns, and become stringy, and a sowing of the stump-rooted varieties on a .warm border will 'soon ; be available. Carrot seed is small, light*, and difficult to distribute, therefore it is better to mix, it with cabout twice its bulk of dry, fine soil and to sow fairly thickly. Drills are an inch deep and six to nine inches apart, and a dressing of superphosphate should be put in with the seed. Early French Horn and Champion Scarlet Horn are good varieties. Beetroot.—This is a more suitable vegetable for spring, summer, and early autumn than winter, and early supplies are always appreciated. The globe or turnip-rooted varieties are the best toi early use, and, as the seeds are large, it is better to deposit them two oi- three together at intervals of nine inches in the drills. These are two inches deep and 12 inches apart. Dust with superphosphate and fill up the drills with sea sand if the soil is. at ail heavy In any case, beet is a seaside plant and likes salt sand, I am afraid those living at the seaside do not appreciate the value of sea sand for both the vegetable and flower garden, and they buy lime to open up their land when sand.can be had lor almost nothing. Egyptian Turnip-rooted and Globe are good early varieties. As birds are very fond of both seeds and seedlings, they should be protected in some way, either with strips of fine wire netting pficcred down on either side form a hoop over the drills, or by stre^ h ‘ ing a few strands of black cotton a few inches above the soil. Fortunately birds are timid, and black cotton seems to suggest something dangerous to them. Mugs are also troublesome if the weather is wet or the soil rough, and frequent dressings of lime or soot, or a mixture of lime, soot, and wood ashes, will keep them oU and stimulate the growth of the crops. Parsnips should be sown now, not that we want them early, for they are- never at their best until they have had some frost, but because they take a long time to develop. Soil for parsnips should be deep, but not recently dressed with fresh manure. Where the celery was grown last season is very suitable. Draw drills two inches deep and 18 inches apart, and deposit little groups of seeds, say, 12jh each, at intervals of 12 inches apart. Parsnip seed is seldom very good, and it is better to sow in groups, the seedlings to be thinned out to one later on. though good parsnips can be grown on deep light soil in ordinary drills, it is better to hole for them. This is done by pushing down a crowbar to a depth of about three feet, wriggling it round to form a hole three or more inches wide at the top, tapering to the bottom. These are made 12 inches apart in the drills as drawn for ordinary sowing. With some old potting soil or light garden soil, to which a six-inch potful of bone meal and the same of superphosphate has been added to each barrow load, fill the holes to the top, making it reasonably firm, and niake a slight depression to mark the position of each. Sow about 12 seeds in each depression, cover with fine soil, and firm as usual, i Birds do not usually touch parsnips, nor are slugs specially fond of them, and as they are such a good winter vegetable a good breadth should be sown. . Hollow Crown or Student are good varieties. CUCUMBERS The cucumber (Cucumis sativua) is' amongst the oldest of cultivated plants, having been popular in China, India, and Egypt for thousands of years. It is a native of North-west India, and is ft tropical or subtropical plant, requiring heat or at least the protection of a frame or greenhouse. It can be grown quite successfully in frames on top of a hotbed, and the ridge varieties can be grown on ridges in the open. A hotbed, if prepared with long strawy manure and leaves, should now be providing sufficient heat for the germination of the seed, these are sown singly in three-inch pots, and .as soon as germination takes place they are placed well up near the glass to prevent drawing. As soon as the pots are filled with roots the plants are transferred to five-inch size, using equal parts of leafmould and fibrous loam, with a sprinkling of sharp sand. Make up a bed of soil in the middle of the frame composed of loam two parts, leafmould one part, well rotted manure one part, and half a part sand. Do not make up a very wide bed at nrst, dug

keep on adding topdressings as the roots appear on the surface. Plant out carefully and keep the frame a little close for a day or two until growth commences. When the plants make a new start, peg down and thin out the shoots regularly, open the sashes just a little in the mornings to let out the surplus moisture, syringe the foliage regularly every afternoon during fine weather with tepid water and close up the Irame immediately afterwards to keep in the heat. Cover with sacks or scrim on cold nights, and when growth is active, water regularly and give liberal applications of liquid manure. Keep the shoots thinned out, never allow too many fruits to set at one time, and never allow the fruits to remain on the plants when they are ready to cuti Aided by frequent top-dressings and regular pegging down, the young shoots readily take root in the soil and manure, and they obtain new vigour.

RXDGfiI CUCUMBERS. The ridges are formed in a sheltered but warm, sunny* position by throwing out the soil to a depth of a foot and a width of three feet on either side, and building up a ridge of fresh leaves and strawy manure or leaves alone, covering with a soil mixture similar to that recommended for frame cultivation. The plants are raised in the same way, potted on and gradually hardened off, and if the weather is cold and wet when planting has to be done, cover with a handlight, a bell glass, or other suitable covering for a few days. Give plenty of water both at the roots and overhead, and liquid manure every third watering. Cucumbers like plenty of food and water, and a moist, warm atmosphere, the temperature desirable for pits or frames being 60 degrees by night and 80 degrees by flay. Varieties to grow under glass are Telegraph and Sutton’s Every Day, and for the open King of the Ridge and Stockwood. The gerkin is a short, prickly cucumber bearing quantities of mediumsized fruits suitable for pickling.