THE GARDEN. WORK FOR THE WEEK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22042, 26 August 1933, Page 7

THE GARDEN. WORK FOR THE WEEK

tannock, a.h.r.h.s.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS “ nvercargill.”—Moss growing on laws can be eliminated by repeated waterings with a solution of sulphate of iron, ioz in Igal water, per square yard. It should be applied at intervals of four or five days when the weather is dry. Autumn is the correct time, but applications in spring should be quite satisfactory. A stronger solution may be used where moss is exceptionally thick. It will .turn black in a, day or two, after which, it should be carefully raked ' out.' " • THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY Start vines in unheated houses by shutting up the ventilators, syringing the rods and damping the floors. If the border is inside it should receive a good watering. As a rule, outside borders are wet enough by this time., Ventilation will be. necessary on hot, sunny.days, but great care has to be taken not to create cold draughts. Continue to' prick out seedling bedding plants, to put those which are established out into cold frames, and the hardier kinds outside altogether. Con-. tinue the potting of . ferns and foliage plants. Sow’seeds of cucumbers, melons, marrows, pumpkins, egg plant, and Cape gooseberry, Plant out tomatoes in orders or in tins and pot on those to be grown outside. THE FLOWER GARDEN Plant out some of the more hardy annuals such as stocks, nemesia, antirrhinums, and aljtssum. If the beds and borders have been properly planted up with spring flowering plants, such as wallflowers, anemones, primrose, polyanthus, ranunculus, or tulips there will not be much available space yet, but what there is can, be filled. These plants become established, come into flower early, and fill up the gap between the spring and summer flowers. Sow down new lawns, weed and top-dress old ones, and mow and roll regularly. THE VEGETABLE AND FRUIT GARDEN Make sowings of peas, beet, carrots, spinach, turnips, onions, lettuce, and radish. Make frequent Rowings of mustard and cress. Parsnips take a long time to grow, and should be sown early, either in drills, if the soil is deeply cultivated, or. if heavy and inclined to be sticky, it is better to make holes with a crow-bar about three feet deep and three inches wide at the top. Fill these with light soil to which some bone meal has been added, and sow a few seeds on top. Later on thin to one, which should fill the hole with its root. Plant cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and transplant autumnsown onions. .MELONS AND CUCUMBERS IN FRAMES Melons and cucumbers are both really tropical plants, and require more heat than we can give them in early summer even in the best sheltered gardens, but they can be grown quite successfully in frames, provided these are heated by means of fermenting materials —that is, a hotbed made up of fresh stable manure and leaves, inside the frame or built up, and the frame set on top of it. In any case it is better to allow the fiercest of the heat and the fumes to go off before planting, otherwise the foliage may be scorched. This frame should be placed in a warm, sunny position so that it may get the full advantage of the sun heat in late summer and autumn when the hotbed has cooled off. The soil for either should be rough and rich, the roots are soft and do not thrive unless they get plenty of' air. A mixture of turfy loam should be used, broken up roughly (three parts), leafmould (one part)/ well-rotted manure (one part), and half a part of sand with a six-inch potful of bone meal to every barrowload of the mixture. 'Mix thoroughly and place in position as mounds in each sash or light, and leave to heat before sowing the seed or putting out the plants. By each light or sash I mean each space of about three feet by six, which is the standard size of a sash, but if old windows are used one plant to every 12 to 18 square! feet will do. Put three seeds in each Hill, and if they all germinate reduce to one. As soon as the young plants have made four or five leaves the tip of the shoot can be pinched out, and when fresh shoots have developed these are pinched when about 18 inches long. When fruit is set the shoot is pinched two leaves beyond it. With melons the crop i 9 limited to, say. six on each plant, but cucumbers which are cut before they are ripe can go as long as they will. As soon as the roots appear through the soil give a top-dressing of soil similar to the original with blood and bone instead of bone meal;- Give

frequent top-dressing throughout the summer. • Occasional applications of liquid manure will be appreciated during the summer, and plenty of water at all times. A temperature of 60 degrees can be maintained at night with a rise to .80 in sun heat; this will be suitable for growing either cucumbers or melons. TOMATOES The tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) belongs to the Solanum family, one which provides us with some of our most esteemed food plants as well as some which are very poisonous. It is a native of South America, and, like French beans, it jeannot stand the slightest frost or cold, cutting winds, but it will bear well when planted out in a warm, sheltered position after all danger of frost is past. Anyone w-ith a glasshouse or even a garden frame can grow his own supplies of tomatoes, and if 'they do not all ripen the last bunches can be used for making pickles or used up in some other way. At one time the tomato was grown in greenhouses for its ornamental fruits, and it is only within comparatively recent times that it became popular as an article of food. , . >-

Anyone w-ith a heated greenhouse can •raise his own plants, but without heat 'they are too slow, and it is much better to arrange with a nurseryman for a supply of w-ell-grown, properly hardened off plants at the right season. Seed, sown in the early spring should be ready to prick off now, and it is usual to allow the seedlings more room than the ordinax-y annuals, so they can be lifted with a ball of soil when they are to be planted out in their permanent positions. It is really better to pot them into 3Jin pots, and those intended for outdoor cultivation should be potted again into 6in pots, in which they will develop the first bunch of flowers before they are to bep lanted out in their permanent positions. It is ■most important to have wellgrown, sturdy plants, and it is worth while paying a little more, for them and treating them in the best way possible. The soil for tomatoes should be new, turfy loam if it is available, but good garden loam will do, provided it has not grown a crop of tomatoes before. Growers ,on a large scale recognise the importance of ' sterilising the soil with steam, and when this is done tomatoes can be grown in the same soil for years, provided sufficient manure is applied to restore its fertility. If not sterilised, it is well to place the soil outside, exposing it to the weather, and to grow a crop on it to renew the organic matter. This crop can be either lupines or beans or peas, and a slight dressing of soot and lime will improve the soil and benefit these crops. When planted out on borders these plants are less liable to suffer if neglected a little during holiday times, but, tins-have the advantage of requiring lees soil, which is very important in towns ,where supplies are difficult to obtain. The plants are also under better control, and it is possible to stand them close together at first when they are small and space is required for raising annuals and bedding plants. When preparing the soil for borders or tins, a six-inch pot of bonemeal and one of superphosphate and wood ashes can be added to every barrow, load, but it is not advisable to. add farmyard manure or any quick-acting chemical at first. These encourage soft, sappy growth, and if the weather is dull the fruit ws.ll not set properly. Whether planted in tins or in the border the soil has to be rammed very firmly to encourage short, sturdy growth, and while it is necessary to provide, sufficient water at the roofs, the atmosphere should be kept as dry as possible, and air has to be given on every occasion. A moist, stuffy atmosphere encourages the development of fungoid diseases, which often -do considerable harm to the plants in the early stages of their development. After the first bunch of fruit has set and other bunches of flowers developed, applications of weak) liquid manure made from cow manure can be given once a week, and if ordinary liquid manure is not available a good snbstituie can be provided by mixing two pounds of superphosphate, one pound of "nitrate ot potash, and three-quarters of a pound of sulphate of ammonia. Dissolve one ounce of this mixture in two gallons ot water and apply once a week, but if the /oil lg dry water with clean water first, / Should disease appear either through faulty ventilation, over-watering, or unsuitable weather, it may be necessary to spray the plants every three weeks with lime sulphur (one part to 50 parts ot water), or with Bordeaux mixture .(summer formula), the same as is applied to potatoes. If heat is available the plants can be put in their permanent position now, but the end of August or the beginning of September is soon enough to plant in unheated houses, and the beginning of November soon enough to plant outside.' Varieties to plant are Sutton s Abundance. Cdudine Bed, and . Sunrise. Heating with electricity is a distinct advantage in tomato growing.