THE GARDEN

Otago Witness, Issue 3830, 9 August 1927, Page 11

THE GARDEN

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

By

D. Tannock.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY. Continue to put in cuttings of chrysanthemums, to prick out bedding plants, and to box or pot up bedding geraniums. low seeds of asters, stocks, marigolds, and other bedding annuals, and continue to pot the ferns and foliage plants. Sow seeds of celery, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, leeks, and cauliflower, and bring the trays of early potatoes into the warm greenhouse to encourage the development of the sprouts in preparation for planting out as soon as weather conditions are favourable.

Gannas are useful plants for furnishing pub-tropical beds, for grouping in the mixed borders, and for planting near water. They are a bit tender, but if divided up no<v and potted or placed in tins, and brought on in the vinery or greenhouse, they will develop into good plants by bedding-out time, and will flower well during late summer and well on into autumn. They are hardy with us, and come through the winter safely if mulched with some strawy manure, but they are longer in starting into growth than those inside, and they have a short flowerin" season. ° THE FLOWER GARDEN. Continue the rose pruning, also the manuring, spraying, and digging as described in last week’s notes. Continue to dig or fork the herbaceous border, at the same time reducing the size of the clumps of a kind which have a tendency to spread too much, and lift and divide nnchaelmas daisies, shasta daisies, and other kinds which do not mind being disturbed. Paeonies, rhubarbs, gunneras, and Solomon’s seal which do not like being disturbed, should receive a good mulch oi well-rotted farmyard manure. ROOT CROPS. Turnip (Brassica napus). Probably a native of Europe and Western Asia. The turnip is one of the much-appreciated vegetables, and by careful management and successive sowings once a month during early spring and summer supplies can be maintained all the year round. The turnip is not a difficult crop to grow, and not at all particular as to soil, though a light loam suits it best. Thin gravelly or sandy soils become too hot and dry ‘during the summer, and heavy clays become too wet and cold unless specially treated. In every case liberal applications of farmyard manure should be added when the digging or trenching takes place, a liberal application of lime when the soil is being broken up in preparation for sowing, and a liberal application- of phosphates can be sown along with the seed. When dealing with light gravelly soils it is an advantage to dig in a small quantity of clay from time to time, and when the soil is a heavy, cold, retentive clay, an extra deep ana wide drill can be drawn, this being filled with old potting soil or a similar mixture. A shallow drill drawn on top of this prepared soil is used for seed sowing. Though the swedes will keep until well on in the spring, fresh-grown roots are always appreciated, and where frames are available a few seeds can be sown on a mild hotbed. A small sowing of a quick maturing kind can be sown now on a warm,well-sheltered border, and later on sowings should be made about once a month. The early kinds are Snowball and Early White Milan, both of which mature quickly and have a fine flavour. For summer and autumn, the yellow-fleshed kinds such as Golden Ball and Orange Jelly are usually sown, and for winter and spring there is the very useful garden swede. The garden swedes are sown in December and January, Laing’s garden swede being a suitable variety. The main points in the cultivation of turnips are a rich soil, a certain amount of lime, quick growth, plenty of water during dry, hot weather, and regular sowings at intervals, s o that the roots are used before they are fully grown, when they are apt to become stringy and bitter. Birds are very fond of turnip seedlings, and as soon as the seedlings appear a few strands of black cotton should be fastened a few inches above the soil. Cultivation consists of thinning as soon a s the seedlings are large enough to handle, frequent scuffle noeing to keep down weeds, and watering when necessary. Carrot (Daucus carbtte), native of Europe; biennial.—The carrot can be grown in almost any kind of soil provided it is well drained and deeply cultivated, but is more satisfactory on a deep, Irnht, sandy loam. Carrots like a rich soil, particularly ground which ha s been liberally manured with farmyard manure the nreyear, and double dug in the autumn When manuring has to be done it should be mixed with the bottom spit when double digging. When preparin for sowing, the soil is forked over, all lumps broken, and the surface made smooth and even. Like turnips, carrots are better when grown quickly and used before they are fully developed, fresh sowings being made- at intervals to keep up supplies. Carrots can be forced quite easily, and a sowing made on light, sandy soil on top of a mild hotbed in a frame will provide the first supplies. A sowing can be made now, and others at intervals on to the autumn. * Early French horn—a stumprooted kind—is the best for early sowing, and this is followed by other intermediate and stump-rooted kinds. Seed is sown thinly in drills about half an inch deep and from 12 to 15 inches apart, and, as soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, they are thinned out to about an inch apart, which is all the thinning they require. As soon as the roots are ' large enough to be used they are drawn from time to time, until the plants are about 6in apart. Carrots keep quite well in the ground all winter, but it is often desirable to lift the roots and to store

them in pits or bins of sandy soil to keep them fresh. ' Wireworms are very liable to attack carrots on ground which has recently been brought under cultivation, and it is usual to have to dust the younp- crops frequently with soot or lime to destoy slugs, which are always most troublesome in wet weather.

Parsnip (Pastinacea sativa), native of Europe ; biennial.—The parsnip has Ion" white roots, which, when well grown* may be anything up to 3ft in length, tapering from one end to the other. Parsnips, like carrots, - like deeply-trenched SI, and, though it should be rich, it not have bee n manured with farmyard manure within a year. Fresh farmyard manure in the upper layers of the s oil causes the roots to fork and consequently n I( eC ° me useless. To get the best results prepare holes for each plant, making them 3ft deep with a crowbar and tap f, rin K 3l \ at tlle tO P t 0 an inch at the bottom. Fill the holes with nice light soil, sow a few seeds on the top of each and thin out to one. Unlike carrots and turnips, parsnips take a long time to umn’ a ' lC l tbey T sbou . ld not be used tn V lu^er ‘ ’ s no t necessary to make more than two sowings' these being made about die .nd R P ;n\ USUS - t an i d l ? e ? iddle of September. Being quite hardy the roots can be left in the ground until they begin to grow in the spring, but they can also be lifted aadPlUe<J a dr - v > easily accessible coiner.

Beet (Beta vulgaris), native of Europe, biennial Beet is m constant demand, and, like carrots and turnips, it should be available the whole year round. Beet likes a rich sandy loam, free from fresh farmyard manure, which would cause forking in the long-rooted kinds. Io get early supplies, a row or two ct the turnip-rooted or globe kinds are sovn early but the main crop is not sown jntil October, and later sowings of the turnip-rooted kinds can be made. boil should be prepared as reco...mended for carrots, and, as soon as the seedliims are large enough to handle, they are mined out to six or nine inches apart. Birds are fond of the seedlings, and they have to be protected, like turnips, with strands of cotton, and it is also necessary to dust them frequently with freshly slacked hm e durimz wet weather to ' eon the slugs away. _ Beet is perfectly hardy and can be left in the ground over winter and dug when required, but it can also be dug and pitted in clean sand or sandy soil, and when lifting, great care has to be taken not to damage the roots or bleeding and loss of colour will be the r «mlt. It is also undesirable to remove a ‘ l * eaves - Egyptian turnip-rooted and Dell s Crimson are two good varieties. Radish (Raphanus sativus), native of South Asia, annual.—Radishes are usually grown in small patches beside the path, the earliest supplies being grown in frames over a gentle hot bed. As they soon grow large and tough it is necessary to make frequent sowings—once a fortnight should be often enough. As thev mature they are removed so quickly that they are often sown as a catch crop among other crops which take longer to develop. They vary greatly both in shape and colour, but the round or turninrooted kinds ar e usually most appreciated. French Breakfast is a good useful variety.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. E.' G. (Sydenham).—Arum lilies like plenty of moisture, and do best when planted in very rich soil near a pond or stream. . They can be transplanted ny time during the present month. Chryanthemums can be divided up now and replanted in the open borders, but it is better to leave them until next month, when there is more heat and more growth. If you have a greenhouse or frame, cuttings can be put in now. Lavender can be grown from short cuttings, about two or three inches in length taken off ith a heel and put in boxes of sandy soil, which can be placed in a frame or a cool, sheltered place. Longer cuttings of ripened wood can also be put in a sandv border in the autumn along with the other hard wood cuttings. It i s too late to take cuttings now. Lavender can also be raised from seed quite easily 7. Palm ’ (Palmerston). —Your palm may have been growing in a warm greenhouse before you got it, and the sudden change to the winter temperature of an ordinary house would be too much for it. It is better to water pot plants overhead and to allow the excessive water to drain off before returning them to the house. One good watering a week should be sufficient for a plant when it is placed inside a moss-lined bowl.