The Garden.

Southern Cross, Volume 13, Issue 50, 10 March 1906, Page 2

The Garden.

NOTES,FOR MARCH

(By "Murihiku.”)

.VEGETABLE GARDENT. Work in the garden this month, though not of the most important character, should be carefully attended to if the grower desires a plentiful supply for the house during the winter and spring months. AH parts of the garden under crop, which will allow’ of doing so, should be gone over thoroughly- with a Dutch hoe, the w r eeds gathered up, and vacant spaces dug up and allow-ed to lie exposed to the weather during the wdnter, which will render the ground more fit to receive a crop in the spring. Clear off all pea and bean haulms when cropped, and store aw r ay r stakes for future use. Celery will require a good deal of attention just now, both as regards watering and earthing up. This latter operation should always be done on a fine day', care being taken to keep the soil from getting into the heart of the plant. Autumn-sown onions generally’ succeed well and keep better than" those . sown in the spring, on? account of having a much longer season to mature, and those who propose making a sowing should get them in without delay. On no account should the sowing be deferred later than the end of the month. Very fine varieties for the purpose are Brown Globe, Brown Spanish, and Giant Rocca, as these mature and ripen satisfactorily. The new Ailsa Craig, an onion of the Rocca type, has come greatly into favour of late, and is wdll worth a trial by r everyone, as it grows quickly', ripens well, is strong in flavour, and attains a large size. Small sowings of radish, lettuce, prickly spinach, mustard, and cress for winter use maystill be made, also main crops of cabbage and cauliflower for plantingout in spring may be sown at any - time during the month, though the sooner the better, so as to bo wellgrown before severe weather sets in. Tt is also a difficult matter to save these from frosts, etc. so that as warm and sheltered a spot as possible should he chosen for sowdng on. If there is likely to be a shortage of cabbage for late autumn use it will be well to plant a few London Market or Imperial cabbage. These will mature in about two months time, before the winter ones are ready-. Lift and store all potatoes as they’ ripen. If left long in the ground, the early sorts especially are liable to make second growths, which is injurious. Shallots, garlic, onions, etc. should be dried and stored away undci cover .

—o — FRUIT GARDEN, The ‘ground for new strawberry plants being in good order, planting mav be proceeded with, selecting strong well-rooted runners, and planting about 2ft Sin between the rows, and loin between the sets. The old beds should be gone over, the dead leaves removed, ground stirred up and covered with a top dressing of manure to protect during the wintci. Gather and store apples and pears as thev ripen, great care being taken to prevent bruising. The best method of keeping these fruits is,to store away thinly on shelves in a cool drv place. —o — FEQWER GAJRDEN. We have now arrived at a time when frosts sufficiently hard enough to destroy' the bulk of our tender. plants, left- unprotected, may be expected, and as the operation of covering them nightly would entail a good deal of work, few care to take the trouble necessary to save the beauty of the garden for a few weeks longer. If desirable, however, a double thickness of scrim or sackingsupported over the plants will be sufficient. A judicious selection of annuals and biennials put in now will provide a good supply of cut flowers during the next spring and early summer, Codetta, Candytuft, Mignonette, sweet pea, calliopsis, autirrhiniums, wallflower, campanulas, di. anthus. etc., may bo mentioned as specially suitable. Next month being the proper month for planting spring flowering bulbs the ground for these may be prepared, the best soil being of a sandy nature, and worked fairly deep. Existing beds should be gone over, and dead leaves and foliage removed. Chrysanthemums should be staked and kept neat and

trim, and those for indoor decorations removed under cover at once. To obtain blooms of large size, as seen on our show tables, they require to be attended from their first growth, but moderately good blooms may- even yet be had by disbudding to two or three buds on each shoot. This course is not recommended, however, unless large flowers only are desired.