WORK IN THE GARDEN

Southland Times, Issue 23969, 8 November 1939, Page 12

WORK IN THE GARDEN

By

BRENDAN P. MANSFIELD,

F. Inst. P.A.

THE COOL GLASSHOUSE

Chrysanthemums must be afforded a good stake and plenty of room. If crowded together they become drawn and weakly and will not produce firstclass blooms, while the plants may also become a prey to mildew and the dreaded rust. Pay careful attention to watering and spraying of chrysanthemums and if repotting becomes necessary, but cannot be attended to at once, applications of weak liquid manure will assist them for a time. Where roller blinds are not available, glass should be shaded with limewash. This will save a considerable amount of watering and prevent the foliage from being scorched by strong sunshine. The earliest batches of Gloxinias and tuberous Begonias are now growing freely and will be starting to bloom soon. When the pots are full of roots they should be given a little help with liquid manure, soot water and a weekly dressing of some good plant food. Schizanthus, if they have been grown quite cool throughout, are now starting to bloom and will soon provide a welcome addition to the display in the conservatory. Pots being full of vigorous roots, they will need plenty of water, together with liquid manure and plant food.

THE FLOWER GARDEN

From now on planting out of seedlings for summer display will be general, so that if all vacant beds or borders are dug and forked over in advance, it will greatly assist. If the soil in which seasonal bedding plants are placed is rich, manuring of the ground will not be necessary, as its addition causes rank growth; exceptions to this are beds or borders to be planted with dahlias or chrysanthemums.

In borders where growth of perennials is well forward staking and tying should receive immediate attention before the plants are damaged by strong winds or heavy rain. When this work is delayed plants are difficult to support and seldom regain their natural appearance. Partial thinning out of growths from perennials will produce finer heads of flowers and this should be done before growth becomes further advanced.

Seeds of wallflowers and myosotis may be sown in shallow drills, transplanting the seedlings into nursery rows one foot apart, as they become large enough to handle; cutting the tap-roots of wallflower plants before transplanting produces plants of bushy habit. As they are taken from the flower beds, polyanthus and coloured primroses may be divided and planted in nursery beds in a cool part of the garden where, if they are given regular attention in hoeing and an occasional watering when necessary, they will make good plants for filling the beds again in autumn.

Seed of polyanthus gathered when ripe, and sown within a week or two on a prepared bed in a shady position, will germinate quickly and much more abundantly than spring-sown seed.

Tulips and narcissi lifted from beds may be laid in trenches in an unused portion of the garden or packed closely into boxes and watered occasionally to enable them to finish their growth, after which they may be lifted or shaken out of the soil on a fine day and well ripened before storing. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN Many of the annual herbs may now be sown. Summer Savory, Tansy, Basil, Borage, Chervil and Fennel are a few that should be in constant demand throughout the summer. Grow plenty of parsley and clear away the plants directly they start running to seed, as the quality then becomes very poor. Now that cutting the asparagus is in full swing, a little feeding will assist the growths.. Keep all weeds in check and remove all thin growths. A dressing of salt will also, be beneficial for this crop. Thin young growths of sea kale to the strongest. Keep the soil well hoed between the rows and give a good dressing of salt. Marrows are best planted out of pots.' Thoroughly soak the ball of roots before planting and afford protection at night for the first week or 10 days, untill the plants recover and growth begins. Celery arid leeks for early use or exhibition purposes may be planted in well-manured trenches. Liberal waterings should be. given to these crops during the dry spells. Parsnips, early turnips and carrots should be thinned before over-crowd-ing takes places. The two latter may be lightly thinned as they will be used when young and tender. Sowings may be made of Golden Ball or Early Milan Turnips. Seeds of Kohl Rabi may be sown in shallow drills one foot apart and the seedlings eventually thinned- to a similiar distance.

Hoe regularly between the rows of onions and if they are too close thin the seedlings a little. Do not attempt to feed those transplanted to produce large bulbs until the weather is really warm. Sow batches of a quick maturing onion at fortnightly intervals for salad purposes. Continue to sow batches of lettuce wherever there is room and leave the plants to mature where sown. This method gives much quicker and better results than transplanting the seedlings; the crop may be quite a fortnight to three weeks earlier in reaching maturity. Ply the hoe regularly and frequently between the rows of all growing crops and remove by hand all weeds between the plant. Begin thinning of seedlings when they are large enough to handle, thinning the plants to their final distance by degrees. A close watch should be kept on the earliest potatoes and as the growths appear and develop above the surface

a little soil should be drawn about them for protection in case of late frost and a little light material, such as long straw, should be available to protect the more advanced plants when frost threatens. Most amateurs permit their peas to grow much too thickly. They do much better if thinned to two inches apart i which provides space for each plant to develop. Sow peas again for succession, allowing as much room between the rows as possible. It is by far the. better plan to distribute the various sowings of peas over the entire garden rather than to set aside one plot for all the successful sowings for, should the weather prove dry and mildew set in, it may infect the whole crop if grown in close proximity.

THE FRUIT GARDEN

As the bunches approach the thinning out stage on vines each rod should be looked over carefully and the bunches reduced to a reasonable number a rod. Well-finished bunches are seldom seen where the vines are cropped too heavily. Large bunches of grapes should be tied out allowing all the berries to swell evenly and a free circulation of air to pass among them. All small berries should be removed as the larger ones always make the best berries in the end. Tomatoes in bearing will require vigorous feeding. Keep all side shoots removed and the leaders tied in, but not too lightly. Strawberries carrying heavy crops on young plantings will appreciate a few good soakings of water and an application of weka liquid manure will improve the crop immensely, though this should be discontinued once the fruits begin to colour. Mice are sometimes troublesome among strawberries, therefore every endeavour should be made'' to exterminate them before the fruit ripens.. The safest way to accomplish this is to use traps of the' break-back type. Poisons in any form are not recommended.

NO MORE SLUGS

We are indebted to a correspondent for the following information:—“Just a note to let' you know that I am using Meta tablets and they are a wonderful remedy for slugs. Five nights ago I put down the tablets and bran; it killed them in dozens and now after all this rain it is still good. If you like to make use of this information for the benefit of others who are nearly frantic with slugs like we were, I use three Meta tablets, friur cups bran made into a paste with water. The tablets must be crushed. My neighbours are all using Meta too and cannot say too much in its favour.” This remedy was introduced to Southland gardeners through the gardening columns of the Southland Times and we believe it to be infallible. Reports from other readers would be appreciated.

DAHLIAS

The rival queen of autumn to the chrysanthemum is the dahlia, but, possibly “king of autumn” would have been a better title to bestow upon these gaudy and flamboyant flowers—certain it is that dahlias are quite, competent to make an autumn garden brilliant and gay without recourse to other kinds of plants at all, and they may be had in flower from late November until winter twines its icy fingers around the plants and puts an end to their glory for that particular year. The plants that are put in during this month will produce their flowers in the cool period, thus the colours are more, intense and the flowers last longer than when they are produced under the warmer conditions of summer. There are various forms, all of which have their particular admirers, the chief successes being cactus, decorative, collarette, paeony, pompons, charm, and star. Charm dahlias have taken the public by storm because of their free flowering habits, wonderful colouring and daintiness. They are the cut flower par excellence.

HASTINGS ASPARAGUS

The remarkable growth which the asparagus canning industry has made in the last two years is, according to reports, likely to even be exceeded this year, for the first cuts which are now being made are showing not only a great quality, but also a prolific yield. From an area in Hastings up to half a ton a day is being cut for canning purposes, and it is quite on the cards that this rate will be maintained for some considerable time. If, as is indicated, the finished product turns out equal to that of last year, it is evident that the Hawke’s Bay district will holds its reputation as the finest asparagus producing country in the world.

THINNING THE SEEDLINGS

Thinning the crop is a formidable undertaking with growers who have a large area under horticultural crops. Where plants are crowded in the rows it is impossible to obtain a good crop unless the plants are thinned out. Thinning, under the best of conditions, is a tedious undertaking. This labour may be almost entirely avoided by carefully spacing the seeds to the desired distance between plants. They may be sown sufficiently thin in the rows to produce a crop which will require little or no thinning out afterwards. If the seed should have a low germination percentage it will be necessary to sow the seed thicker than would be necessary if it had a high germination. Weeding and thinning seedling crops should now be given prompt attention as required. Weeds should be destroyed during fine weather while still small and before they produce rough leaves. Thinning should be done shortly after rain, when the young plnats draw easily-