THE AMATEUR GARDENER

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1790, 8 November 1919, Page 3

THE AMATEUR GARDENER

GARDEN CALENDAR. ' NOVEMBER. Average rainfall, 1.91 In. Under Glmi. Thin grapes, and " eep the laterals •topped. Sow primula, cineraria, and calceolaria seed. Stop and train cucumbers and melons as necessary. Pot on young plants. With the Increasing sun power shading may be necessary on greenhouses. Watering and ventilation must be carefully Attended to. Outside. All bedding plants may now- be planted out. Train and tie climbing plants. Prune out any excess of shoots on fruit trees, and thin out heavy crops. Sow wallflower, ln ; termediate and Lothian stocks, Canterbury bells, and other biennials for planting out in the autumn.. Plant out tomatoes, vegetable marrows, pumpkins, and hardy cucumbers. Sow lettuce, radish, spinach, peas, and beans. Sow broccoli seed early in the month. VEGETABLE GARDEN.

By the time these notes are in print I hope the weather will have settled down to a more genial phase, so that the work of planting out tender plants may be gone on with. Although it is not wise to be in a hurry to sow or plant out such tender subjects as French beans or tomatoes, still, it should not be delayed too long. To get the best returns they require to be well established before the weather sets in dry, which it is very liable to do after November is past. When preparing the ground for tomatoes, it is unwise to add fresh manure. Ground that has been manured for the previous crop should be in excellent condition for tomatoes. A firm soil is to be desired, as looseness encourages soft growth, which will make the plants a prey to any disease that may happen along. As to the mode of growing, there is no better way than training each plant to a separate stake, confining it to one growth only, and the plant should not be stopped until it has formed from four to five trusses of flowers. The plants should be thoroughly hardened off by complete exposure before planting out The distance should be not less than 3ft between the rows and 2ft between the plants in the row. The hole for planting should be sufficiently . large to spread the roots out, and the plant should be put at that depth that the lower leaves are level with the soil. Before putting the plant out, it is a good plan, as the tomato requires an abundant supply of potash, to work into the soil a small pinch of sulEhate of potash—not more than can e taken up between the thumb and finger, and the same amount of superphosphate. Mix them thoroughly with the soil. This will encourage fine healthy growth from the start. Failing sulphate of potash, wood ashes that have Deen kept dry will do equally well, as they are rich in carbonate of potash, but this can be used a little more freely than the stronger sulphate. If the plants are to be allowed to spread out on the ground, the points of the plant should be pinched out at the third joint, so as to encourage the early formation of three shoots, which should be trained out equally round the plant. But, unless a large quantity of plants are to be grown, it is a very wasteful method, as they require more attention to keep the lateral growth in check, and there is always a loss through fruits being damaged by the caterpillar. The quality and flavour are never as good as from the upright-trained plants. Under this system the plants should noi be closer together than three feet ».

[By "AOTEA."]

Main crop potatoes should now be planted. Where ground is limited the rows may be 24 inches apart and the tubers in the row 12 inches apart, but the most satisfactory distance is 27 inches and from 12 to lo inches for the tubers in the row. The more plants there are in a given space, as a rule, the heavier the crop will be, but the closer the plants are the smaller the average size, and the larger the quantity of chats. The potato, like its relative the tomato, has a need for potash and a little wood ashes dusted along the drill when planting will be found beneficial. Broccoli seed should be sown now, as previously advised. Seed of varieties that come in at the different seasons should be sown at the same time as they will form a natural succession; perhaps of all the sections the late varieties are the most valuable, as they come in during spring and early summer, when vegetables are scarce. Certainly they occupy the ground for a considerable time, but they give a valuable return. The continual showers we have been experiencing lately have made itrather awkward for thinning out the seedling vegetables. On light soils where the rain drains away quickly it is not of so much moment, as delay is not for long, but where the soil is stickv it tramples the soil overmuch. This should be remedied by going along the rows and lightening it up again with the fork which is a much better tool for this purpose than the hoe. In thinning onions the amount of thinning will be according to whether large onions are wanted or those of medium size only. In the former case the plants should be thinned to at least six inches apart, but three inches is quite enough for ordinary use. Seeds of pumpkins, marrows and hardy cucumbers may be sown now on rich. well-worked ground, putting about six seeds in a clump and thinning out to three plants, choosing those that are farthest apart. The clumps should not be closer than five feet for marrows and pumpkins or six feet for ridge cucumbers. Plants raised under glass should not be put out until the end of the month unless some efficient protection can be given on cold night's. Flower Garden. Perhaps the brightest of our garden flowers at the "present time is the ranunculus, and it is rather a wonder that they are not more seen in our gardens. They may not be as stately and gorgeous as the tulip, but then the tulip is not a particularly satisfactory garden plant in this climate, and although at times when in a suitable soil and with propitious weather it may do magnificently, yet, on the whole, it is not to be depended upon. The ranunculus may—like the anemone—be-treated as a biennial, sowing the seed in beds of light sandy soil as soon as it is ripe. Select the seed-bearing plants when in flower so that a good selection of colours with double flowers may be assured. The plants will not come true from seed, but a very large proportion may be relied upon to be very similar, and selection is necessary to keep up the quality of the strain. After sowing the seed, which should be only lightly covered with soil, the bed should be shaded, either with scrim or some twiggy branches, as it is necessary that the bed should be in a sunny position and the' shading will help to keep the ground cool. Herbaceous plants are now growing freely and those kinds that grow tall should have stakes put to them early to maintain them in an upright position from the first.