THE HOME GARDEN

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4232, 17 January 1940, Page 10

THE HOME GARDEN

VEGETABLES. There is nothing like dry weather to find out the weak spots in garden cultivation. Where the soil has been deeply dug and the surface well worked with the hoe, vegetable crops have done well this season. On the other hand, where the soil has not received a thorough working, many of the crops are indifferent. Deep digging and soil aeration are essential for the production of quality vegetables. As soon as a few warm days are experienced many gardeners, seeing the surface dry, come to the conclusion that the crops require water, and usually make the mistake of giving them too much. Copious watering is necessary where the soil is of a dry nature, but where the soil is of a heavy nature more good can be done with the hoe than the hose at present. Too much water has a tendency to make the soil too cold and therefore to retard growth. There have been several good rains lately and the average soil is still moist below. Conserve this moisture by keeping the surface well stirred and the crops will respond. Where the land is liable to dry out quickly it is a good plan to surface the forward crops with well spent manure or stack bottom. This will prevent evaporation and will feed and keep the roots cool. If manure is not available the roots may be protected and the moisture in the soil conserved by what is known as a dust mulch. This is done by applying the hoe until the top three inches of the soil is reduced to a fine tilth. By this means.the soil is thoroughly aerated, moisture is conserved and weeds are kept down. This form of mulch may be applied to almost any kind of crop, and can be renewed after each shower without much trouble.

The main winter crops to consider at present are leeks and celery. Both these demand good, fertile soil before they can give their best. Planting these in poverty stricken soil is practically a waste of time. Leeks may be planted in trenches, as is done with celery, or they may be planted in deep holes a foot apart. Make the holes with a blunt dibber about six inches deep and place one leek in each hole. Covering the roots is not necessary. After the plants are in the holes give them water, which will settle enough soil about the roots to start them off. In time the holes will gradually fill up. As growth proceeds a little moulding up can be done to cause the leeks to become blanched.

Make sowing of all vegetables used for salad purposes. Sow peas, French, butter and runner beans. Make a sowing of parsley. Choose an open position. Sow maize, white and yellow

fleshed turnips, also stump rooted carrots and beet. Prepare ground to receive winter crops. The more cultivation this receives now the more fertile the soil will be. Crops will not respond if the initial cultivation is indifferent. Plant winter cabbage, savoys, broccoli and kale. Plant cucumbers, marrows and pumpkins. Sow early peas and stake those coming through the soil. Give asparagus beds liquid manure and plenty of water during dry periods. Top dress rhubarb with well decayed manure and give plenty of water. Sow New Zealand spinach. This will grow where other kinds fail. Swede turnips are sown now for winter use. FRUIT. , Spray for the control of codlin moth, grub. There is, always a second brood of these pests hatched each season, and unless a constant check is kept on the pests much fruit will be damaged. Use one ounce of arsenate of lead to four gallons of water as a control. Spray fruit trees subject to brown rot, leaf curl and mildew with lime sulphur at the rate of one part of lime sulphur to 170 parts of water. Black currants may be pruned as soon as the fruit is gathered. Remove some of the old wood which bore the fruit this year. This will encourage the plants to develop new growths freely, on which will be borne next season’s crop. Walnut trees bearing heavy crops should be kept well watered during the periods of drought. Blood and bone meal hoed in round fruiting trees will improve the quality of fruit this season. It will also assist in building up fruit spurs on which next season’s crop will be borne. DRESSING LAWNS. To encourage a growth of grass that will withstand the heat of summer a good dressing must be applied. This should be given in early summer but it is not too late to apply it now. An excellent compost for most lawns is as follows: Loamy soil mixed with well rotted manure, potash and superphosphate and a small quantity of sand, the proportions being two barrows of loam, one of manure, one pound of potash, one and a half pounds of superphosphate and half a barrow of sand for a fair sized lawn. These ingredients should be thoroughly mixed and passed through a sieve. Where the grass has turned brown it should be well raked, swept with a hard broom and then dressed with the above compost well rubbed into the roots with the back of a rake. The roots will soon thrive in the new soil, and with watering will soon regain health and vigour. After dressing the lawn water only with - the sprinkler, and the dressing will then be undisturbed. SHRUBS. At present members of the escallonia family are making a conspicuous display. These evergreens are all natives of South America. The white flowered kinds are represented by E. florabunda, E. montevidensis and E. peterocladon. The bright, flowered kinds are E. macrantha, E. rubra, E. i rosa and E. langleyensis. The last mentioned is in every way a useful and free flowering shrub. It is quite distinct, having slender branches, which bear the racemes of charmingly bright, rosy carmine flowers. No other escallonia is so liberal with its flower display, qf can be put to so

many uses. As an isolated shrub it is distinctive. It is also available for covering arches or for forming a tall growing hedge. It is h<udy and stands exposure well. It never fails to flower abundantly each year. ZINNIAS. PERHAPS THE BEST OF SUMMER PLANTS. We are now approaching the most trying time of the year in the garden, when plants are usually subjected to great heat and sometimes long periods of dry weather. At this time only hai;dy, sun. loving plants can be grown successfully, but there are many that seem to revel in summer conditions. Zinnias are perhaps the most satisfactory kof all summer flowering plants. The present day zinnia is a thing of beauty; no longer do we see the small, drab coloured flower of some years ago. To-day the flowers are in every shade of yellow and red, the orange, bronze and such like colours being particularly beautiful. The form is varied and flowers are obtainable varying in size from the tiny lilliput variety to the giant dahlia flowered type of several inches across. There are also several fancy types that are very attractive. The zinnia is a very accommodating plant, for it will grow successfully in most soils, but under good conditions will repay with an abundance of bloom.

Asters are almost as popular as zinnias, and although they do not make the brilliant splashes of colour in the garden they make a bright display and provide quantities of flowers for cutting. An important item in the cultivation of asters must not be overlooked, and that is thorough preparation of the bed before planting. Where the ground has been thoroughly and deeply cultivated the asters will stand hot conditions, and even dry spells will not affect them as much as plants growing in shallow ground, for their roots are able to go down deeply. Where the plants are growing in shallow ground frequent watering is necessary otherwise the sun will dry out the roots, which are unable to go deeply into the soil. African marigolds and the French type are sun loving plants, and grow well through the summer. Where a border plant is desired for a sunny position there is nothing to equal portulaca, the flowers of which are brilliant in the sun.

Amaranthus, celosia, cockscomb, balsam and verbena are a few plants that grow well during the heat of the summer.

Michaelmas daisies., to be grown successfully, must have the flower shoots thinned out, as the plants generally produce more spikes than can possibly mature. By thinning out much better flowers are obtained. When breaking and replanting the clumps it is advisable to replant only the outside portions of the clump as they grow better than the centre pieces and their flowers will be better. Lettuce will grow well in summer if they are not transplanted. They should be sown in drills and the seedlings thinned out to the required distance apart. They will not. make good heads if crowded. A certain amount of shade and plenty of water are necessary.

To protect the roots of vegetables from the heat, of the sun, spread around a mulch of old manure, grass, leaves or some such material. Tie all dahlias to stakes as the growth lengthens. If low, bushy plants are required cut out the tops of the main steps to force side growths.