GARDENING NOTES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 64, Issue 4544, 4 March 1942, Page 3

GARDENING NOTES

VEGETABLES The weather this • summer has been good for producing vegetables where the land was of a heavy nature, and very little assistance was needed in the way of watering. Where the land is of a dry nature watering and topdressing with decayed manure will be necessary to keep the crops in a healthy, thriving condition. Where it is necessary to water, great care should be taken not to overdo it. Keeping the soil too colfl and wet retards growth and kills the fertility cf the soil. To allow the hose to run in the same place for hours wastes water, and also washes the plant food beyond the reach of the roots. It is also a mistake to sprinkle only the surface with water, for this usually causes the surface soil to harden and exclude the air from reaching the roots. It also tends to attract the roots to the surface. Give enough water to sink in w’ell. down to the extremities of the roots, and the next day, when the soil is workable, give the surface a good hoeing. This will prevent rapid evaporation, and will also allow the soil to warm and aerate. In deeplycultivated soils, especially those of a clay sub-soil, watering is seldom needed. In such soils the frequent like of the hoe will give better results than the use of the watering can. Surface cultivation not only conserves moisture, but it also liberates plant food and assists bacterial action, without which healthy growth is not possible. Nothing is more injurious to vegetables and plants than a hardbaked surface soil. The special advantage of surface dressing with manure is that soluble, plant food is washed down to feed the roots and it also prevents to large extent the drying up of the soil. Hoeing and-cultivation are the most important soil operations and mulching comes next. Watering should be done only when absolutely necessary. Any vacant land from which crops have been cleared should again be deeply dug over, except that which is to be occupied by members of the cabbage family, which do much better when given a firm root run. When the soil has been deeply cultivated previously, all that is needed when planting is to hoe the surface, make holes with the dibber, and put the plants in. All vacant plots not required for crops at present should be dug over, and if deficient in humus they should be sown down with some green crop. This will restore any lack of humus. Continue to plant crops of winter and» spring supplies, such as savoys, broccoli, cabbages, kale, leeks, and celery. Sow silver beet, carrots, endive, perpetual spinach, and yellowfleshed turnips. Lift and dry shallots and garlic. Keep up a supply of all vegetables' used for salad purposes. Clear off peas, beans, and other crops as soon as they are past, and bury the stems and leaves, or put them on the compost heap. Dig or fork .over the ground they occupied and plant broccoli, savoys, cabbage, i and leeks, or sow stump-rooted carrots, round'beet, and while or golden ball turnips. Spray with soapy water or dust with derris powder carrots, celery, broad and runner beans, which are attacked by aphis. Give runner beans a good watering if growing against a wall or fence, where they get little rain, and if not setting their pods spray in the evenings with clean water. Tomatoes in the open should now have formed as many bunches of flowers as we can expect to develop fruit. Pinch the top of the stem and keep all side growths pinched out. Give a dressing of garden manure and water it in. Cut out the old raspberry canes as soon as the fruit is picked and spray the new ones with arsenate of lead. Prepare ground and plant strawberries. There arc indications of potato disease in some districts, and where it is bad the tops should be cut over and burned. The tubers can be left in the ground to harden the skins. THE WEEK’S JOB Hoe between your winter cabbage plants, and draw some soil up around them to the bottom pair of leaves. And watch your sprouts and savoys for caterpillars. Dust the plants with “derris” powder. If you like-turnip tops as a green vegetable—sow some seeds of Green Top Turnip now. Scatter the seeds thinly and rake over lightly. And don’t forget that digging. It is so important to push, ahead with it now that the plots are cleared. Good, i deep digging ,is the foundation of good gardening. Clear up all rubbish that will rot, such as the leaves from cabbages and the root crops and make a compost heap with them. We tell you how to do this below. If you already have a compost heap, now is the time to dig it into i the plot you have marked for peas | and beans. I Woody rubbish should be burnt, and the ashes kept dry until they are dug into the pea and bean trenches in the spring. Tins wood ash provides plantswith potash. , FLOWERS Continue to plant all classes of spring flowering bulbs. Bulbs do not improve out of the ground, and the , sooner they are get under way the

better. Plant out canterbury bells, sweet william, aquilegia, aubretia, and iceland poppies. Dahlias will require water if dry weather continues. Keep the plants well staked and remove all withered blooms. Sweet peas for early spring flowering should be sown in the first week in March. To obtain the best results the ground should be deeply dug at least a fortnight before. In sowing the seed, place some well-rotted manure well down in the bottom of the trench and work, some blood and bone meal through the soil when preparing it. Iris germanica may be planted now. Beware of using any animal manure. Spray roses to control mildew. Collodial sulphus is effective. Leaf rollers may be controlled by spraying arsenate of lead at the rate of loz. to four gallons of water. The time has arrived to make provision for next year’s supply of plants. Cuttings may be taken of geraniums, zonal, ivy leaf, and tricolour strike well now. The same applies to petunias, heliotropes, pentstemons, verbena and catmint. Pansies and violas strike better later on, when the weather is cooler. Sow hardy annuals in the open border, where they are to remain and bloom next season. Such plants include godetias, limmanthus, eschscholtzias, scabious, nemesia, antirrhinums, Iceland poppies, clarkia, and calendula. HEDGES All hedges except those grown for their berry or flower effect may be clipped back now. If done now they will make new growth and will lo'ok ’.veil throughout the FRUIT Spray to control the codlin moth grub. Cut out and burn ail useless growths on currants and gooseberries. Prepare ground for planting out strawberries. Keep weeds from getting a hold under fruit trees. Cut out and burn all raspberry canes which bore fruit. Spray the young canes with arsenate of lead to control the grubs which damage the canes. THE COMPOST HEAP Use your garden rubbish like this: Make a compost heap. In a space about six feet square put all stuff that will rot, such as leaves, spring thinnings from the vegetable plots, lawn mowings, etc. If you can get any stable manure or horse droppings spread that with the rubbish. Tread from time to time. On every six inch layer sprinkle sulphate of ammonia and superphosphate, half an ounce of each to the square yard, together with any ashes from a wood fire you can get, not coal ashes. Sprinkle with four gallons of water. If basic slag is obtainable it may be used in place of superphosphate. Throw soil about an inch thick over the whole.