Gardening Notes

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 73, Issue 6284, 18 September 1946, Page 8

Gardening Notes

WORK FOR WIE WEEK

Vegetables Longer days and warmer weather make progress possible in sowing and planting, for soil conditions are just light. Early potatoes and dwarf peas should be got in if use of the crop is wanted for Christmas. Three months is not too long for the maturing of these early-sown vegetables. Where the first sowing of early peas is through the ground, make a second sowing for succession, using Greenfeast or Southern Cross. Ground intended for main crop potatoes of Sutton’s Supreme, King Edward, Chippewa, or Inverness Favourite, should have dug in a good covering of compost or sheep manure. If artificial manure is used, see that it is drilled in two or three inches below the seeds. Most root vegetable seeds can now be freely sown, including globe beet, Spanish onion, parsnip, early horn, Chantenay or Intermediate carrots, turnip, radish, and kohn rabi. If protection from frost is available, sow cucumber, celery, celeriac, vegetable marrow, pumpkin, tomato, and red peppers. Sow early cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, and all salad plants. • Plant herbs—sage, thyme, mint, rosemary, chives, • also rhubarb and asparagus.

Artichokes may be planted. Choose medium-sized tubers of round shape. Tomatoes can be planted under glass, but outdoor planting should be deferred until next month. Rhubarb is making growth, and can be helped by a handful of blood and bone manure scattered over each crown. Peas should be staked when a few inches high. Even dwarf varieties will give an increased crop if given supports. Where wooden sticks are not available, binder twine is easily fixed on stakes along the row. Onions are a profitable crop to grow. Thinnings from autumn-sown seed will grow into good bulbs planted three inches apart. A super bonedust manure should be added. Lettuce is an indispensable summer vegetable. It must be grown quickly, meaning good manured soil and adequate water in hot weather. Stimulating manures such as fish or nitrate of soda can be given when young plants are half grown. Areas intended for tomatoes, marrows, cucumber, pumpkins, and sweet corn can be got ready by digging in any manures available, even garden rubbish and lime. The Fruit Garden Apple tree spraying should not be delayed as growth will soon make it inadvisable to use red oil at full strength of one in 10. With peach and nectarine trees in blossom, defer spraying these with lime sulphur until the petals have fallen.

Any pruning still to be done should be hastened. It is important to paint cut ends with tar or thick oil or fat. Grafting can be done. A sharp knife is necessary to ensure clean cuts, and edges . of scion and stock should meet. In the absence of grafting wax, after binding with raffia, a mixture of clay and chopped straw will suffice. See that newly-planted fruit trees are well pruned back and firmly tramped. It is a mistake to plant without having them cut back on the right lines. The Flower Garden Plant gladioluf. They are easily grown and repay some attention to soil and position. Plant at six inches apart and as deep. There is one serious disability, rusty patches showing on the corms which will cause death, but corms showing these patches in any degree should not be planted. The careful grower soaks his corms before planting, using formalin or Bordeaux. Sweet peas can be sown. Seeds can be soaked in water for 24 hours to soften outer skin. Hardy flower seeds can be sown. Most are best sown where intended to flower. Some that are popular include godetia, linaria, viscaria, mignonette, asters, stocks, larkspur, calendula, shirley poppy, candytuft, sweet sultan. Perennial plants include carnations, engelman pansies, iceland poppy, gaillardia, hollyhock, polyanthus, petunia and dianthus.

B.edding plants can be put out. Early sorts include antirrhinum, wallflower, myosotis, Livingstone daisy, pink petunias, and calendula. Ornamental and flowering shrubs can be planted. Effective late planting sorts include azaleas, camellias, ericas, coloured brooms, hydrangeas, and many of the berry-bearing shrubs. Apart from mass planting of bedding plants, gaps in the borders should be filled with effective perennials, of which phlox rudbeckia,helenium, doronicum. r Michaelmas daisy, and delphiniums are typical favourites. , New lawns can be sown down, but spend plenty of time in preparation to ensure a true surface and a wellworked seed bed. Red leading the seeds will ensure protection from birds. First moisten the seed in. a basin with kerosene, then apply the red lead and thoroughly mix with a stick. It will adhere to the kerosene on the seed case. When sowing lawn seed it is wise to divide into two .parts. Sow one half over the whole area. Then go back sowing the other half. Bare places will be evident and can be reinforced. Weeds on established lawns can be removed by squirting on petrol through an oilcan. Sulphate of ammonia •on broad-leaved plants or patches of daisy is also very effective. After a few days the patch can be forked over and a pinch of seed sown to fill the gap.