AMATEUR GARDENING

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1935, Page 10

AMATEUR GARDENING

POOR SEASON AT STRATFORD. WEATHER SERIES OF SET BACKS. The lot of the amateur gardener at Stratford is not a happy one. At any time he has greater national obstacles to overcome than the average of his brethren in more equable dunes but this season spring started and then stopped, lured flower and vegetable plants on and then set them back with a combination of heavy rain, strong wind, hall and sharp frost" so that there is not a gardener who is not bemoaning the fate of some choice rearings blighted at the most tender stage.

For several years tire growing season, or rather what should be the growing season, has been fickle. No matter how carefully the gardener has planned his plantings he has seen at least some of them run into trouble. Last year, for instance, everything got away to a good start. Growth was profuse and all seemed well till during November and December one fine day followed another with monotonous peisistence _ as far as gardeners were concerned—and soil became so parched that hoses were called on. Then the borough council ruled that hoses could' be used only when they were held because the level was low in the river from which the borough draws its supply. Thus the end of the year was the end of the season to all intents and purposes and it was not till early in the autumn that even pastures showed signs of active life again. This season spring opened witii promising weather. Temperatures increased and many, tempted to believe that the chance of frosts hard enou: . to do harm was remote, planted early. All was well Everything came up and was doing we ** when days of rain swamped the ground and checked growth. At the end of a week of that came a fine day and plants grew almost visibly and all was well again—till that night wnen a frost swooped down on all the succulent growth scattered about Stratford and set back for weeks everything susceptible to its effect. All might yet have been well had there been a week's fine weather but for three weeks there have been no more than three completely fine days and all is far from well in gardens at Stratford. A reporter who sought the ear of a nurseryman found the professional man quite indifferent oi. the matter. Yes, he said, it had not been good growing weather. The ground was sodden and there would not be muJ. O rowth in gardens till there came a spell of dry weather. Slugs- were numerous, too, and were doing harm. But he did not appear very concerned about it and a glance at the healthy rows of plants and seedlings all over the nursery seemed to justify his casual indifference. “Anyhow, it is good weather for grass; farmers’ pastures are doing .well,” the nurseryman remarked as his interviewer departed. .