THE GARDEN

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16892, 17 November 1922, Page 11

THE GARDEN

Help and Hint* for Amateur#

Seeds to sow Beans, "beet, cabbage, cress, endive, lettuce, melon, onion (for salad), peas, savoy, spinach, turnip, vegetable marrow What to plant- Broccoli. cabbage, capsicum, cauliflower, potatoes, winter greens. KITCHEN GARDEN. 1' inish planting potatoes ns soon as possible. Go over those that are just through the ground and if there are more than three shoots from t.he tuber remove the weakest. The greater the number oi shoots the larger tho-*pro portion of small potatoes. Sow a pinch of green curled savoy to provide a late crop. Large quantities of the savoys are wasted every autumn. «specially if the weather is <-n the damp side during the end of tlie summer, when the heads burst, and soon become useless for the kitchen. Another objection to the first crop ts that the heads arc generally over-big and require long boiling to make them soft. Plants raised now will produce small, compact heads, fit tor use early in the winter. Complete the thinning ol seedling crops while the ground h damp Those that are left suffer less if the surplus plants are removed when the ground is moist. Tomato plants mn\ be set in th*open, as there is little risk now from frost. Don’t crowd th«- plants. If thev are to ramble on the ground .set them three feet apart in rows four leel wide. The most profitable method is to grow tlie plants against stakes. FIX) WEH GAR DEN. There should he a record display in our garden.', this season. The frequent rains have given the plants such a good start that with ordinary attention thev should give excellent results. K<- p the soil constantly hoed bi two-i! tlie plants until their growth covers the ground Peg the shoots of rambling plants, such as verbena, phlox, ivy. geraniums, etc., to get an equal distribution ot shoots over the surface. This nor): is too often neglected. Some sav tlie shoots will cover the surface without being pegged down Probably they will, but on a windy day there is i great risk that, the greater part of the growths will be broken up. If the wind gets under one or two of the strong growths they will *oon break. Tlie pegs will prevent this. Several kinds of flower seeds ran ho sown in the open Vluring this month, often with better results than from raising them under glass. Antirrhinum—Select the shades most suitable for your use and sow the seeds sparingly. They will grow in any position. The seeds are very cheap and one should take great care to give each wee seed ample room. Balsam—This old-time favourite is rarely seen now, but a number of wellgrown plants are very beautiful. If one were asked why balsams have gone out of favour the answer would he faulty cultivation. The best way to grow balsam* is the natural way. Sow the

seed where they are to grow. If the seedling plants come up too close to cadi other, thin them out. They transplant easily if moved when quitfc small. Alake the soil fairly rich and water the plants, in dry weather. Hollyhocks may he sown where they arc to flower. These prefer an. open sunny position. Seeds sown now will produce plants that v wili flower next season. Portulaca —The seed of this plant is often sown too early in the spring One should wait until the bright days of November, when the weather is worm. Portulaca loves heat. No matter how tierce the sun may beat upon the plants, they open their beautiful blossoms. Therefore choose a warm, sunny position. Ltrompton Stock- Sow the seed on a prepared bed and transplant the seedlings into their flowering quarters when they develop the third leaf. Wallflowers—These fragrant spring flowers arc rarely well grown. They deserve better attention, especially during the earliest stages of growth. Sow at once, and prepare a bed to receive the young plants when they are big enough to prick off. Don't make the soil over rich. All that is required is a good friable loam, with a little old mortar rubbish, and ashes from a rubbish fire. Mix these with the soil by forking the surface over seve, ral times, and transplant- the seedlings as early as possible into rows one foot apart and put the plants eight inches apart in the rows. Remember that unless the young plants are given good treatment when they are young and conditions that will enable them to develop strong, sturdy plants during the spring and early summer, results cannot be secured. An open position and plenty of room, especially when the plants are young, are necessary conditions to obtain good results. Zinnias give best results if the seeds are sown where the plants are to flower. Put two or three seeds in little groups eighteen inches apart. If all the seeds sprout pull up all except the stroi**est. Don’t cover the seeds too deeply. Half an inch of fine soil is enough. •OR E-EXHOUSE. i The sun will soon give more heat, and 1 tender plants will need more shadv during the hottest part of the clay. .Shade is necessary to protect the tender young growths. Aloving blinds are the best but unfortunately most people have to be content with fixed shading cn the glass. There is a. big risk of putting this ou much too lavishly, causing too much shade, which may prove as disastrous as too little. All’fixed shading should he on the light or thin side Therefore put it on with care. Do a small section of the roof as a sample and carefully watch the result for a day or two. If too heavy make it thinner, or vice versa. Pay attention to climbing plants on the roof and regulate the shoots. I>o not let them get crowded or they will keep out too much light, and don’t tie the shoots too regularly as this, destroys most ol the decorative value. 4