THE GARDEN

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16927, 29 December 1922, Page 11

THE GARDEN

Help and Hint* for Amateur*

KITCHEN GARDEN. Seeds to Sow’ —Beaus, cabbage, cauliflower, endive. lettuce, onion (for salad), paisley, peas, spinach, radish, turnip. AATiat to Plant.—Broccoli, cabbage, celery, lettuce, savoys, tomatoes, winter greens. January is a very anxious month for gardeners. Everything depends on the weather, which may be very changeable, either heavy rain and much heat, or the heat without the rain. Jt is a trying time for vegetables, and to keep the crops growing well constant attention is necessary. V* n teeing is perhaps the most important item of work. Slight showers are prevalent, but these do not penetrate the ground. They damp the foliage, but the roots am thirsting for moisture. This is the time to bring the hose into action and to give the ground a good soaking. Do not simply spray the leaves, but remove the nozzle and let the water run steadily for some time in one place. When it rushes from the hose it cannot soak into the soil ; it must run away to the lowest point, and. the plants derive but little benefit although a lot of water is used. Peas, beaus and cauliflowers are often spoilt from ant of water at their roots. The peas get hard long before, they roach a fair size; beaus become tough and stringy instead of being tender and fleshy'; and cauliflowers are no larger than a tennis ball because the check brought on premature flowering. From hese three examples we can estimate some of the loss in garden crops from want of moisture at the root, hut perhaps the most serious aspect is the reduced quality of the crop. Stringy beans and hard peas are very indigestnhle. thus we lose in both quantity and quality from vegetables wanting moisture at their roods during very hot weather. Celery should be planted as required. Avoid plants that ho.ve become starved ; these would grow but cannot make good firm heads. Fresh young plants would give much better results. Garlic and shallots should be 1 taken up on n dry day. Peas sow for final crop. Choose ,a good second early variety for this final sowing. Dwarf and runner beans.—Make a sowing early in tHh month to provide tender beans after the first lot is over. This sowing is liable to suffer from early frosts, but if these are not severe a good return will be obtained. Parsley.—Make a small sowing to keep up a supplv of fresh, well curled leaves. Potatoes. Late varieties should be moulded: early sorts lifted. Do not wait for the haulm to die down. As soon as the tubers are fit take them up. They need handling with care because their skins are tender. A few

hours in the sun will help to harden them. FLOWER GARDEN. The mixed border will need a lot of attention during January, and no pains should be spared to give the different plants the attention needed. Promptly remove all dead flowers and steins that are past the stage of decoration. Attend to the support of growing plants —strong winds are very trying to all tall growing subjects-and if these are broken down now. they are spoilt for the season. In ticing the shoots do not make them look like sheaves of • corn, but keep them in as natural conj dition as possible. Put a few strong ; stakes around the plants, and one or j two in the centre. Secure a strong : shoot to each, and then put strong I string (loosely) all round the outside ; stakes. These will keep all the shoots j safe against strong winds, but they will look natural swaying about with the wind. Attend to watering on th/> same lines as suggested for vegetable's. Tall J strong growing clumps of delphiniums, j phlox. dahlias. etc., need a lot of ’ moisture at their roots, but spraying overhead does them but little good, i Let- the water run steadily at the- roots i for a time according to the size of the clump. This will soak the ground below the root*, supplying them with moisture for two or three weeks, according to the character of the soil. The hose can be used while working among the plants and shitted from one to another with ea«o. Tf this system of watering is practised for one season its value will be fully demonstiated. Keep the surface soil between the plants constantly stirred with the Dutch hoe. The water will make the soil firm, and unless this is made loose it will crack and a lob of the moisture escape. A loose surface acts as a mulch, conserving the moisture below’. Old plants of sweet williams and similar plants thab are past should he taken up and thrown a wav. and their pfaces filled wtih early flowering chrysanthe. mum.s. Seedling plants need careful handling at- all times, but especially in or transplanted. Much harm is sometimes caused hv too much water. Tho wee plants with very little root do not, need over much. Tt rices move harm than good. The soil should he just moist, and after the seedlings are trans- ! planted and gently damned overhead they should be shaded during the day to screen them from the sun and drying winds, hut remove the cover at- night, and gently damp them overhead. A fine spray syringe is better for this purpose than a watering can. The fine spray will cover the small plants with moisture, hut it will not wash the surface soil into a skir.. a result which often is obtained from using a watering