GARDENING NOTES

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 46, Issue 14103, 22 April 1920, Page 3

GARDENING NOTES

Sweet Peas. Sweet peas, summer ami winter flowering, can be sown at any time now. The requirements are a deeply-worked soil, trenched it' possible, but if not, give the deepest soil you have. The position should be open and in full sun. So far as the soil is concerned, they like a good rich soil in humus, which is the term applied to any form of rotting manure or vegetable matter mixed in the soil. The quantity added, of course, depends upon what can be obtained,' but most gardens have occumu lotions of weed, dead leaves, and other rubbish, and if a trench JSin deep is dug out, and a good layer of this is put in and then covered with soil, good blooms can be obtained. Add a good sprinkling of bonedust at the time of digging. Whatever is done, it is essential”to keep the plants far away from the roots of other trees or shrubs. They are gross feeds, and require all the food they can get, and to plant where other roots can rob them is to court failure. d * -K- * w To Ripen Tomatoes. As soon as tomatoes begin to turn colour they may be gathered and finished indoors. *The ripening process is most satisfactorily concluded by placing the fruits in single layers in shallow boxes with lids, or drawers, kept closed, in a warm room. Treated thus, the tomatoes will ripen in a few days, and the fruits will be of better flavour and texture and more juicy than those which have been left fully exposed to the air and sun of a greenhouse shelf or window. Another way to ripen tomatoes is to get a wooden box of ihe size required, and spread a layer of dry bran on the bottom: then put the unripened tomatoes on it, cover with another layer of bran, and continue the same process until they reach the top. Close the lid tightly„ and stand the box on a shelf in a dry shed, or somewhere dry, and they will soon ripen. ‘ * ' * „ * * Cut Blooms. Dahlias are not the best flowers to keep in good condition when cut unless the following precautions are taken. When you cut them, burn the ends of the stems as soon as possible by placing them in the flame of a candle. The flowers must be as young and as fresh as possible, and the burning done immediately after cutting. * * * * Ixias. For planting in dry borders these lovely Cape flowers are most serviceable. The bulbs are easy to grow, and the flowers are borne on long strong stems, are varied in colour, and are extremely useful for cut-flower purposes. They should have a warm, sunny position, and prefer a light, sandy loam. * * * • Keep Down Weeds. Some weeds such as sorrel, which require an acid condition of the ground to flourish strongly, can be controlled by eliminating the acid condition by the application of. iime. The best cure of annual weeds is the prevention of seeding; with weeds of perennial duration forking out the roots and continual hoeing is the only practice that will eventually destroy them. By continual hoeing it is not intended that they shall bo allowed to make growth and then to cut the tops off; in some cases this only serves to strengthen and spread the plant. Continual hoeing should never let the leaves or stems show above the ground. It is doubtful if there is a plant growing on the face of the earth that could stand this drastic treatment for one year; and it is not such a very difficult matter of accomplishment if you make up your mind to win and got into the liabit of it. There is another reason, too, why weeds should be eliminated from the garden and all cultured ground, and waste places, too. It is that many of them act as host plants for pests, both insect and fungoid, that attack cultivated plants. In garden ground, where weeds are plentiful, root crops should be grown plentifully.