Gardening Notes.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 11 October 1929, Page 2

Gardening Notes.

Cauliflowers. Those who have cauliflowers turning in all at once can prolong the supply by pulling some of them up before they open, and hanging them by the root in a cool, dark cellar. Do not remove any of the outer leaves. To produce pure white heads of cauliflower the best plan is to draw the outer leaves close together oi'er the head, and tie with raffia. This prevents the head from opening as soon as when a leaf is broken over it; and also makes it much whiter. * * * * Main-Crcp Potatoes. Main-crop potatoes may be planted at any time now provided they are well sprouted. It pays to wait till they are sprouted. Two of the strongest sprouts should then bo left, while the others should be well rubbed out. The ones at the top of the potato are the best. Open out the trenches on a warm sunny morning, and as the soil' in them is thoroughly sun-warmed, plant the seed tubers. If some thoroughly decayed manure, or some good soil from a compost heap can be laid in the bottom of the trenches, so much the better. A sprinkling of wood ashes should also be added. Have the tubers, when planted, just below the surface or the soil, and one foot apart in the trenches. The rows should be at least eighteen inches apart.

Raising Plants. As soon as the days begin to get longer the gardening enthusiast feels that he must lost no time in getting to work and raise some plants for the garden. The fascination of propagation is upon him, and a few hints upon such work may bo appreciated. An excellent little propagating frame may be made of any box of suitable size by cutting it with a slop and nailing laths up and down these to carry the glass. The bottom end should be high enough to take a pot of at least the Gin size, and the back should be a few inches higher. If pots are not used, empty benzine or kerosene tins may be cut to the required size and filled with fine earth for sowing seed. Of course, holes must be made in the bottom of the tins to allow of plenty of drainage. The glass should be made to fit close enough to maintain a close atmosphere until the cuttings are rooted or the seed has come up, when air must be admitted either by lifting a sheet of glass or taking one away altogether. This should be repeated every day until the plants are hardy enough to do without the aid of glass altogether. When this time comes they are generally hardy enough to go out into the garden permanently-

To Prevent Peas From Rotting, In order to prevent peas from rotting in the ground cover with sawdust or fine ashes. These absorb superfluous moisture, and allow more air t reach the seed. A thin sprinkling of soil can be laid over the ashes or sawdust. * * * * Thinning Vegetable Crops. Vegetable crops must have a good start in life. Everyone is willing to admit that the host of annual weeds which attempt to gain a footing in our garden plots must be vigorously dealt with, but it is not always realised that superfluous seedlings in rows of parsnips, carrots, turnips, lettuce and such like do a great deal more harm than the average weed of the same age. There- is no need to dwell on the obvious truth that a plant from the first week of its existence must have

room to- grow. Anything which overcrowds a seedling destined to remain as a permanent part of a vegetable crop is an enemy, whether it he sorrel, chickweed or a fellow seedling. Many people sow vegetable seeds so thickly that several germinate to the inch. This is a mistake to begin

Frail, Flowers and Vegetables.

■with, but the fault becomes very much •aggravated if the young plants are left to struggle with each other for light, air and sustenance. Once the seedlings are well through the ground it is scarcely possible to commence thinning too soon. For several reasons it would be unwise to thin out finally in one drastic operation; from one cause or another mortality in small plants may be high; but there is not any reason why seedlings should not be so thinned out that they stand quite clear of each other in the rows. Two inches or less is sufficient space to leave between young seedlings at the first thinning, but they must bo carefully watched in their growth, and every alternate one removed when there appears the least, danger of overcrowding. There is an art even in this work. If careful selection is made, it. is nearly always possible to pull out the unnecessary plants without undue disturbance to those remaining. Here and there along the rows plants will be found isolated a fraction of an inch from their neighbours one side or the other. Such seedlings should always be left. They grow away unchecked from the beginning and are calculated to make fine plants. Choose showery weather for thinning, if possible, but don’t wait too long for it, or more harm will be done than the advantage of showers can compensate. When finally thinned, parsnips should stand from 10in to 12in apart, carrots from 4in to lOin, according to size; lettuce, lOin to 12in; onions, 4in to Gin; spinach, full Gin; turnips, Sin; salsify, lOin.

Lettuces. Small sowings of lettuces should be made at frequent intervals. At this time of the year it is better to sow tlio seed thinly in drills, afterwards thinning out the plants to one foot apart. As soon as the seedlings are up they should be hurried on by means of diligent hoeing, and by fortnightly doses of liquid manure (loz of nitrate of soda in 1 gallon of water), applied after a good watering or after a shower of rain. As soon as the soil is sufficiently dry again the hoe must at once be brought into use. Lettuces should be grown in deeply dug, but firm, soil. They heart more quickly if their roots arc kept near the surface. * * * * Verbenas. A bed of this plant, whether in separate or mixed colours, cannot fail to satisfy when well grown. The plants, whether raised from seed or cuttings, should be nice and sturdy, and ready for planting during October or November. In preparing the beds, dig deeply, adding plenty of leaf-soil or rotted manure. Allow the soil to settle, then

sot out the plants at lain, apart. As soon as the plants have made several inchs, peg tlmm down, and continue to do so as growth proceeds. Of late the verbena has suffered, in many districts from mildew and red spider. A spraying with lime sulphur, solution 1 to 20 parts water, will keep both in check; therefore, if the foliage at any time commences to assume a whitish up-. pearnnee, spray at once. * * * * Slugs and Delphiniums. Many amateur gardeners find it almost impossible to grow delphiniums and pyretheums, owing to the slugs making such determined raids on these plants. The young shoots are eaten off as soon as they appear above the ground, and in many cases are eaten almost down to the roots. The result is that the plants arc killed, and in

some cases the result is put down to every other kind of pest but the slugs. The method of putting them off is by putting a layer of coarse sand, shell, sifted coal ashes or scoria, over the crown of the plants. The slugs cannot drag their slimy bodies over loose material like sand or scoria, but it must be coarse enough to keep loose and not large enough to hold firm while the slug crawls over it.