WORK IN THE HOME GARDEN IN JUNE

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 5, Issue 94, 15 May 1957, Page 431

WORK IN THE HOME GARDEN IN JUNE

By

A. G. KENNELLY,

Horticultural Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Dunedin

GARDEN work in June usually consists largely of planning for the forthcoming season: Tidying and clearing away rubbish; digging if the soil is in a suitable condition and applying lime; turning the compost heap or burning unwanted diseased or woody rubbish which cannot be composted; and sorting over root crops in store. Garden tools can be cleaned and repaired, garden features made or rebuilt, paths, edges, and drainage improved, and where necessary spraying done against pests and diseases. Litt.e sowing, planting, and maintenance of planted crops can be done.

THERE is always work to be done in a garden and though in most districts there is less sunlight and conditions are colder and damper in June than in any other month, the keen gardener can usually find plenty of work to do. In wet weather garden tools should be sharpened and oiled or polished and where necessary repaired. It may be thought by the less-interested gardener that polishing garden tools is carrying enthusiasm for doing the job too far, but this is not so. A short time spent in removing rust and other residue that commonly adhere to garden tools and giving the working parts a smooth finish will be more than compensated

for by the time and energy saved when they are used. Soil or rust adhering to garden tools may make work more than twice as hard and often leads to inefficient garden practice. Soil adheres less readily to smooth, polished surfaces, and when it does it is more readily removed. All cutting edges should be very sharp unless the tools are to be used by children or those who cannot handle them competently, in which case cutting edges of tools such as hoes, spades, and shovels are better not filed down to the extent where they may be dangerous. The intelligent choice and use of tools suited to the job is one of the

most obvious though least practised forms of labour saving in the garden. For instance, heavy soils, particularly if they are inclined to be wet, can be

IX 111CJ till V 4. UV> vvv-v, wi*-. dug with much less effort if a fork with clean, sharp tines is used instead of a spade. (Soil should not, of course, be dug when it is wet or the tilth may be destroyed.) Not every home gardener has a long-handled shovel, but a good one with a sharp, clean blade

makes much garden work easier. For surface cultivation, use of the best types of hoe is very important. A good push hoe should have a wide, sharp, clean blade set at such an angle that when the handle is held at a convenient working height the blade can be pushed along in the soil to cut weeds a little below the junctions of roots and stems. The blade of a chop hoe should be solid and sharp but not too wide, because then the work will be laborious if the soil is heavy or weeds are well established. Rakes are not much used in soil preparation by experienced gardeners, but a rake should be well balanced and have teeth of adequate length.

Sowing and Planting

Conditions are not usually favourable for seed sowing in June, but where soil drainage and other conditions are satisfactory broad beans, spinach, and peas can be sown. The culture of these vegetables was discussed in last month’s “Journal”.

Cabbage for spring use can be set out in most districts and, where conditions are not likely to be too severe, lettuce and cauliflower as well. However, it is best in most gardens to defer sowing seeds of subjects such as carrots, onions, turnips, and even radish until July or later.

Garden Drains and Paths

Wet areas that are now showing up should be drained by field pipes or by open material such as shingle and stones buried in the bottom of a trench. Effective drains can also be made by digging a trench and putting material such as manuka scrub in the bottom or, if the texture of the soil is open enough, by putting boards in the form of a bottomless, open-ended box upside down. All such material should be buried deeply enough not to interfere with deep digging, and drains should not be so close to the surface that they cause the topsoil to dry out excessively in summer.

June is a good time, too, to repair paths. Temporary paths beaten across the soil can be forked up to improve surface drainage and destroy weeds, and permanent paths can be laid down. Usually paths made of hard-wearing material such as brick, stone, concrete, or even bitumin are preferable to grass. Grass is readily damaged in winter, when growth is slow, conditions are wet, and traffic is heavy, and in summer grass may dry out or require frequent cutting to prevent seed developing and falling on the garden.

Concrete and Brick Paths

Well-laid concrete paths of openmixture concrete with plastered surfaces or paths of fine-mix concrete are unsurpassed for permanent use, but stone or cement slabs or old or new bricks can be made into attractive paths.

Used bricks can often be bought quite cheaply, but only those which were laid with mortar should be bought if the bricks are to be laid down according to a regular pattern, as bricks which have been cemented are too difficult to clean.

Bricks are suitable for straight paths, but are difficult to embody in curved paths. Brick paths, different types of

which are shown in Figs. 1 to 4, are usually laid without cement or mortar. The bricks are simply packed tightly together and are held by outside pressure on the edges of the path. A firm foundation is essential to prevent them from shifting and it is usually advisable to have the surface of the path below that of the surrounding ground. The earth along the edges should be packed tightly to hold the mass of the bricks in place.

Alternatively an edge can be built by cementing the edging bricks. Edging bricks can be held very securely by pressure of earth if they are embedded deeply on their edges as shown in Fig. 11. The bricks will also be

held securely if edged with specially placed bricks (Fig. 1A) or with a brick, stone, or concrete wall.

The approximate number of bricks to lay down on a given area of path can be calculated (assuming that bricks 9in. x 4Jin. x 3in. are used) on the basis that for each square yard of path about 32 to 34 bricks laid flat (that is, J Din. x 4Jin.) will be required; 48 to 52 will be required if the bricks are laid on edge (that is, 9in. x 3in.).

Bitumin or Asphalt Paths

Though properly mixed, well-laid concrete gives the most durable paths, bitumin has advantages which appeal to many. Concreting is almost invariably heavy work and under some circumstances it may be quite costly. Bitumin paths are not usually cheap, but the laying of a bitumin path is usually less laborious and generally simpler than that of laying a concrete path, which usually requires more skill in levelling or smoothing, particularly as the work must be done quickly, as concrete is weakened if it is moved after it starts to set.

Bitumin gives a durable path which can be laid quite simply by most home gardeners. Bitumin is available in several forms in most of the larger towns. The solid type is usually sold sealed in 40-gallon drums, but as it must be melted before use, it is not so convenient for home gardeners, as it is usually difficult to provide a fire hot enough to keep it melted while working with it. This is a decided disadvantage if the work is done in stages as at week-ends.

Liquid bitumin is more convenient and is usually obtainable in containers down to 4 gallons. Liquid bitumin is ready for immediate cold application and hardens through the evaporation of a substance used to keep it liquefied. Before bitumin is applied all perennial weeds must be removed by dig-

ging them out or by applying a good weedkiller at rates which will kill all vegetation and then removing the bulk of it. If this preliminary work is not done thoroughly, many strong-growing perennials are capable of thrusting up through the bitumin.

A firm foundation is essential and where an established path is not being sealed with bitumin it should be formed first after the ground has been prepared by ramming in a suitable foundation material. The application of a grade of road metal comprised of a mixture of rotten rock, clay, and sand usually known as crusher-run metal, if packed firmly, gives a suitable first surface. A cubic yard of this material should provide a layer lin. thick over 324 sq. ft. This thickness is usually enough for a footpath which does not have to bear heavy traffic.

Graded metal chips of not more than jin. diameter should then be laid down and rolled or tamped and watered. The path should preferably be slightly higher in the middle than at the sides. Bitumin can be applied with a watering can, preferably with a fan-shaped piece of tin wrapped round the spout so that as the bitumin flows it spreads out into a wide, flat stream. It should be poured on evenly so that it just floods up to the surface. A liberal sprinkling of clean, sharp sand should then be applied so that the bitumin is completely covered, but care should be taken not to get the dry sand on areas of metal not yet covered with bitumin.

The path should dry in one or two days, depending on the weather, and surplus sand can then be swept off. If only a light sprinkling of sand is applied, the path will have a rough surface, which is desirable on inclines.

On firm, established paths the crusher-run metal should not be needed and the usual practice is to remove weeds, dust, and loose metal, water thoroughly to settle it, allow it to dry, and then to apply bitumin and dust on the sand. Two applications may be needed. Alternatively in the larger towns it is usually possible to

obtain a mix of bitumin and fine metal chips. This can be tamped or rammed into place and then sanded, though it is best if the ground, which must be firm and free from loose particles, is first given a dressing of tar or bitumin to act as a binder or key.

Crazy and Random Paving

For crazy paving, random paving, and random paving with a formal edge (Figs. 5 to 7) stones with flattened surfaces can be used, but cement slabs are preferable, as they are easier to lay. Unless the pieces are deeply embedded, they should be cemented together at the edges. However, it is a good plan if the edges are cemented to leave gaps in the interstices so that dwarf alpine plants or similar plants can be set into the spaces. (A list of suitable plants for this purpose is given on page 436.) Gaps will also aid drainage, as it is not usual to build this type of path with a camber unless it is wide enough for wheeled vehicles such as motor cars, though that width is not generally recommended.

Paving Slabs

Smooth concrete slabs or rough concrete slabs with plastered surfaces are most suitable for paving paths. The slabs should be at least 2in. to 3in. thick unless a solid foundation is provided. Paving slabs can be made quite simply by pouring concrete into wooden moulds or where the ground is firm enough by excavating areas required and filling them with a suitable concrete mixture and levelling or smoothing the surfaces. Concrete slabs can also be bought from some manufacturers of concrete products. Though most concrete is mixed on the job, in some towns it can be bought delivered ready mixed.

Stepping stones across grass or laid to give access to crops are usually well worth while if they are well laid. They can be made suitable for light wheeled traffic if narrow connecting blocks can be laid as shown in Fig. 8. If slabs vary in size, the larger and smaller ones should be laid alternately.

Usually slabs are best laid about 27in. apart, centre to centre, but the main governing factor in their spacing is their size. On grass they should be flush with the ground surface to facilitate mowing; on cultivated ground they should be a little higher. If the slabs are not large, it is usually practicable to lift them from time to time to dig over the ground and eliminate perennial weeds and to re-lay them where they will provide access to crops such as /Brussels sprouts which may be harvested over a considerable period of inclement weather. On wet, sticky soil paving stones laid to give access to crops are usually greatly appreciated by the housewife. Cobblestones and Concrete Paths Large stones with flattened upper surfaces or cement or cement-surfaced

concrete slabs can be used for the centre of paths made of a combination of cobbles and slabs or stones (Fig. 10). The cobblestones should be set in cement. Cobblestones are rounded, water-worn stones, and for paths they may be from about lin. to 4in. in diameter. . They are usually obtained from the seashore or a river-bed, though occasionally they may be procured from a gravel pit. , Path Foundations Paths must have a firm foundation. The depth to be excavated may be from about 6in. to 18in. and will depend on the material to be used as a foundation, whether ashes, clinkers, shingle, or stone, and whether the soil on which the path is to be laid is firm or loose. A main path should usually be 4ft. wide; a secondary path which bears little traffic need be only about 2ft. wide. The foundation should be rammed firm and • the facing stone slabs or bricks bedded in fine material such as sand which can be packed tight and which will not shift or collapse. The depth of fine material should be kept to a minimum consistent with absorb-

ing the irregularities of the surface material; that is, if rocks or slabs of uneven thickness are to be used, the fine material should be a shade deeper than the deepest rock or section of slab. Bricks rarely vary more than Jin. and therefore a little more than Jin. of fine material should be sufficient. Organic matter, which may cause subsidence when it rots, must be avoided and air pockets eliminated. Fine material can usually be settled most , effectively if watered. It should, however, be reasonably dry before the bricks .or stones are embedded. Care should be . taken when paths are laid over drains, particularly when they have to take heavy traffic, to distribute the weight over a considerable area rather than to allow it to fall directly on the pipe or pipes under the path. This can be done by laying the pipes on a firm bed, covering them with a few inches of soil, and placing over this such material as an old sheet of corrugated iron, a plank dressed with preservative, or a few lengths of old electric conduit or other piping.

Plants for Paved Paths VV7HERE the soil is good and V drainage is satisfactory a paved path can be greatly enhanced by planting suitable dwarf and miniature plants along the edges or in the interstices of the paving material. A selection of suitable plants (the measurements indicate height) follows: Acaena buchanani: Trailing, with silvery or blue-grey leaves. Aubrietia: Purple and red flowers. 4in. to 6in. . . Arabis lucida variegata: Golden foliage. 3in. Armeria maritima and varieties: Rose, red, lilac, and white flowers. 6in. ; to 12in. Campanula fyewensis: Lilac-blue, starry flowers on 3in. stems. Dryas octopetala: White flowers. 3in. to sin. Erinus alpimis and varieties: Forms a dark green carpet with rosy-purple flowers. 4in. to 6in. Cypsophila. cerasiioides: Large, white, purple-veined flowers. lin. to 3in. • Mentha requiem: Carpet plant with tiny lilac-purple flowers. 3in. Potentilla nitida: Pale pink flowers. 4iri. Mossy saxifrage (S. decipiens). . Sedum album: 3in. to 6in. Sempervivum montanum: Rosy red flowers. 4in. Thymus herba-barona: Scented. 2in. Thymus lanuginosus: Grey leaves. sin. Thymus serpyllum and varieties: Carpeting; flesh pink, crimson, or white flowers. 3in. Veronica rupestris: Trailing; blue flowers. '