GARDENING NOTES

New Zealand Tablet, 9 November 1916, Page 56

GARDENING NOTES

(By Mr. J. Joyce, Landscape Gardener, Christchurch.)

THE KITCHEN GARDEN. The month of November is the time for looking ahead for a plentiful supply of vegetables for the coining season. Attention must be paid to the keeping up of ike supply by planting and sowing the necessary plants and seeds so as to keep up a succession throughout the year, such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts —a few at a time, just sufficient for the requirements of a family, especially cauliflower and broccoli, as they usually come in very quickly when they .begin to flower, and on that account it is better to be sparing in the planting. Sow a little curled greens for planting out later on, as they are a very useful vegetable in the winter and spring mouths when vegetables are scarce. Brussels sprouts, too, are a good late vegetable, a square of which is very acceptable in the winter months. This vegetable needs to be planted in good rich soil, giving the plants plenty of room to grow. A little turnip seed should be sown also spinach, lettuce, and radish. These should be sown in good, rich, well-prepared soil. They must be grown quickly so that they may be crisp and tender. • If lettuces and radishes are grown in poor soil they are useless in a salad, as they grow tough and bitter and are not fit to eat. Lettuce seed should be sown thinly and used out of the seed bed as wanted, as they are very tender when used in this manner*; leave sufficient to grow into heads. When the soil gets nice and warm kidney beans should be sown. As they are Very tender, they must not be put in too early ; the slightest frost will ruin a crop. A sowing of spinach should not be omitted, as it is a very wholesome vegetable. The Dutch hoe should be kept constantly moving amongst the young crops: the stirring up of the soil pretty often is food and drink for the plants, as it makes the soil nice and porous, and allows the air and moisture to penetrate and sweeten the soil. All late potato planting should be now finished, and the main crop of tomatoes should be planted about the second week in the month, when all danger of frost is past. They should be well hardened off before being planted. . All the seed beds should be kept thoroughly free from weeds, as they would soon smother up the young seedlings, and if left to grow to any size the young plants will stand a poor chance when the weeding time comes, as it will "be an impossibility to pull the weeds out without the plants being destroyed. Cucumbers, pumpkins, and marrows might now be ventured out, but,an eye should be kept to the frosty night, in the event of it coming. Attention should be paid to the clumps of rhubarb. They usually come into flower about this time. They should never be allowed to flower; immediately flowers appear they ought to be broken off ; if, not, the flowerproducing seed will take away the substance from the plant, and the outcome is tough, bitter stalks. It should also be helped with an occasional supply of liquid manure. To grow nice tender stalks the clumps should be covered over with boxes or barrels—old cement barrels answer the purpose well. When cutting asparagus all the shoots should not be cut; some should be left to grow, so as to nourish the roots, else they will suffer if there is no foliage to carry on the growth. The weaker shoots may be left, and when finished cutting all must be left to grow until the end of the season. An occasional application of liquid manure will servo the bed throughout the summer. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Continue planting out all necessary bedding plants and sowing hardy annuals. Give a little water after planting; it settles the earth around the roots and gives the plant a good start. If gladiolas are still .implanted it is time they were; also dahlias.. Where dahlias have been left in the ground all the winter they should now be taken up, separated, and planted in good prepared soil. There must be two or three shoots

left to each clump, and a good stake driven down firm to support the plant. ' An occasional dose of liquid manure will serve them throughout the summer months. All chrysanthemums should be planted out by now, and where the old plants are growing profusely they may be cut back; they will soon shoot out again. Plants which are intended for producing large flowers must have* different treatment —only one or two shoots are allowed for this purpose, and only a few blooms must be permitted to grow, sometimes only one. Most of the spring bulbs will be now finishing up for the season. Do not cut away the foliage until it is done growing, and then if the bulbs have to be taken up it will be safe to do so. The bulbs may be left on the ground to dry and ripen before being stored away. Any flowering shrubs which may want pruning after they are done flowering may be operated on, and they will throw out young shoots to flower next year. Keep the lawns constantly mowed and rolled at least once a week. If you want your grass to look well it must be treated regularly with the roller after the machine is done. Weeds are making rapid growth now, and on no account must they be left to out-grow the plants in beds or borders.