GARDEN TOPICS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 105, 16 February 1950, Page 3

GARDEN TOPICS

Composting Written for the “Guardian" by A. F. MORGAN. N.D.H. (N.Z.), F.R.I.H. (N.Z.). This is an opportune time of the year, when vegetable tops, spent flowers and other kinds of garden refuse are beginning to accumulate, to consider the making of a compost heap. Fallen leaves, hedge clippings, and in fact all manner of vegetable refuse, provided it is young, reasonably succulent and free of disease, can be put to a far better use than placed on the bonfire. This material can be more profitably utilised, artd, if correctly treated and constantly returned to the garden, especially the vegetable plot, make for far better yields and a more wholesome and health-giving type of vegetable. The principles to be observed are simple and the idea that such a heap will serve to encourage flies during the summer is quite incorrect providing it is correctly made.

The Chinese have for thousands of years maintained the fertility of their soils by the use of compost, and supported up to 2000 people per square mile of cultivated land. Reference is made in early Greek and Roman writtings describing the use of compost and its virtues so that the practice is not new. In this country the practice has been given much publicity in the last few years, possibly because of the realisation that any soil can only support healthy plant growth so long-as the humus content is kept on. No amount of chemical or inorganic fertiliser can compensate for the loss of humus. Raw Materials

Every kind of material that is organic in origin is eligible for the compost heap. From the garden come plant remains, leaves, lawn mowings, pea haulms, wilted flowers and weeds, to mention but a few. Weeds may be safely composted provided they are young and jjefore they set seed. Fine sawdust which is very plentiful, has been used to a large extent and found to be excellent material. A recent analysis shpws that it contains 1400 pounds of organic matter per ton of material, compared with 470 pounds in a ton of horse manure. From the house all organic refuse, fruit and vegetable peelings, rinds, left over cooked dishes, mouldy bread, vacuum cleaner dust, and wood ashes should be carried to the compost heap. The science of compost making lies in establishing and maintaining equable conditions of temperature, moisture and alkalinity, under which the natural processes of decay can go forward smoothly and swiftly, converting organic residues into health-giving plant nutrients.

For the home garden a box framing four feet square and three feet high with half-inch gaps between the boards will be very suitable for stacking the material. In every ease compost heaps must be built on the soil, not on brick, stone or concrete.foundations, in order that worms and soil life may have access to the heap. Oxygen is necessary for the fermenting and decomposition of the material, therefore, the heap should be sited where it will not become waterlogged; neither should the materials be tramped too firmly. In the absence of air, the organic material tends to putrefy, resulting in an inferior product and is the. main cause of flies being attracted. To facilitate aeration the first layer-of a hgap should consist of coarse material such as tough flower stalks, twigs and prunings. On this the first layer of organic material can be placed, say six inches thick. Sprinkle this lightly with agricultural lifne, and finish the layer with an inch of good top-silt garden soil. Organic material, lime and soil alternate until the top of the box is reached,.when the top is finished off with a layer of soil.

Animal manures if available can be added to the layers and will hasten the decay to a large extent Dry materials such as seed husks arfd sawdust require to be thoroughly soaked before adding to the heap, or better still then mixed with some soft succulent material. They also require, in addition to the lime, a liberal dusting over the layer of blood and bone or sulphate of ammonia.

' A compost heap built in the manner described will decompose to a fine brownish-black moist earth, crumbly l and clean to handle in about three months. Rapid decomposition can be brought about by watering each layer as it is formed with liquid animal manure or by using one of the chemical activators such as Adco. The finished product should be screened through a three-quarter inch, screen and forked lightly into the surface soil where it is intended to plant or sow. If an annual dressing of two or four pounds per square yard of ground can be given the results will be found to be well worth while.

Flower Garden Continue making preparations for the planting of all kinds of spring flowering bulbs; anemones, ranunculus, crocus, ixias, tulips, narcissi and English and Dutch' irises. Next month lily bulbs can be planted. Chrysanthemums will require disbudding as the buds appear and a weekly application of liquid manure will help to produce bigger and better blooms. iMany hardy flowering plants can also be sown now, including Iceland poppies, violas, pansies, forget-me-nots, antirrhinums, carnation, Canterbury bells, sweet william and hollyhocks. These are all useful for planting out in autumn or spring and provide early colour in the garden. Cuttings of carnations, hydrangeas, fuchsias, geraniums, pentstemous and violas can all be taken at present. Hoeing, watering, weeding and regularly removing spent flowers from all kinds of bedding plants, will at this time of the year help considerably to maintain the display and keep the gar-. den fresh and tidy. Vegetable Garden

Tomato “green back” is a common physiological disorder of tomato plants. The region of the surface near the stalk remains hard, pale or greenish, while the rest of the fruit develops the normal red. Over exposure to strong sunlight may be a cause but it is more likely to be a deficiency of potash and nitrogen in the soil. Weekly waterings with potash and sulphate of ammonia should correct this trouble. Cracking of the fruit .is caused by allowing the plants to become too dry at the roots and then watering copiously. Many vegetables will tend to “bolt” to seed under the present dry conditions and the only remedy is to try to keep up the water supply. Scarlet runners and toot crops in particular require plenty of moisture.