GARDEN MEMORANDA FOR SEPTEMBER.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 117, 31 August 1877, Page 2

GARDEN MEMORANDA FOR SEPTEMBER.

.WRITTEN ESPECIALLY FOR THE AKAROA MAIL.. General Eemakks.—Last month w« said'a little on the preparation of the soil and the sowing of seeds. We now propose to follow up the remarks then made, with a few others on the same subjects. It will be found that the early sown crops will now be showing , well above ground, but, as yet, not much appearance of weeds, and, therefore, it may be thought to be quite unnecessary to use the hoe at present ; but this will be a wrong conclusion, for t!ie surface of the ground is sure to have become somewhat close from the effects of rain, especially on stiff soils, and. in order to promote a healthy growth, the hoe should be run through all the crops which are fairly through the ground. The occasional hoeing or stirring; the soil between growing crops will be found of the greatest benefit at all seasons; apart from its necessity in destroying weeds, providing the soil is at least in a moderately dry state, it should neither be hoed or dug if heavy or drenched with rain ; but, to carry out this recommendation, it will be necessary to,put in all the plants and seeds in lines or drills—the distances varying of course with the kind of crop ; and, as we last month gave a few hints on the depths to sow, we will now give a few on the proper distances to soio in order to facilitate the stirring of the soil by hoeing, and promote the full and healthy development of the various crops. For carrots, parsnips, onions, and turnips, the rows should be from 12 to 15 inches apart, and the plants thinned out to from 4 to 6 inches apart in the lines.; £or broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kail, &c, 2 feet apart, and from 18 feet to 2 inches in the rows ; dwarf, bread, - and runner beans, from 2 feet to 4 feet from line to line, according to the height of the crop, and from 2 to 4 inches in the lines ; the same will apply to peas, excepting that about an inch apart will be sufficient for the seeds. The following scale will be found useful in determining the right quantities of the various seeds required for a given space :—1 packet of early peas will sow a line about 25 yards long; 1 ditto late peas, 30 ditto ditto ; 1 ditto bruad beans, 25 ditto ditto ; 1 ditto runner beans, 35 ditto ditto ; 1 ditto dwarf French, 28 ditto ditto ; 1 oz. onion seed sows 15 pquare yards; 1 ditto carrot, 15 ditto ditto; 1 ditto parsnips, 15 ditto ditto ; 1 ditto turnips, 22 ditto ditto ; 3 bushels of potatoes, cut into sets, will plant one-eighth of an acre of ground. The above particulars will serve as rules for apportioning other kinds of seeds, according to their size and to the extent of the ground to be sown or planted. Kitchen Garden. —Potatoes for the main crop should now be planted. The early sorts planted last month will soon begin to peep through, and should have a little of the surface soil drawn over them to protect from frost. Continue to sow peas of some of the later kinds recommended last month; stick and eartlv up those previously sown as they come up. Plant out in favourable weather lettuce and cauliflower. Sow for main crops Borecole broccoli, Brussels .'sprouts, cabbage, carrot, lettuce, turnip an l d onion ' For the latter _the,;bed- should be made tolerably firm, by treading before sowing the seed. % Fruit Garden.—lf the directions given last month have been attended to, little will be necessary now in this department

beyond looking to the newly planted trees to put any to rights that the wind may have disturbed. Newly planted orchards are beneritted by cropping the ground between the trees for two or three years after planting. ; Flower Garden.—Hardy annuals to make an early display should be sown at nnce. Patches already up should be thinned out to three or four plants, as a much better result will follow than allowing a mass in the space that one fully developed plant should occupy. Climbing annuals are mostly tender, and, in order to get the full benefit from these, they should be sown at once in pots and placed in a frame, to be planted out, as soon as all danger from frost is passed. The same applies to such annuals as stocks, asters, zinnias, phlox drumondii, &c, &c, all of which are beautiful, and calculated to make a grand display at a very small cost. In addition to annuals, most kinds of herbaceous plants may now be planted, and the best varieties of phlox and delphiniums are amongst the most useful and. showy of this very large section. A good rolling will be very beneficial to the lawn at this season ; and where- beds are intended to be filled with such thingb as geraniums, verbenas, &c.., th«y should now be got into order, and the walks and flower borders should be thoroughly cleared of weeds, for if this be attended to now much trouble will be saved afterwards, and there will also be a great gain in r.ppcarance and growth.