Gardeners Meet Demands Of War

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 166, 16 July 1942, Page 3

Gardeners Meet Demands Of War

IyjANY Aucklanders were fortunate enough to take advantage of the recent dry spell to make their preparations for the PREPARING spring sowings and FOR SPRING plantings. Those less fortunate must now await an opportunity when the ground has sufficiently dried out to make digging practicable. It is useless endeavouring to work the soil when it is sticky. But there is a period after heavy rain when it reaches a stage when it crumbles easily, and a wise gardener will lose no time in preparing the ground as soon as such an opportunity oilers. Sites for peas, beans and celery should be got ready by going deep down into the subsoil and incorporating there as much decayed vegetation as possible. The surface should not be fined down too much; the weather will do that, and it is actually an advantage to leave the surface as rough as possible to prevent the souring that would otherwise be caused by faulty aeration. Lime will assist both in breaking down obstinate clods and in sweetening the soil, but as this mineral is easily soluble little advantage is likely to accrue directly to plants in the spring. A further dressing will probably be necessary a fortnight before the plots are actually used. It is well to remember that deep digging now, and the incorporation of large quantities of vegetable manure, will replace to a great extent artificial fertilisers, which are increasingly difficult to obtain. * * * * O NIj . y . 5n favourable weather conditions should planting or sowing be undertaken. It is worth waiting even a month to WHAT TO sow rather than to PI'A XT NOW risk the disappointment that usuallv follows sowing in the wet; the seed is too valuable to be wasted. Peas are frost-resisting and are among the most valuable of our crops. They should be sown in succession, early dwarf varieties being chosen. A shallow trench should be made with a wide hoe and the seed sown about two inches apart in rich soil, the band being about six inches wide. Although this will not obviate staking, the plants will give each other a measure of support. Sow another row when the first lot are two inches out of the ground. Onions should be planted in rich beds with a firm surface. Only the roots should be placed in the ground, the bulbs being on the surface. The plants mav not appear too tidy, but they will" soon straighten up. Onion seed may be sown now to develop without transplanting. Sow lightly and thin out to five or six inches apart. The thinnings can be used for a later crop. Those desiring to raise their own seedlings for the spring can plant now, under glass, lettuce, cabbage and tomatoes. If time is lagging and there is material available, this is a good time to manufacture a small frame in a warm corner of the garden. The frame should be verminproof. and the glass on a hinge so that it can be raised during periods of heat, and for purposes of ventilation. Fine leafmould. sand and good soil is a good medium for raising seedlings. Continue to plant out cabbages, cauliflowers, silver beet and lettuce, and cultivate lightly between growing crops, but keep off the garden after heavy rain. The planting of potatoes can be continued, and if i* is proposed to delay for a time, see that the ground is prepared and that the seed is set out to sprout. Little time will be gained by planting unsprouted seed.

* * * * is notable for the range of small fruits that it is capable of producing, and most of

these can be PTiAXTIXG planted now. One SMALL FRUITS of the most popular of recent introductions is the feijoa, or pineapple guava. It has a delicious flavour and grows readilv. Chinese gooseberries, guavas, passion fruit and pepinos do equally welL An excellent idea is to plant a short hedge of purple guavas. They can be trimmed readily and make a thick mat, in addition to providing an abundance of fruit that can be used as dessert, for cooking or preserving. Gooseberries can be grown in the smallest gardens, while loganberries and boysenberries can be trained over pergolas or archways. Excellent grapes can be grown outdoors against a sunny wall or along a fence. Planting of other, fruit trees, such as apples, pears, peaches, plums and nectarines can also be undertaken in dry spells, but with citrus fruits care should be taken to see that the site chosen has perfect drainage. It is useless otherwise to hope for success and the cause of many young trees dying a month or two after being planted is "wet feet." On the other hand, the young trees need a certain amount of moisture as thev become established, and this must be supplied artificially if there is insufficient rain. Established fruit trees should be pruned if this has not already been done. They will also need feeding now to strengthen the blossom buds. A good mixture is four parts superphosphate 21 parts sulphate of potash and 1* parts of sulphate of ammonia, well mixed and given at the rate of Sib to each square yard of ground occupied by the tree. If these fertiTTsers cannot be obtained use dry wood ashes and a generous application of compost, lightly forked in round the roots.