GARDEN NOTES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2854, 19 August 1916, Page 15

GARDEN NOTES

TT (By "Zowhai.")

ANSWERS TO, CORRESPONDENTS."Appreciative," .Waipukurau, writes:— "I should bo very glad if you can tell me if chicken manure is good for a vegetable garden. Last.spring I had a wheelbarrow load spread over about.twelve yard; square of ground;(the manure had previously stood in a barrel for some months). This was dug in after a week's exposure on the surface, but the peas and beans sown in the ground came up yellow, though they eventually recovered, I would like to know if it is too strong ior gardening purposes, or what quantity to use." . Chicken manure is splendid for the vegetable garden, as it is'very rich in Several of the foods required by vegetables. But owing to its "hot" nature if should be applied in moderate quantity, and should not be allowed to come into actual contact with germinating seeds. The manure should, as it is collected, be 6tored in boxes or. barrels in alternate ■layers of dry soil. Leave it for about three months, taking care to keep it dry, .and then apply the mixture to the garden at the rate of Jib. to the square yard. SEED SOWING. [ Two or three fine days last week sent me hastily in search of seed pans. Several, fortunately, had already been filled in -readiness some weeks ago, and all that remained to.bo done was to carry them to a sunny "verandah, and moisten the soil in them with warm water. All day.' the 6un poured on to them, warming the earth through and through, and on the following morning seeds of hardy an. nuals were sown. It does not' need nvuoh enoouragement at this time of the year to send one hurrying off to sow seeds. But be sensible about your seed-sowing. Don't sow the whole packet of seeds all at once,' especially thus early in the. season. Save at least 'hlalf for later Bowings, and in case of failure, with, the first lot. Seedlings, unfortunately, have many, foes. In most gardens the soil is Btill too cold for sowing flower seeds in the open. In the meantime, however, a sufficient humbar of seed pans should be prepared. Don't be mean about jseed-pans. It is tar better to spread ■a ■ packet«of ■ seeds over three-or four pans, than to orowd all the 'seeds into one. Crowded seedlings;start life-badly. ■ They start with a weak constitution; ,apd ho amount of good after treatment makes up for this unmap. py'beginning. Even in the seed-pans the seedlings must have room to spread out their tiny roots; they need the sun and the air about their tiny stems and leaves just as much as older plants do. 'They, want, also, plain sensible food for a start, Give them good sweet earth and sand, but no manure of any description. Remember always thnt. plants are obliged to take into,their systems whatever food is in tho soil about tliein, whether it is food for them or not. The feeding Toots have not the power of-choosing what is suitable,' and rejecting what is urisnit. able. They simply must absorb "all that comes in their way.. Bicbl. food at-the start, is bad for seedlings, but, once they have, developed fine sturdy' constitutions, they can be planted out into ground containing just what is needful for their perfect growth. What .i pleasure, then, to see how readily the strong plants can assimilate this-, richer food, and what good use, they make of it! SEED PANS. ..? Seed pans .should not be too deep, as a great depth of .earth holds too much moisture, and is therefore cold and apt to become sour! Threo or four inches of earth is deep enough for seedlings, and the sun-warined air can penetrate this depth. 'Have the pans thoroughly clean, attend to the drainage, and then three-parts fill the pans with a mixture of earth, sand, ashes from a ■ wood or a rubbish fire, and a:little leaf-mould. Mix. up the ingredients thoroughly with the' hands bet Ore putting the mixture into the pahs. Seeds are,, always, more successful when sown, in pans. Place the pans rn a warm sheltered spot. An hour or two before sowing, the seeds, water the pans with tepid water. . Cover the seed - with the merest sprinkliug of fine earth. If seeds are very small mix them in a saucer with a little fine earth or sand. The seeds will then be more evenly distributr ed over the seed-pan. Never sow seeds thickly, or the seedlings will come up crowded together, and run up into weak, spindly plants. Those that are well distributed over the seed-pan, and thinly 6own, have a chancr to grow ino sturdy plants that ■! will, miko strong growth right from lie start. Also, one is saved the'.necessity, of pricking out the seed', lings into another box before planting them out In the garden. Protect the pans from the midday sun until the seedlings appear. Do not allow heavy rain to ivash on to the soil in which seedlings have been sown. A piece of glass placed over the pans will protect the seeds from rain. Seeds that may be 6own now are:—Ten-week stock, double shirley poppies, iceland poppies, asters, candytuft, godetias, sweet sultan, - sweet scabious, annunl gypsophila, coreopsis, tinctoTia, primroses, aquilegias, lobelia, pansies, and violas. SWEET PEAS; aweet peas that were sown in the autumn have been making good growth during the last two weeks. For a few weeks, growth seemed to be at a standstill, but already one can see the effect of- the extra strength of the sun's heat. Take advantage of every opportunity to stir the earth about the roots. The ground is still very cold, aud by stirring the earth about one allow* '.!:»' sunwamicd air to penetratt- . .Jner and further. The roots quic- respond to the warmth that thus rc;,>.ii..i them, and stronger growth is the result. Keep the vines well trained up the supports. Even though „ they naturally cling '■. to their supports, Thudi it'advisable toftie them securely, but;not tightly, here and there. . Flux is .'.'splendid' for tying* up plants, and all those who have room should make a point of growing at least one ; _busb. The time will siion arrivo when we must think about making the spring sowing of sweet peas. The giround where 'they' l .are -to.?.be-'grown should be prepared as soon as possible now. .Remove the top soil, and thoroughly break up the subsoil, working into it plenty of well-decayed manure, If animal manure is not to be had use welldecayed vegetable rubbish, ashes from a wood or rubbish fire, and iv dressing of bonedust. Mix all thoroughly with the subsoil, which should be worked to a depth of a least two feet, as sweet peas are such deep-rooters. Tread the soil firni, as the work proceeds, for sweet peas love a firm, though deeply-worked, soil to root into. As the spring-sown peas have to endure the hot summer Weather, the deeper and cooler the root run the more fit the plants will keep. Return the top__soil, tread it firm, and thoroughly blacKen the surface with soot. After two or three days hoe this well in and again blacken the surface soil with scot, hoeing it in as before. ; VEGETABLES. Seeds that may bo sown this week, weather and soil permitting, are-.— . Radish.-—Erencb breakfast is about, the best. Sow broadcast in rich, firm ground, and in u warm, sunny position. Short Horn or Nantes Horn Carrot. - Sow thinly in drills twelve inches apart. Turnip.—Early Snowball or Early Wihte-stone. ■ Sow in ground that was richly manured for a previous crop of greens, or in ground that was manured carlyin the autumn. Make the ground very firm. Sow thinly in drills twelve inches apart. Pens.— Sow in drills from two to thrco feet apart. Ground ihonld be trenche'd and manured, and should have wood ashes mixed with it. Dust bonedust in the drills at. the timo of sowing. Soak peas in warm water for a low hours before sowing. . Broad Beans.—Same treatment, as for peas.' Lettuce.—Sow teed thinly iu pans for transplanting later on. ROUTINE WORK. On a warm, sunny day, whwi tho soil is nice and friable, earth up cabbages and cauliflowers. It is no uso doing this while the earth is damp and cold, for roots shut up in such soil will.not do good work. But take advantage of the soil being warmed by the sun to do the earthing up, and the roots will quickly respond. Hoe between the rows of arowing crops wncnevor it is possible. Feed crops that are maturing, such as broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, etc., with nitrate of soda (loz. in 1 gallon .of water), applying it to wet ground once a fortnight. Garden Notes next week will contain seasonable notes about Jiardy annuals.