GARDENER’S CALENDAR.

Dunstan Times, Issue 429, 8 July 1870, Page 3

GARDENER’S CALENDAR.

JULY. Kitchen Garden.—Sea Kale: cover the strongest roots with boxes or barrels, and place some fermenting stable dung round each, to start them into growth. Peas and Broad Beans: put in another sowing for succession. When the ground is dry and friable plant early Potatoes. The hardest frosts occur here in July, and it will be advisable to deter the sowing of small seeds till the end of the month. When the ground has been previously dug, any of the Cabbage tribe may be planted. Manure Rhubarb, and make fresh plantings. Stir the surface amongst Onions or other young crops, to prevent the frost from heaving up the soil.

Fruit Garden.—Take advantage of dry weather to transplant fruit trees and bushes, and proceed with the pruning. This oper ation is frequently overdone by attempting to bring bushes which have been neglected at once into the operator’s favourite shape. It will be found safe practice to prune moderately, removing suckers from the roots, and leaving the centre of the bushes rather open. Rod and White Currants require very close pruning. The Black Currant requires very little cutting, merely keeping the bushes moderately thin of wood. Prune and tie up Raspberry canes, leaving but four or five to each stock Plant Strawberries, and finish the dressing of old beds; but avoid the barbarous practice of cutting off the leaves. Plant hedgerows: put in Thorn Quicks six inches apart. Flower Garden.—See that the ground in this department is all dug up roughly to the action of the weather, especially on clay soils and recently broken-up ground. Flower roots may now bo divided and planted. Bulbs may now be set where it has been omitted. See that the pruning and planting of roses be early, and that they have a dressing of rich halfdecomposed manure. Hardy annuals and perennials may now be sown.