THE GARDEN

Evening Star, Issue 23698, 4 October 1940, Page 2

THE GARDEN

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ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS

Boronia." —When your plant has done blooming cut it back fairly hard, and when it commences to break repot it into some good loamy soil with plenty of leaf mould and good sharp sand. Mako the soil (inn when repotting.

“ Carnations.’’—(l) You say that tho information L, gave you on the propagation of carnation slips was exactly how you planted yours. 1 did not mention slips. I used tho term cuttings, which is quite a different thing. (2) Anemones throw their flowers on clean stems as a rule, but sometimes have small leaves just below the /lower. We also find the same thing occurs on the stems of ranunculuses.

OCTOBER

MOST IMPORTANT MONTH OF YEAR October moans tho beginning of real garden work, especially in the vegetable garden, as most things can be planted this month. It should bo the practice with every vegetable grower to use less seed, bub cultivate .more and use more Man* u res. There is, of course, a possibility of using too much manure, especially when season after season tho same kind is utilised. The soil then often becomes manure sick. Plant life is similar to the human body, and does best when a cluing© of diet is given. Thero aro several crops that at this stage would benefit by the application of a dressing of a good concentrated manure, such as early-sown peas, beans, potatoes, and cabbages. Except tho cabbage, _ the above aro stem-rooted plants, and if a fertiliser is given prior to earthing them ’up great assistance will be given to them. In addition, a largo number of weed seeds will bo destroyed at the same time. When applying artificial manure to the cabbage family tho soil should be kept open between the plants. Then the manure can be worked in with the use of the hoe, and the roots will take it up quickly. Never allow artificial manures to lie on the surface for any length of time. Continue to plant cabbages. Tho best variety at ‘this stage is Vanguard, a purely summer cabbage. This is the variety which the caterpillar cannot penetrate, owing to its firmness. It quickly matures, and does not deteriorate as many of the other varieties of cabbage do, but will stand over a long period and keep in perfect condition. Cauliflowers and lettuce should be transplanted into good rich soil. There should be no delay in making sowings of the following:—Cabbage (Vanguard), cauliflower, carrots (Early Krop). Tills is tho coreless variety. Not only is it very early, but can also be sown as a main crop. Maincrop carrots should also be sown. Parsnips will also come away quickly if sown at this stage. Mistakes aro often made when parsnips are sown too early, as the young seedlings become stunted in growth. To keep up a supply of peas throughout the summer make sowings at intervals of 14 days. Those who have a sheltered position should make sowings of the taller varieties, such as Alderman (sft) or Yorkshire Hero (3ft). These varieties aro groat croppers, carrying pods of exceptional length. Other good main cropper are Green Feast (2ft) and Stratagem (2ft). Tho main crop of broad beans should now bo sown. Early Longpod and Taylor’s Broad Windsor aro very suitable for those districts. French climbing beans should bo sown in boxes and then transplanted into rows. In this way beans will conie into bearing much quicker, and thero is no danger of losing plants through the action of various pests. ... Dwarf French beans should not be sown until the end of this month, especially m the case of the delicious butter beans. Another bean that is certainly worth a place in any garden is the Soya. Those plants must have a warm situation and should not be sown until next month. The seed should be sown in very rich soil, as plants are very gross feeders and require plenty of plant food. , ~ , , The sowings of turnips should be made at intervals of about 14 days to keep up a general supply throughout tho summer months. I wonder how many gardeners have tried the long white turnip. These turnips are an excellent crop to grow owing to the tubers standing up to severe droughts, and are .always sweet and crisp. The roots are like very largo radishes and do not become woolly and tough as tue ordinary white turnip does. Another turnip well worth cultivating is Golden Jelly. These roots have a splendid flavour and stand over a considerable I suppose one of tho most valuable of our vegetables is spinach. This is generally a success in every garden. Sowings should be made at once and at intervals ot _l4 days to keep up supplies in succession throughout the summer and autumn months. Those who have found a fungoid disease attacking their spinach in the last few seasons should, when sowing, dress the drills with pinepesto powder or prior to sowing work into the surface a good dressing of this insecticide and fungicide, which should any spores winch may bo lying in the soil. Onions for salad and mam-crops should be sown. Remembering that this crop will require very rich but sweet soil, plenty ot lime must be given prior to sowing, and to help germination a dressing of oyster grit in the drills will be found very beneficial. Continue to transplant onions which were sown in the autumn. Keep the surface open between shallots, and where there is plenty of growth an application of fish manure or a dusting ot superphosphate will help the bulbs to swell. The superphosphate will help to keep under any fungoid disuses which may appear Make sowings of radish, mustard, and cross, and mustard spinach for supplies for tho salad bowl. Beetroot is another root winch should not bo sown too early. To have good, solid roots with colour, these plants must be grown quickly, and if sowings aro made at this stage there should not be any check whatever. There are several varieties, but I think the turnip and the globe are tho best for general use. There is a new variety (oval shape), named Obelisk. This beet is of a splendid colour. It is not too large, and cuts without any waste. This variety is bound to become popular when known, cither for small or large gardens. Silver beet is another vegetable which is grown in most gardens, but there is a decided difference in some of the varieties. Dark Green Broad-ribbed is a splendid plant for cutting purposes, very sturdy in growth, with smooth leaves. It is a great beet for commercial purposes. Another variety is named Lucullus. The ftfliage is lirrht green and crumpled with large midribs. When gathering the leaves, cut them at least four inches above the ground; then the plants will produce another crop of leaves. p g p

SEASONAL DON'TS (From the 1 New Zealand Journal of Horticulture.’) Don’t sow seeds of half-hardy plants outside until all likelihood of frosts is past and the ground has warmed sufficiently to ensure good growth. Most frost-tender crops are tropical or subtropical, and, given favourable conditions of soil fertility and warmth, they make very rapid growth. If sown or planted too early there is a possibility of their being destroyed by low temperatures or of making very slow growth. Later plantings which develop without any setback often mature quicker. The planting should not be delayed unduly, as maturity must be obtained before autumn frosts occur. Don’t thin root crops unnecessarily. As a rule, when thinning most crops, thin to a distance apart so that the roots as they mature may touch one another. Large roots often lose in quality as they increase in size. Carrots are not required to be Gin in diameter. An inch to 1-Jin is a sufficient size for quick-maturing carrots, and 2-Jin is adequate for the main crop. They should therefore be thinned to these distances. Globe beetroots of 2in diameter are quite large enough, but for the main crop Sin to 3Jin is a better size. Similarly, parsnips should not be over-thinned. TOMATOES IN STERILISED SOIL Experiments carried out over a number of years have proved that tomato plants thrive better and produce heavier crops if grown in sterilised soil. Two seed boxes were filled with soil. A kettle of boiling water was poured over the soil in one box and the soil allowed to cool for three hours. The other box was not treated in this manner. , , , In each box 12 tomato seeds taken from the same packet were sown. In due course, all the seeds in the box of sterilised soil germinated; while only three grew in the .box of untreated soil. The 12 seedlings subsequently made sturdy growth and bore heavy crops.—‘ Popular Gardening,’- London.