Garden Notes

Levin Daily Chronicle, 7 May 1918, Page 1

Garden Notes

The autumn is now showing us that the time has arrived to make a general clearing up in the garden. All seeds should now be picked, dried, and put aside for the spring. If you have any trouble to dry the seed it may be tied up in scrim or somo loose material and laid up on the plate rack above the stove. This is to finish it off. Celery should have some more aoil drawn up to it. It is a good plan to wrap a sheet of paper round the stick before putting in the soil. It prevents dirt getting inside. The main crop of onions should now bo sown. Sow rather thickly, and choose a firm piece of ground, but 0110 free from weeds. Sow in drills a quarter of an inch deep and a foot apart. YOll can still sow carrots, lettuce, radish, parsley, sage, and transplant thyme. In sowing very small seeds, put your line down and sprinkle the seed along and stir the ground after. It will be sufficient if you make a drill and cover the seed. There is a danger of it rotting when wet and cold weather comes. RHUBARB. Now is tho time to prepare the ground for this healthy and succulent vegetable. The land cannot be mado too rich. The roots aro gross feeders and the more stable and liquid manure that is incorporated with the soil to a depth of three feet the better the crop will be. Choose a sunny dry position for your bed open lip a good trench so that you. dig to a depth of from 30 to 36 inches. If you can't get stable manure, mix garden manure with leaves or garden compost and incorporate with the soil. It is a good plan to put your roots in as you dig the ground. A dozen roots are sufficient for a small family. Plant .apart. Be careful not to damage the roots, and seo that the prongs Bre spread out and pointing downwards. It is better for an amateur gardener to buy the roots from a reliable seedsman. Myatt's Victoria, Royal Albert and Mitchell's Early Rhubarb may be planted from May to July. It may be forced by using chimney pots, cemanded by the threshing mill men, and out, or covering with light litter six or eight inches deep. I frequently hear people say "My rhubarb is a failure." If you take a little trouble to prepare the ground as per instructions, and see the bed is well drained, sheltered, and warm you will have no cause to complain and the crop will pay you for your labour and outlay tho first season. MANURE HEAP. Now is the time to put your manuro heap in order. Turn it over and sprinkle a Pittle air-slaeked lime in and as you turn it. This will kill any insects or blight, and also help the decomposition. It adds to the value of manur-j fo be weJ rotted and thoroughly mi -:cd. It should also be placed in a dry position, as in the event of laying in water the goodness is washed out. Some of the up-to-date fanners in England keep it under cover with sides open. COMPOST HEAP. Every garden should also have a compost heap, where garden refuse can bo put to rot. Leaves, hedgo clippings, waste vegetables, straw, grass clippings etc. can be collected into a heap. This should be occasionally turned over, and a little lime and salt sprinkled, over, so that it will become thoroughly rotted. Poultry, pig, or sheep manure may be added when turning over with benefit. In order to keep it down throw a little earth over as you add the refuse. Jt is good for renovating flower beds. Once tried, no one who values the pleasure of having vigorous growth will care to be without the compost heap. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Continue to give the dahlia every attention. Remove the spent blooms a» as possible, also keep any weak, inside lateral growths removed. Now i's tho time to make an inspection of new varieties to see what should bo added next season. A personal inspection of the variety growing is far better than any catalogue description. Bogonias, as soon as they are over, should have the watering gradually withheld, until they have dried right off. A good method of storing is to leave the Vnilb? in the pets, laying the pots on tiieir sides. Gloxinias are also nearly or quite over, and should be treated in a similar manner. Should Tot appear scrape out tho bad place with a knife and rub in sulphur. Seedlings of delphniums, hollyhock, ■uitirrihinums, pansies verbenas pentstemons that were sown early, should be transplanted as soon as possible. Use good soil, and although the plants will stand all the cold weather we are likely t'o get, a little shelter from cold .vinds will be to their benefit. At the same time keep them hardy; a hardy, sturdy, well-grown plant will always produce better blooms than a forced, weak plant. Verbena and Pentstemon seed may still be sown for producing plants for flowering early next spring. These subjects do much better when raised from autumn-sown seed. Perennials may now be lifted and divided and re-planted. When dividing take care to use the outsides of tho clumps for re-planting. They are always the strongest. Seeds of ten-week stocks should bo sown at once. Sown now tho plants will bloom early, and the results are far and away ahead of spring-sown ones. Plants of ten-week stocks that arc ready for planting should be planted as soon as possible. The richest of ground is required; that is the result is in proportion to the manure. Anemones may still be planted. No garden can afford to be without these. Plant three inches deep and six inches apart.