THE GARDEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17281, 23 September 1916, Page 4

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN. Seeds to Sow.—Re-ins, licet, brocI eoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots. cauliflower, kale, leeks, lettuce, 1 onions, parsnips, peas, spinach, tomatoes and turnips. j What to Plant.— Asparagus, chives, : garlic, potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower 1 and rhubarb. Keep tho hoc and planet busy between growing crops and through all vacant plots. By keeping the surface soil constantly stirred the pound is sweetened and tho moisture u?!ow is conserved. Tho main crop of onions should be -own as soon as possible. A lit'tlo •.'ixtra time spent. /jreparing tho surface soil will prove* a good invest:ont. All hard lumps should be broken up, and the surface made as even ;s possible. It is advisable to test seed before owing. Take fifty or a hundred seeds :om the packet and sprout them in a .varin, moist place. When they begin to grow, count them, and tho proportion that is good will afford an idea as to how thick the seeds should bo -own. Some samples of seed are very ..nor, not more than AO per cent being mod, whilst another sample may show iver. 80 per cent fertile. If the same lumber oi' seeds per varcl is sown, the ' .-esult is a poor crop or a crowd, involving a lot of thinning, which is very expensive, if one has to pay for labour. Further, the resultant crop is iot as good as it would have been '■ad every plant had ample room from the start. A crammed seedling can lever do as well as on 6 that has plenty >f space and air from tho start. This .s why some c.xhibft&rs raise their seeds m a frame or eaSr greenhouse, and oriole th cm off into boxes, much the am.e as’ bedding plants, and when they \ri\ large/ enough they are put into '-heir final positions in the garden. Some may consider that this system involves a jot of work. • However, the results must be considered before -an estimate of its value is made. When ono can produce onions 31b to 41b I weight grown this way, there is some I compensation for tho extra labour. T\ e do not advocate raising the seeds "’-d transplanting them, but call attenMon to it, to show the need of giving very seedling plenty of room from the tart, by avoiding a too lavish use of md when sowing tho crop. Every spring there are many comlaints that radishes are not a s’uc•ess. This is due to sowing the soeds n poor soil. To obtain nice, tender radishes the seeds must be sown on : ght. rich soil. The plants should •ever want for water from tho time the seeds sprout until tho roots aro largo enough for use. These remarks apply to all vegetables that are eaten raw (or uncooked), such as lettuce, celery, etc. HARDY FRUITS. Keep the soil stirred between strawberry rows, and if tho plants need feeding givo them a liberal dusting with bono manure before hoeing the ground. Some gardeners put. the artificial manure close around the plants, but this is a mistake, as tho roots run a long way from tho crown in search of food. "Scatter the manure broadcast over the bed. In very waTm districts apples will soon bo in flower. Get everything ready for spraying to destroy codkn moth, a pest which spoils more fruits than all others, and a general war should bo made on it to stamp it out. It,'is well to remember that one spraying is not enough, because all tho blossoms do not open at the same time. Two sprayings are necessary’, and three would bo better than two. ( Where the moth has been verv bad iwe plenty of snray fluid, especially on | the large"limb3*and the trunk. Arsen- i ate of lead is not very expensive*, but the ravages of tho codlin moth are. FLOWER GARDEN. Tho garden at No. 68, Murray Place, St Albans, is very beautiful and is well worth a long journey to see. It 'affords a striking object lesson m spring gardening, with its u ealtli .of violas' and other spring flowering plants. Fortunately there aro no fences close by to shut its beauty from the street, and passers by, without any hindrance, can enjoy its loveliness from the road. We commend this beauty spot to all who can get time to visit it. It resembles a corner m one ot the London parks. , * •Vnnuals will demand a lot of attention during the next six or eight weeks, and a few remarks on them may be useful. Most of them give the best results when tho seed is sown where thev are to flower. There is no comparison. in many instances, between the quantity and quality of the. blossoms produced from those sown m the -'open and others/raised m boxes. The rrreat difference in favour of plants raised where they aro to flower is doubtless owing to the fact that they do not suffer the same ’check as those raised inside and then transplanted. The "round should bo prepared some time "Wore the seed is sown to give it a chance to settle down. If it is dug just before the seed is nut in, make it | ns firm as possible by treading. Another point is to thin tho seedlines oarlv and severely. When these plants have plenty of room they make a lot of strong lateral shoots, . with manv blossoms, and they remain in flower much longer than those that have been transplanted. Get the seeds sown as soon as possible, with the exception of nasturtium and zinnias, as next month is early enough for these, as they are more tender and easily injured by slight frosts. , Chrysanthemums and phlox should be taken up, divided and replanted. Lift tho plants, manure and trench the ground and then renlace the plants. Some of the old stools' may have grown very largo, and in such cases replant the" outside growths and throw away the centre. The outside portions give much better flowers and stronger growth. ' \ GREENHOUSE. Bedding plants need a lot of atton-, tion to thoroughly prepare them for setting out. It does not matter 60 mucns if some are on the small side so long asj they have been well hardened' 7 , trir. ? Small plants get over the shift fiuiclfer, > than large ones, and soon mnjjje jjdod $ anv deficiency of size. ,v j 4 Seedling begonias and gloxinias ; will 1 require constant attention jusUEach tinv plant should bo darefully .. lifted from the seed bed, andapricked', ; round the edge of five-inch pdjj&T TU- 1 thov are left too long in the sqgft bed I they prevent others from growing.-' 7 The seeds germinate very irregularly,' 1 and often those that sprout last provo to be the best. Do not keep the soijj a too wot; damp them overhead with a' very fine spray. Although they should be shaded from the strong rays of the sun give them plenty pf light, and remove the shade as soon as the sun is past, being dangerous. , Push on all repotting that has to be dme, especially soft-wooded plants. Young fuchsias should not" suffer for want' of root room until they are in their final pots.