THE GARDEN.

North Otago Times, Volume CVII, Issue 17748, 18 March 1927, Page 7

THE GARDEN.

WORK FOR THE WEEK. Seeds to sow: Cabbage, cauliflower, endive, lettuce, onion, spinach, turnip. What to plant: Cabbage, endive, lettuce. > Root crops, such as carrots. beet and onions, need careful attention. No hard and fast rule can be lixed as to the date on which they should be lifted and stored.. The condition of the roots is the only true guide. When beetroot have attained a fair size they should be carefully taken up and stored. Notliing whatever is gained by keeping them too long in the ground. The strongest get larger and coarser, and prevent the more backward from growing into fair-sized roots. Thus the greater proportion of the crop may be wasted, but by carefully lifting the roots when they get a fair size the backward plants will get more light and air to assist them to develop faster. These roots need vei'y careful handliiig, for if broken or bruised they bleed, and so lose their rich colour. Take a small garden fork and work gently so as to avoid breaking the taproot, and store them as recently detailed. Carrots need similar treatment. The only difference is that the whole of the crop may be taken up at the same time and sorted into two samples for storing. The reason for lifting carrots is to prevent from cracking or splitting, a condition that is caused by the autumn rains. Celery for early use should be moulded up, but the later batch very slightly. The plants are growing fast, and if a lot of soil is packed against them it will check this rapid growth. It takes almost six weeks to blanch celery, so there is ample time to let the plants get bigger before they are moulded up. Keep a sharp lookout for slugs. These pests spoil the stems if not removed.

Greenhouse. The low temperature of • several | nights lately will warn gardeners j to put all their tender plants in a position where they will be secure j from possible frosts. Although they { might no,t sho'w signs of injury at | once. they will during the dull days ! of May. June and July. Secure a ! quantity of all tendril plants. Greenhouse bulbous plants are j going to rest. Give due attention to ripening off the bulb corms. Hundreds of valuable ones perish every winter owing to careless treatment in the autumn. ■■ Caladiums are one of the most beautiful of foliage plants, but it is rarely that any are seen in private gardens or. on exhibition. Why? Ask gardeners, and they will tell you that the roots perish during the winter. In most cases it is. due to the treatment they receive at the end of the summer. When the plants begin to show signs of going to rest and lose their bright shades of colour, they cease to be decorative, and are put aside for something fresher in condition. This is the first mistake. Instead of putting them away in some remote corner, they should be put in an open part where they can get plenty of light. Water sparingly, regulating the amount by the condition of the leaves. As they die oflf give less water, and when there is only one leaf left, cease wateringt, but let the plants remain in an open position until every part of the leaf stems has dried up, and the ball of soil about the roots is quite dryThen there is nothing to cause decomposition, and the pots can be I stored in a warm. dry position, and the roots will pass the winter safe and souiid. ,