Solstice activities for the garden

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 591, 20 June 1995, Page 12

Solstice activities for the garden

Winter appears to be with us and on Thursday we will be heading for summer as

we press beyond the longest night and the shortest day — the winter solstice. What a happy thought, as gradually we will see the hours of daylight increase. On the shortest day you should plant your garlic bulbs. Garlic is quite easy to grow and the return on each bulb planted makes it very worthwhile to grow your own. Plant the bulbs 5-8cm deep in any good well-worked garden soil and 7-8cm apart. To encourage good growth feed with a bulb food if you have it or a good general garden fertiliser worked into the soil at the rate of 200 gm

(roughly four handfulls per square metre) prior to planting. Apart from weeding, the plants will need little further attention. Aphid and their like dislike the smell of garlic so this can be a good deterrent if you plant a bulb or two in the rose bed. We once planted garlic in a border at the side of the cottage in Rangataua Road. Never having sufficient time to devote to the garden the border became overgrown with buttercup and bendweed before we had the time to clear it. We could find no trace of the garlic we planted despite digging up half the border in our search but forever after when the lawn was mown on that side of the cottage there arose a very strong smell of garlic. Now is quite a good time to plant out your strawberries, giving them time to settle and establish good root growth before the spring when the growing time begins. Ideally the ground should be well dug over and compost or peat added a few weeks before planting but if the ground has been fairly well nourished, a little blood and bone added when the ground is being prepared for^planting will suffice. Dig the ground well over to a fine tilth and raise the bed a few inches to facilitate drainage giving each plant sufficient room to spread the foliage, about 30-40cm apart is usual and plant the crown just below the surface of the soil making sure the roots do not turn upwards. A mulch of straw may be laid around the plant to keep the ripening fruit free of the ground and bird netting over the rows will help to protect the fruit from the birds who are quite sure you have planted them for their benefit. A winter spray of conquer oil will help to keep the plants clean over the winter and at bud burst a spray with copper oxychloride will help to dispel the pests which may attack the plants. During the growing season a dressing of sulphate of potash about 30-40gm per metre of row per month can be added but take care not to over-fertilise and avoid disturbartce of the shallow rooting systems. Adequate water is necessary during the growing season but taking care to avoid the ripening fruit as this may cause fungus diseases to develop. Strawberries are best grown in a fresh plot of ground each year. A good variety for this area is the old favourite

'Red Gauntlet' but new suckers on the market fruiting at different times will help to extend the growing season. The variety 'Aptos' is quite a favourite, fruiting early with large well flavoured berries, and 'Pagaso' will also fruit early given the right growing conditions and haye bright concise shaped berries of even size and a good flavour. If you are planting new liliums this season don't leave it too much longer. Liliums are always to be relied on to make a really good show and the Asiatic varieties do very well in this area. Some are an ideal subject for pot culture.