Garden Notes

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 37, 9 December 1893, Page 4

Garden Notes

DECEMBER.

(By Mueihiku.)

Vegetable Gabpen. —This will be a busy month in the garden, as with the alternate heat and warm showers we have had this spring everything is growing vigorously, and will therefore require every attention. Advantage should be taken, in the first place, during hot and diy weather to destroy weeds, &c , by hoeing and weeding, also see to the staking of peas and runners to prevent injury from winds. Late sowings of peas, early horn carrots, turnips, lettuce, radish, &c., may still be sown, and also savoy, broccoli, and winter cabbage of all sorts for planting out early in January. Celery should now be ready for pricking off into pits or cold frames, so as to be well forward when planting out into trenches next month ; and if, as was recommended for last month, the more advanced plants have been already 7" so attended to, they can be put out whenever convenient about the middle of this month. During dry weather celery will be greatly benefitted by frequent waterings with weak guano water. Growing - root-crops such as carrots, parsnips, beet, &c., will require thinning ; for these, about four inches between each plant will be sufficient, and for others more or less in proportion to size of root.

Fruit Garden. —Very little requires to be done here this month, beyond a little attention to the requirements of growing trees: tying and nailing trained trees to walls, &c., and pinching the tops off strong - growing shoots of young fruit trees to equalise growth and induce a bushy habit. Flower Garden. —See that dahlias and hollyhocks are well secured to stakes, and encourage growth by frequent waterings with liquid manure. To grow these plants successfully they require to have a rich, free soil and abundance of moisture, and almost constant attention to tying up and keeping clear of slugs and other insect pests. Verbenas, petunias and other trailing plants will require pegging down as growth proceeds; also stake sweet peas, convolvulus, nasturtiums, &c., to prevent them being blown about by the wind. Young pot-plants now making rapid growth should be encouraged by shifting into larger-sized pots, and when established water once a week with weak liquid manure.