Garden Notes

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 51, 17 March 1894, Page 6

Garden Notes

NOTES FOR MARCH.

(By Murihiku)

Vegetable Garden.— Work in the garden this month, though not of the most important character, should be carefully attended to if the grower desires a plentiful supply for the house during the winter and spring months. All parts of the garden under crop, which will allow of doing so, should be gone over thoroughly with a Dutch hoe, and the weeds allowed to lie exposed .few days before being gathered up, and-vacant spaces dug up and allowed to lie exposed to the weather during the winter, which will render the ground more fit to receive a crop in the spring. Clear off all pea and bean haulms, and store away stakes for future use. Celery will require a good deal of attention just now, both as regards watering and earthing up. This latter operation should always he done on a fine day, care being taken to keep the soil from getting into the heart of the plants. Autumfi-sown onions - generally succeed well, and keep better than those sown in spring, on account of having a much longer season in which to mature, and those whepnrpose making a so wingshouldget them in without delay. On no account should the sowing be deferred later than towards the end of the month. Small sowings of radish, lettuce, spinach, and mustard and cress, for winter use may still be made, also main crops of cabbage and cauliflower for planting out in spring, may be sown at any time during the month, though the sooner the better, so as to be well grown before severe weather sets in. It is always a difficult matter to save theee from frosts etc., so that as warm and sheltered a spot as possible should be chosen for sowing on. Lift and store all potatoes as they ripen. If left longer in the ground, the early sorts especially, are liable to make second growth, which is injurious.

Fruit Garden— The ground for new strawberry beds being in good order, planting may be proceeded with, selecting strong well rooted runners and planting about 2ft. Sin. between the rows and 15in. between the sets. The old beds should be gone over, the dead leaves removed, ground stirred up and covered with a top-dressing of manure to protect during winter. Gather and store apples and pears as they ripen, great care being taken to avoid bruising. The best method of keeping these fruits is to store away thinly on shelves in a cool dry place.

Flower, Garden. — We have now arrived at a time when frosts sufficiently hard to destroy the bulk of our tender plants, which are left unprotected, may be expected, and as the operation of covering them nightly would entail a good deal of work few care to take the trouble necessary to save the beauty of the gardens for a few weeks longer. If desirable, however, a double thickness of scrim or sacking supported over the plant will be sufficient. Next month being the pi’oper time for planting spring flowering bulbs the ground for these may be prepared, the best soil being of a sandy nature and worked fairly ■(deep. Existing beds should be gone ’over and dead leaves and foliage removed. Chrysanthemums should be staked and kept neat and trim, and those for indoor decoration removed under cover at once. To attain blooms of large size as seen on our show tables, they require to be attended to from their first growth, but moderately good blooms may even yet be had by disbudding to two or three buds on each shoot. This course is not recommended, however unless large flowers only are desired