THE BUSY MAN’S CORNER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 798, 19 October 1929, Page 30

THE BUSY MAN’S CORNER

AMONG THE FLOWERS THE SEASON. —With that spring feeling in the air gardeners should be fully occupied filling up their vacant plots, weeding, hoeing and, generally speaking,, making their garden a picture for months to come. Now is the time. Spring is here. Plant at °uce before the summer comes with its dry days and extra tasks with the water-can or hose. PLANTS TO SET. —Many brilliant bedding plants are now available. The foremost are as follow: For open beds, asters, zinnias, African marigolds, calendulas, salvias, petunias and stocks. For edging and border -work, lobelia, verbena, violas, pansy, dwarf antirrhinum, carpet bedding 1 and echeverias. For backing tall borders or centres of flower-beds, s.et cosmos, sunflowers and delphiniums. CULTIVATION. —The ground before planting should be deeply dug and the soil broken up to a fine tilth. Lime may be used freely to "help keep down the slugs and snails and also bring out the natural properties lying dormant in the ground. Where available, topdress your beds with rotted manure, which will act as a mulch through the warm weather. Artificial manures may be used when organics are unavailable. DAHLIAS. —DahIia plants should be set the end of this month for flowering in the autumn. These plants are gross feeders and should be manured accordingly Stake the plants when setting and tie firmly as they grow. Chrysanthemums planted earlier may he helped along with liquid manure. Signs of rust may be checked by spraying with lime and sulphur and black spider on the new growth may be eradicated by using black leaf 40. SEEDS TO SOW. —Many varieties may now be set freely in open ground provided they are properly watered. Phlox Druanmondi may be sown broadcast in the bed the}' are intended to mature in. Virginian stock may be sown in odd corners to brighten up the garden. Dwarf nasturtiums work wonders when set in windowboxes. Other showy varieties for outdoor plantings are alyssium, linaria. linum, clarkia, godetia and ageratum. ODD JOBS. —Don’t forget your lawn; a topdressing of suitable manure now will help it greatly during the coming dry months. Manure those clumps of Michaelmas daisies and other perennials. They .are hungry feeders. Disbud the rose bushes if you want choice blooms. * Set the plants of ornamental creepers at once. Indoor plants will now need a double supply of water. Don't neglect this or your plants will soon look sick. AMONG THE VEGETABLES PEAS AND BEANS. —Most gardeners will have already sown a few of both these popular crops. Don’t stop now. Sow a few every two or three weeks to keep up a continuous supply. The taller and main crop peas are better for setting now, such as Stratagem, Yorkshire Hero, etc. Runner beans may now be set. Try the Zebra Runner; they are a very tasty bean and heavy cropper. Dwarf butter and French haricot and lima may now be sown. PLANTS TO SET. —Tomatoes, the most popular of kitchen garden crops. Set the plants 18in apart and 2ft between the row's. Highly-manured ground is not necessary for tomatoes as it only produces abundant leaf growth. Apply manure later on when the fruit begins to set. Plants of cabbage and cauliflower may be set in rich soil. Lettuce and beet may be planted at once. Prepare trenches for leek and celery plants. SEEDS TO SOW. —The main sowing of all root crops should be made Without delay. Set carrots, parsnips, turnips, radish, beet and celeriac. Sow the seed- thinly and weed out as they grow. If the drills are well watered. before sown, germination will be much quicker. Seeds of peppers, egg-plant, salsify and celery may be sown in boxes for planting out later.

MARROWS AND PUMPKINS. —Seeds of cucumbers, marrows, pumpkins, melons, etc., may now be freely sown. Raised mounds of garden refuse make excellent beds when covered with soil for this purpose. Sow the seeds in clumps of three or four and thin out the weakest growing. Plenty of liquid manure and waterings during their growing period is essential to their growth. URGENT WORK. —Crops of cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce planted earlier should be watered with nitrate of soda, loz a gallon. Keep the hoe busy along the rows of established plants. Onions may receive a topdressing of potash manure. Mould potatoes up as they grow There is still time to plant another crop of this profitable crop. Tobacco dust and lime should be,freely sprinkled round to keep down slugs and snails. FRUIT TREES. —Nectarines and peaches are now well in leaf and should be sprayed to keep down curly leaf. Use lime and sulphur every 14 days. Apple trees should be sprayed as soon as the blossoms fall and every two weeks after with arsenate of lead to quell the ravages of the codlin moth. Plums may receive the same spray to keep the foliage free from the insect that eats the foliage.