Garden preparation the key to the early spring garden

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 12, 19 August 1986, Page 16

Garden preparation the key to the early spring garden

lt is hard to believe that the wet soggy mess that our gardens represent after all the heavy rain we have had will, in a few weeks, show a mass of new growth. Those of us who prepared new beds for flowers and vegetables earlier in the winter are well ahead of the rest. Beds which were rough dug and the soil opened up to winter weather will now be sweet and in good condition. They can be lightly forked over and with the addition of some manure they will be ready for spring planting. 1 am surprised that so many people contemplate planting flower and vegetable seeds directly into the cold so.H just now. lt is much too cold and wet to plant seeds. Wait until the ground has had time to dry out and the soil warmed a little. If you want to get ahead, plant your seeds up in seed boxes. A shallow box not more than two or three inches deep will suffice, but ensure there are adequate drainage holes in the base. Prepare the growing medium — a commercial seedraising mix has all the necessary ingredients to get your seeds off to a good start. Mix this with a handful or two of sharp river sand to improve drainage. With a sharp stick score the soil into narrow drills about a couple of inches apart down the length of the box, and sow the seed thinly

into the drills. Cover the seeds with about a centimetre or so of the soil mix. Never plant too deeply. Water sufficiently to make the soil just damp and keep an eye to see that the boxes do not dry out. If you have some panes of glass available to fit the top of the box you can create your own cold frame. Lay a sheet of newspaper over the surface of the soil and place the glass over the top. Place the boxes in an airy shed, on a covered verandah, or even under thick trees out of the worst of the weather. Check after a week orso, and as the little seedlings appear, remove the newspaper. As the seedlings grow lift the glass a little by placing sticks or corks under the edges. This allows the air to circulate underneath which will help to harden off the

tiny plants. Thin out weak or spindly seedlings until you have a well-spaced row of strong plants. As they get taller, remove the glass altogether. In a few weeks these should have grown large enough for planting out, by which time, we hope, the weather and the ground will have warmed up a little. What a thrill it was to find the first few flowers on my Camellia Debutante, and to see the little miniature daffodils unfolding their first tiny buds. A real herald of the spring. It will soon be time to plant Gladioli bulbs, but even if you buy them now don't be in a rush to plant them while the weather is as cold and wet as it is at present. Gladioli will flourish in any good well-drained

garden soil in a position where they have the advantage of full sun. Plant your corms about ten centimetres deep and about the same distance apart. It is an advantage to plant a fairly stout stake that the growing plants can be tied to at the same time that you set the corms. We usually set a stake in the centre of a group of about four corms. In this region, where the wind can be quite strong usually at the time when your gladioli are in flower, have them well supported and you will avoid the disappointment of seeing all those lovely blooms flattened into the soil. For a continuous display of flowering, corms can be planted at intervals about ten days apart up to the end of November or the beginning of December.