HINTS FOR THE AMATEUR.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 October 1938, Page 9

HINTS FOR THE AMATEUR.

VEGETABLES AND FLOWERS.

WORK FOR THE WEEK

VEGETABLE GARDEN. Make a sowing of radishes every ten days to keep a constant supply. Early peas should be done before the stems bend over. Sow onions, mustard and cress, and lettuce for summer salads. Keep the hoe going among the growing crops; run the push hoe between drills of seeds as soon as rows can be defined. Sow runner, French and butter beans for successional crops. Make frequent sowings of New Zealand spinach between the rows of peas. Remove the flower stems from Rhubarb as soon as they show. Sow marrows, pumpkins and cucumbers out of doors when danger of frost is over. FLOWER GARDEN. Spring-flowering annuals that have finished their display should be removed to make room for the summer kinds. Thin out the number of shoots on herbaceous perennials, leaving just a few of the strongest. Plant out the half-hardy annuals raised under glass. Zinnias, asters, salvias, marigolds, petunias, etc, can all be planted now. Plant out divisions of dahlias when they have started into growth. Keep the sweet peas tied up to their supports, when grown on the cordon system the side shoots must be removed regularly. Greenfly will be troublesome on roses; do not allow these to gain a hold. FRUIT GARDEN. Apply the Bordeaux spray to the apples at “greentip stage” to combat scab and brown rot. Keep the bush fruits free of weeds; once perennial weeds become established in the stools they are hard to eradicate. Spray the black currants with lime sulphur to combat “big bud mite. Peach and plum aphis is in evidence; spray with a good insecticide before the foliage becomes curled. Do not spray fruit trees while the blossom ife open or it may fail to set. Lemons should be sprayed with Bordeaux before the blossom opens to prevent verrucosis; spray again after the main blossom has set.