HINTS FOR THE AMATEUR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 April 1941, Page 9

HINTS FOR THE AMATEUR

Fruit, Flowers and Vegetables WORK FOR THE WEEK VEGETABLE GARDEN. * It is a good plan to dig up roughly any plots of land which are inclined to be wet and sticky; exposure to the air will make the soil more friable. Make every effort to clean up the ground before it becomes too wet; annual weeds are best dealt with in damp weather by lightly skimming the soil with a fork and turning' in the weeds. If not already sown, the onions for transplanting should be sown without delay. Thin the advancing crops of turnips, beet and carrots sown last month. When the top growth of asparagus has ripened it should be cut off before the seeds fall to the ground. Care should be taken of the fallen leaves and vegetable refuse which can be rotted down in the compost heap. FLOWER GARDEN. ' Where roses have suffered badly from rust, collect and burn/ the leaves and spray both plants and soil with a good fungicide. ■. Bulb planting should be completed in the near future. Stir the ground between early-planted anemones as soon as they show through the soil. Plant out stocks, calendulas, pansies, carnations, Iceland poppies and I inaria. Prepare the sites for planting roses; these do best in beds by themselves. Evergreen shrubs can be transplanted from now on. The autumn and spring are the best times. Keep the runners picked off from the violets and stir the soil over between the plants with a small fork. FRUIT GARDEN. Old, worn-out trees that it is decided to replace should be grubbed out and burned without delay. Trees badly infected with insect pests or disease should be given a good dose of the appropriate spray now that the fruit has been removed. Loganberries and similar fruits can be increased by pegging the growths into the soil. Most of the fruit will now be harvested and attention should be given to the trees. Trees that are growing too vigorously, but bear little fruit, should be root pruned.