HINTS FOR THE AMATEUR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 September 1941, Page 8

HINTS FOR THE AMATEUR

Fruit, Flowers and Vegetables WORK FOR THE WEEK VEGETABLE GARDEN. Make the main plantings of potatoes'during this month. In exceptionally warm positions a few tomato plants can be planted. Keep some coverings handy for placing over (plants ion cold nights. Plant a few early marrows under boxes with a sheet of glass over them. When the soil dries, keep the hoe going among the crops to kill seedling weeds. Sow a pinch of lettuce seed every fortnight to keep up a regulai supply. Sow peas for succession and place small stakes to those already up. Draw up,a little earth on each side of the rows before staking. FLOWER GARDEN. Continue to plant gladioli for succession every few weeks. Rambler rases ,on which some of the 'old branches were left at the autumn pruning should have the laterals cut back to one inch. Lawns should be rolled with a heavy roller while moist, but not when the soil is saturated. Beds of spring flowers should have the surface soil stirred with a hoe whenever the soil is dry enough. 1 If new lawns are to ,be sown, no time should be lost in preparing the soil. Established lawns will benefit from a light dressing of sulphate of ammonia. FRUIT GARDEN. • Black currants infested with “big bud” should be sprayed with lime sulphur when the'first leaves are as large as >a shilling. Watch out foil aphis on th§ newly-unfolding peach leaves and spray on its first appearance. With the awakening of bud and leaf growth the pests will awake also and are more easily,dealt with in the first instance. Late-planted fruit trees should be mulched at once with litter or manure, for will dry out rapidly with.a fine spell. Trees to be grafted should be headed .back if not already attended to. Raspberries and loganberries growing in light soils should be well mulched with decayed manure or compost.