GARDENING NOTES

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 40, 12 October 1922, Page 43

GARDENING NOTES

(By Me. J. Joyce, Landscape Gardener, Christchurch.)

WORK FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER. .The Vegetable Garden. Ample scope is usually provided this month for gardening operations, as it will be necessary now to sow vegetable seeds of. every discription, and to use every opportunity to check the growth of weeds. Sow peas, broad beans, radish, and lettuce for succession, also a little cabbage, cauliflower, and brocoli seeds. Sow tomato seed in a box, likewise celery', and place them in a frame or greenhouse; the soil should be watered a. day or two before sowing, and a sheet of glass placed over each box. In this connection it is advisable to sprinkle dry soil over the seeds when sown, and gently pat down the surface. The seeds thus sown need not be again watered .for some time. It frequently' happens that in watering small seeds sown in dry soil in boxes they are washed to one side, hence it is necessary to have the boxes placed level, so that the water will be evenly distributed. Leek seed should be sown thinly in a well-manured trench ' about 12 inches deep ; this saves the labor of transplanting into trenches, which is the usual practice. Sow a bed of turnips- and beet in well prepared soil. Potatoes .may now be planted in small lots at brief intervals. The Flower Garden. —The sowing -of flower seeds in the beds and borders will .now claim' attention. These require to bo sown thinly, and transplanted should they come up in thick clusters. Bedding plants propagated in boxes require to be placed outside to harden, and planted out towards the end of the month. Give a good watering after planting out. Keep the weeds in check: they make great headway at this period of the year. Mow and Toll the lawn at least once a week. Should there be any bare patches, sprinkle some seed upon them, rake in, and cover with a light dressing of soil. . v ' The Vinery.Rub off shoots from the vines, leaving only the strongest, and one to bear the bunch; Water the floor every morning to cause a damp atmosphere : a tub of water kept for the purpose within the vinery will be found convenient. An occasional spraying of the interior is desirable.