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Home gardening
DECKS AWASH - 69
Q: It was late July before I had a chance to plant
a vegetable garden. What type of vegetables
can be grown in the fall?
A: You could try quick maturing crops like lettuce,
turnip greens, spinach and beets. In fact,
for spinach it's always a good idea to seed a
crop in early to mid-August for fall harvest.
Radishes are very quick to mature laking four
to five weeks to get a crop. You can extend
your growing season late into Ute fall If you use
a frame covered with plastic in the garden to
protect the plants from early frost. Another
technique is to start transplants to beset in the
garden in mid-August. If you grow early cabbage
plants and set them in late summer, you
will have a mature crop by October. This cabbage
is great for use right away but is not
suitable (or storage. Lettuce plants that are not
completeJy mature can be taken up just before
the frost and put in a cold frame in a greenhouse,
and it will keep on producing, probably
up close to Christmas. Thus , you can get good
production even if you plant a garden late in
the season.
Q. Should I cut the bottom branches of my white
spruce trees that are growing in my front
yard?
A: Generally speaking it's not a good idea to remove
the Jower branches of evergreen trees
unless they are damaged or it is necessary to
see underneath. Sometimes if you remove the
lower branches you can stunt the tree; spruce
and fir grow best if the surface around the tree
is mulched with an organic material like peet
or leaf mold. Sometimes if the lower branches
are removed the soil dries out and the plant
suffers.
Q: My cabbage plants are not growing as they
should, the lower leaves are turning yellow and
the plant is rather stunted. What can I do?
A:Cabbage and most leafy vegetables should be
fed a nitrogen source during the growing season.
If you like to use commercial fertilizer,
then ammonia nitrate is the most common
source of nitrogen but you should be careful not
to touch the leaves with the fertilizer or it will
burn them. If you prefer an organic source of
nitrogen then you should use caplin or fish
offal. Again, becareful not to touch the stem
of the plant.
Q : I have a willow tree with shiny green leaves.
Our resident garden expert is Ross Traverse who also is supervisor
01 crop prodlJCtionWith provincial agriculture. He was
01 great help in the preparation 01 this special section on
farming
I believe some people call it "laurel willow".
This year just after the leaves came out some
of the leaves on the branches turned black,
dried up and dropped off. What would cause
this and how can I help prevent it?
.\ : This sounds to me like willow-leaf blight, a very
destructive disease of willows, easily spread
especially during rainy, damp weather. Control
methods are not very effective, but do
help . You should prune out the dead twigs and
branches to eliminate the source of the infection
. Also, if you spray with a Bordeaux mixture
at to-day intervals when the leaves begin
to emerge in the spring it will help control the
disease. Bordeaux mixture is available
through garden supply centres.
Q: I have a peony bush I planted two years ago
but it still has not produced any blooms,
although there has been lots of leaves and the
plant is spreading. What can I do to encourage
blooming?
,\ : Peonies,like any perennial flower, should be
planted in a good fertile soil but the trick with
peonies is to plant them not more than two
inches below the surface. If they are planted
too deep they will produce leaves but no blossoms;
this may be your problem. Take some
of the soil away from the crown of the root or
lift it up and replant it.
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