The Star: October 26, 2023
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Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />
Thursday <strong>October</strong> <strong>26</strong> <strong>2023</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong><br />
GARDENING 23<br />
Plant pumpkins and prune poppies now<br />
Vegetables<br />
Given rich soil, zucchini,<br />
marrows and pumpkin are easily<br />
grown in the home garden.<br />
Pumpkins need a hot, dry<br />
summer to do well, so this year<br />
looks promising for harvest.<br />
Bush marrows, such as Cocozelle<br />
di Napoli, require less room than<br />
the trailing types but zucchini<br />
are more popular than marrows,<br />
so seed of the latter can be<br />
difficult to obtain.<br />
Sow the seeds now in pots or<br />
seed boxes. Mini greenhouses,<br />
a little like an old-fashioned<br />
cold frame, are ideal for these<br />
tender vegetables, as is a<br />
bottomless box, with a square<br />
of glass set over the top and<br />
placed in the warmest part of<br />
the garden. Plants can be put in<br />
their permanent place from the<br />
end of the month, or once the<br />
likelihood of frost has passed.<br />
When fruits form, liquid manure<br />
will encourage good growth.<br />
Watering is needed only when<br />
the soil is dry in the plants’<br />
earlier stages.<br />
Celery can be sown in the<br />
same way as marrows or pumpkins.<br />
Trenches can be prepared<br />
now for planting out early in<br />
December. Dump plenty of manure<br />
in the bottom of the trench<br />
and top with soil but leave the<br />
surface 5cm to 10cm lower than<br />
the surrounding garden to help<br />
retain moisture, as celery will<br />
quickly go to seed if the ground<br />
dries out.<br />
Flowers<br />
Outdoor fuchsias, Californian<br />
tree poppy (Romneya coulteri)<br />
and willows grown for bark<br />
effects can be pruned now. Cut<br />
them hard, trimming last year’s<br />
growth close to older wood.<br />
Young, rooted pieces can be<br />
taken from the outside of violet<br />
plants and the central portion of<br />
old clumps discarded. Violets do<br />
best in partial shade with rich,<br />
heavy soil.<br />
Herbaceous perennials, such as<br />
Michaelmas daisies, can still be<br />
increased by taking side growths<br />
with a few roots attached.<br />
Hardy annuals can be sown<br />
outdoors this month. Clarkia,<br />
Asters, nasturtiums, Calendula<br />
and sweet peas are good options.<br />
Dwarf sweet peas do not need<br />
staking. Little Sweetheart is one<br />
of the smallest, growing to 25cm,<br />
making it suitable for bedding,<br />
pots and hanging baskets. <strong>The</strong> soil<br />
for sweet peas should be welllimed<br />
and the ground worked to a<br />
fine crumb. Phosphate worked into<br />
the soil (30g per sq m) will give the<br />
seedlings a good start and a sturdy<br />
root system.<br />
Lawns that have become<br />
patchy because of grass grub<br />
damage or the removal of weeds<br />
on a large scale can be brought<br />
back to order with a dressing<br />
now of one part superphosphate,<br />
three parts sulphate of ammonia<br />
mixed and spread at the rate of<br />
30g per sq m. Apply this mix<br />
now and in early autumn as<br />
growth restarts after summer.<br />
Mossy soil can be dressed with<br />
the same mixture, with the addition<br />
of a half-part of sulphate<br />
of iron to suppress moss. Some<br />
damage to the leaves of nearby<br />
grass will appear, but recovery is<br />
quick.<br />
Dwarf annuals for a rockery<br />
or the front of garden beds<br />
include Phacelia (blue shades),<br />
Nemophila (blue), Linum<br />
grandiflorum and Limnanthes<br />
(yellow). Linaria produces<br />
flowers resembling miniature<br />
PREPARE:<br />
Plants can be put<br />
in their permanent<br />
place from the end<br />
of the month as<br />
we near frost-free<br />
mornings.<br />
Pumpkins can<br />
be planted, and<br />
poppies – such as<br />
the Californian tree<br />
poppy – should be<br />
pruned now.<br />
PHOTOS: GETTY<br />
snapdragon on slender stems,<br />
15cm-25cm high.<br />
Fruit<br />
Tomatoes can be planted now<br />
in unheated greenhouses. <strong>The</strong><br />
ground or container mixture<br />
does not need to be over-rich, as<br />
fertilisers applied when the fruits<br />
set will provide a heavy crop to<br />
the ripening stage.<br />
<strong>The</strong> soil must be free from<br />
disease, though, and growing<br />
tomatoes in pots or bags of<br />
new mix each season is recommended.<br />
In autumn, put the soil<br />
on the vegetable garden. Avoid<br />
over-watering young tomato<br />
plants during the first few weeks,<br />
as this can damage their roots.<br />
ORCHID<br />
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available for<br />
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Admission $2<br />
Cash entry<br />
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Mineral & Lapidary Club Hall<br />
110 Waltham Rd<br />
oN sAle Now!<br />
Now only<br />
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AvAilAble from stAr mediA:<br />
Level One, 359 Lincoln Road<br />
Addington, Christchurch<br />
Phone 379 7100<br />
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