HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-04-16, Page 44rl
rigs need tender loving care
Organization • and careful
preparation before tran-
splanting seedlings can help
ensure •a• healthy garden,.
says. T. T. Blom, Ontario.
Ministry of Agriculture and
Food horticulturist. .
"First, remove stones and
debris from the, . garden.
Next,. Loosen the soil • and
poke, holes for. the tra.n
splants.'>
Adding pre -wetted peat
moss to the holes before
transplanting will give the
plants a good start.
Mr. Blom says it is best to
transplant seedlings at
night. Water seedlings
semeral hours before tran-
spla rating,
When ready to, transplant,
gently tap the sides of the pot
to remove the plant.
"Keep the roots and soil
together as much as
possible, then put the roots in
the new hole and pat the soil
around them."
After transplanting, Mr. •
Blom recommends watering
as needed and fertilizing
after two or three days.
"One-half to one pound of
regular fertilizer per 100
square feet of garden space
-should be adequate."
Provide cucumbers,
squash, tomatoes, and
melons with up to four
square feet of Space. Cab
bage, peppers, broccoli, and
brussels sprouts requireless
space.
A well-designed rock garden blends Into the surroundings,
= - so it look-s,like a natural part of the landscape. (Photo by
the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food)
Making a rock garden
By Burke McNeill
Extension
Horticulturist,
OMAF
Many gardeners have
visions of a beautiful rock
garden as soon as they see a
slope or a terraced situation.
Their . visions are usually
very realistic, but here
realism often stops. They do
not take into account the
work required to develop and
maintain the site. Nothing
looks worse than a poorly
planned and poorly main-
tained rock garden.
Site selection is the most
important decision to make
once you have decided' to
plant 0 rock garden. Well -
drained locations are a
necessity. If drainage is
poor, a gravel and stone base
should he provided.
Rock gardcns•should also
blend with the surrounding
terrain. For instance, a
mound of stone and earth in
the middle of a flat front
yard -is not a good choice of
'locatiorc'IE will always look
like a mound of dirt. Blend
your rock garden into the.
surroundings, so it will look
like a natural part of the
oversltscene.
Most plant Material used -
in rock gardens comes from
mountains, and this is the
type of a scene that gar-
deners are trying to imitate
in their yards. When, plan-
ning your rock garden, try to
picture how this would look
in natural surroundings..
There are many "do's"
• and "don'ts" in rock garden
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construction. For detailed
advice consult .the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and
Food publication "Rock
Gardens", (publication No.
38). This free publication is
available from local
agricultural offices' or by
writing to the Information
Branch, Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food,
Legislative B,aildings,.
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1A5.
There are also many fine
reference hooks on the
subject, available in soft
cover editions at your local
book stores and libraries.
English gardeners have
developed rock gardening
into a fine art and
publications from that
country are particularly
informative.
Practically any low -
growing plant material can
be used in a rockery. Both
deciduous and evergreen
shruhs, and many hundreds
of herbaceous perennials,
can" be used effectively. •
Unfortunately, . rock gar-
dening is a very specialized
form of gardening and en-
thusiasts must look far arid
wide for. many of the choice
plants, . such as dryas,
dr•acocephalium, erigeron
and • helianther•rum.
However, the backbone of
any .rockery is the moss
phloxs, sedums, houseleeks
Rens and. Chickens), cantly -
tuft, perennial alyssum and
thymes. These are readily
a.v.ailable at most garden
centres.
•
Mustard greens,
a saw treat
What are your basic tossed
salad ingredients? Lettuce,
radish, tomatoes., gree -n
onions, occasionally spinach'
or' endive in season and a
pinch of fresh dill or other
herbs, right?
Very few gardeners 'know*
how good mustard greens
taste in .salads. Tender,
young mustard leaves have a
peppery nip and a mild,
distinctive taste appreicated
by almost all adventurous
eaters. Substitute chopped.
mustard greens for half the
lettuce insalads. •
Mustard greens have been
held back by being typed as a
Southern vegetable for
simmering alone or with
pork. They are delicious
cooked but they are not just a
Southern vegetable. Quick
growing mustard greens will
thrive anywhere in the US,,
- if--plartte•d- to- m-a-tu-ee during- -
coolweather. -
The name "mustard
greens" is unfortunate. The
greens don't have a mustard
flavor. Condiment mustard
is made from mustard seeds
from a different species. The
only' similarity between the
taste of greens and prepared
mustard is in the mild
peppery tang.
Mustard greens will
mature in about 45 days from
..planting. Your first harvest
will be ready in only 30 days
ino, the form of surplus
seedlings thinned out of the
row. Young mustard plants -
are classed as '.'semi -hardy"
and can be planted 3 to 4
weeks prior to the average
date of the last killing frost in
the spring. Late summer is a
good time for seeding a fall
crop.
Three kinds ,of mustard
greens are usually available
—smooth leaf, curly leaf and
a variety with broad stems
preferred for oriental
cooking. Smooth -leaved
varieties win out where the
soils are sandy because the
leaves are easier to wash.
The curly leaved types are
superior for salads; they
fluff up tossed salads much
like curly endive.
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•
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