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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-04-16, Page 59:1 sin,yle plant of leaf lettuce i•a9E, spread to dinner -plate size. Lettuce pr�fit Leaf lettuce is the third most valuable vegetable you can grow in your garden. Only tomalars•and green onions are more prof- itahle. shy the experts. tines seeds of leaf lettuce veru early; they'll sprout and grow when it is too cool for most other vcgetahles. Descriptions list most leaf varieties as. maturing in about forty five days. But you can begin pulling every other plant when the seedlings are only- half -grown. 'thinning makes room for the remaining seedlings to fill out to their (all diameter • as large as dinner plates. • Except..wh.ere seasons are..tx..,.. rt'ntt•ly ,hart t horn k no ad :intagi• to starting Ieal'lotlWI' seeds o:u'I' indoors. 1)1,r011tiuur ,mtin,g IItluce .vols %then \t:u'n) summer come,. Ilea) rause, pour ger pupation. and the plants that °come up will luickly ,hunt up seed ,talks or turn hitter. E;erollenl 'rnp.--or leafLott uco ran he grim o for fall harvest 'luring cool we:ii'iler.'The cos ,rnmaino1 and butterhead r p•s grow especially well durinLt the fall season. These, boost ht;ading typesare-nearly ,rs I'asy to grow a, loaf Ieltuoe. Suggestion: mix. seeds of peso or throe kinds of teal' lettuce for variety in ('((Inc. loaf shares and taste. You can get apple green, dark green, bronze. red, frilled and fringed varieties. Packets of lettuce seeds are filled generously. Plant only, 14 to 112 packet at a time, at two-week intervals. An aver- age family can cat only as much leaf lettuce as can he grown on about ti sq. ft. of bed, E:xporie•nced gardeners "force" spring lettuce' to mature early by sheltering it under tunnels air-hotsid,:_of clear plastic sheeting. 'The canopy- coneentrate, the sun', haat and protect, lettuce from snap frost,. What a treat to be eating lavish s;tlads of home group leaf 'lettuce (1 hen a hunch cost' 74 rents at the market' LEAVE INSECTS OUT- DOORS Before bringing houseplants. indoors, check for insects and diseases. It won't take long for these problems to spread to other houseplants. Treat fungus diseases with benomyl. Diazinon can be. ' used to eliminate insects. Isolate treated plants from other houseplants for one week to 10 days. • Nursery Stock • Rolling • Fertilizing • Aerifying • Verticutting • Seeding 8 Sodding • Instant Shade Trees Key. tQpepp�e'rj prolifte.hy The sweet or pungent, long or blocky, hot or mild pepper is often the pickiest plant hi the vegetable patch. Picking the proper variety to grow is one solid step in salving the many problems, borne gardeners experience with this desirable vegetable. Pepper problems for home gardeners, whatever the region of the country, seem to revolve around the problem of yield per plant. While the zucchini over- whelms the garden basket, the pepper plant often stands proud, lush and barren. or at the best, the producer of an only child ora pair of twins. "Warm season peppers are somewhat particular about temperatures for fruit set. Peppers fertilized with heavy applications of nitrogen, or' not given adequate phosphorous, may develop into good looking plants, but will not produce Shade -Loving Ferns If you have a damp, shaded location, with slightly acid soil, don't despair, plant ferns. Any of the three Osmunda ferns - the Interrupted fern, Cin- namon fern, and Royal ferm will do well. These ferns grow to a height of about 1 metre (3 feet), and require mulching for best results. much fruit. Tbe hybrid pepper is a star just coming into its own. Horne gardeners expect high yields from their 'Better Boy' hybrid tomatoes, they ask for them by name. 'Better Belle' hybrid pepper intrtsdubes the qualities every pepper grower has been waiting for. `Better Belle' comes into fruit a full two weeks earlier than the older 'California Wonder' types. The disease - res is:tant plants sturdily keep, up their production throughout the growing season. 'Better Belle' has been• bred for a variety of pur- poses, as well assuperior production. The thick, blocky walls of the 4r/2 x 3r/2 - inch fruit` are ideal for stuffing, freezing and perfect for use as fresh produce on thedinnertable. - Ball Seed Company, wholesale distributor. of 'Better Belle' seed t.o. commercial growers, offers some additional tips to home gardeners who will be planting this superior variety for the first time this year. .+ Use a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 before planting your vegetable garden. Do not side -dress peppers until after a good fruit set. + Get all fruit -producing plants off to a good start at planting time with the ad- dition of a starter fertilizer (such as 8-24-8). + Plant peppers only after night temperatures have risen above . .55 degrees. Planting too early will often stunt plants. + Harvest fruit regularly. After mature fruit is har- vested, new fruit set will begin. + Rotate tomato , 'pepper and egg -plant crops, making sure these three vegetables do not follow each other in the same location. Each is subject to the same diseases, some of which are soil -borne. + The cooler the season, the more important the selection of early varieties. Peppers will not set fruit in very cool weather. If hot peppers are your pick, the hottest of them all has 'been introduced to the gardening world— 'Fire!' named for its flavorful aim. 'Fire!' produces 2 -inch slim fruit which are attractive in ornamental plantings, as well as superior spicers for pepper -loving palates. Hot or sweet, the pepper will grow, and bear prolifically, providing the gardener knows its requirements, and asks for 'the 1980 hybrid varieties by name. Page* rids Pepper 'Better Belle' Pepper 'Fire!' SUPER LATEX Flat or Semi -gloss $'OO SAVE ® Per Gallon Sale ends April 30, so hurry while supplies last! lydlnt I' I ��^FLAT ENAMEL ..'., '4111'ER LATE , SEM, GLOSS EN)MEL IipER LAO SWIMMING POOL CHEMICALS We carry a full line of H.T.1-L SUN and LAURASON chemicals, so that we can provide you with the very best products available for your pool. And- remember, we will be glad to test your 'pool water, and/or consult pr -of es -s -i o chemists -for--you---a t--n-a— charge. 4 12-6-6 12-12-12 10-10-10 20 KG. 20 KG. 33.33 KG. 10-6-4 20 KG. With Killex 10-6-4 With 2-4D 20 KG. $595 $695 • $8os Sins • $779 for Spring Gardeners AERO LAWN & GARDEN FERTILIZER Free In -Town Delivery Free Loan of Spreader., ('HARD t:X VISA.- .. 84 KINGSTON ST. 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