Clinton News-Record, 1976-04-15, Page 43Long berme Modem, ol :
call4r*e01140fruit "Pt WO"
teerliog natural urceS.,. *
Paging a b;g1 of the fencer
and gardener- It's still a geed way
for hi build up and Maintain
YoUr Wit fur good plant mw*.
Cornptatt ng jambes returning
dead •plat Matter to the scriil--
after it has been supplemented
with contmercial fertiliser and al-
lowed, to de y -to help strength-
en the soul far growing new pivots..
Cotnpost material.. is applied
just like any other mulch material
bait can do a lot more. according
to The Fertilizer Institute. Com-
post can add organic matter and
plant nutrients to the soil as well
as furnish 'food for earthworms.. -
essential for aerating the soil. M a
mulch. compost also reduces soil
erosion by wind and water and can
help suppress weed growth. In
addition it helps retain essential
soil moisture.
Practically any plant material
can be composted. Leaves. lawn
clippings. fine twigs. , old sod.
straw. and kitchen and garden
vegetable refuse are excellent.
Avoid using diseased plants. In
the fall. great quantities of Leaves
are available from neighbors for
the askii
Begin by c. ' ecring an cwt -of -the -
way place ,ourgarden or a
hidden of.* of your lawn, If you
have t r . Ace' two bins are
better than one. -_permitting you
to turn the compost by moving it
from one bin to the other.
You can make the bins by at-
taching wire fence or boards to
pets. or to adjoining fence or
wall. Each bin should be 4 to b feet
high. 3 to 5 feet wide and any
convenient length. tailored to the
amount of compost you need. One
side of each bin should be remov-
able to enable you to fill and
use) to ca42 IQ vinare feet of sUr-
face Then add one inch of soil
and enough Water to Malaga but
empty the bin. In the fall you may
with to extend the sides
temporarily to boost the bin ,pip.
acity; by March the compost
shod settle as touch, as 2 feet.
The sides should not be airtight or
te.t ght.
Rte- Your compost pile by
spreading out a layer of plant re-
fine about 6 inches deep acrdss
the Boor of your bin. Add one-half
to are pound of regular lawn fer-
tilizer (I-1-1 or 3-24 aremom:-
mended fertilizer ratios for this
not soak mixture. Repeat this pro-
cess as bin is filled. Make the top
of the pile concave'`to catch rain-
w►ter. If you desire an alkaline
compost, add ground limestone
( about 1/2 to 2/3 cup). to each
layer as you add fertilizer. The -de-
caying action will proceed most
rapidly during warm weather. Ap-
plication of time and fertilizer. in
addition to adding plant nutrients
to the mixture. also hastens.
organic matter breakdown to form
humus mixture. You can further
accelerate decay during midsum-
mer by forking over the pile. help-
ing to evenly distribute moisture.
and aerate the pile.
If you begin your compost pile
in the fall it should be ready for
use by the end of the first summer.
You may insure a continuing com-
post supply by starting_ a new pile
each year.
Compost can be used as a
mulch --covering bare ground
next to flowers and vegetables in
the garden—or as an addition to
soil by working n in with a spade
or shovel.
Compost will not take the place
of fertilizer. but it does aid in
maintaining loose. easily -worked
soil for favorable root growth.
Shorten the long; wait
for your strawberries
You can shorten the wait until them with soil.
the first strawberries ripen this Once the strawberry plants
year; by covering the plants with begin to flower, ventilate the
a plastic tent in early April. the plastic tent during warm days to
fruit will be ready 10 to 14 days aid pollination. "Ventilating is
earlier than usual. easy." says Mr. Sangster.
"The plastic provides a "Simply lift the plastic between
greenhouse effect so the plants three and Mir inches along the
bloom sooner," explains Ontario sides. turn it up. and secure it to
ministry of agriculture and food the outside of the frame."
horticulturist, D. M. Sangster. ..lf frost threatens during the
Construct a wooden or wire „,;bloom period, cover the plastic
frame over the strawberry row tent with blankets for the night.
and attach polyethylene to it. Remove them the next day.
Although two mil polyethylene To get ripe strawberries even
works Well, four mil polyethylene earlier in future years: plant out
is easier to work with and lasts an early fruiting variety, such as
longer. Anchor the plastic along Veestar, this year. This variety,
the sides of the framework at grown under plastic. will assure
ground level by Laying both its you the first strawberries in the
edges in furrows and covering neighborhood. •
After tomatoes, bell peppers are the most widely used
bedding plant among hone gardeners.
r 1►1`
y tlat�1, l
r �l1itifi�i'1! 1 fir►il�t,f►1�e
1 r " i�I� Ir�l:lit� 1�(ir►r►'j11f Illi"►r►1(
e %?i�tiia`r►i`111►�Ir lil�'tirlr I,rill,f1 ,
,lr(1r)ri14t�"Irt14f1 � r��l�l1rf l�1�lilril�tllf `
a Isi j!r}si�)1) ►�� t � �,t,l►Ik1� �s)T►ri`ri'
fir$1 j 141)1)1 ii{i itiaif►6y i �i1fl��f IQi►
r 1 r r f,li4111irt / rlfif/ 1 i rot1ft1! , I
I l l i C jfjtjl'�►�If(�Ife. �; , l a.�
l 1� 4:• '•14
"� ' �r
1 t t�l�til�
I t)1i,Yt►l
r 11►r��
t I,C►s►1►ri(t14r►V 1t1�r�ysi 1��►sato
111,111►1►�'f ��►� j j►1tit�)�����f tit►t►
a r 11 ip► ,� t,r -,
d
DO IT YOURSELF. fly constructing two side-by-side compost bins. you.
. can easily turn your compost after 3 to 4 months of moderate to warm
weather.
Transplanting tips for vegetables
Since tomatoes, peppers and
cabbage are the most widely-
grown vegetables in Canada.
home gardeners should consider
the individual tikes and dislikes
of these three when buying
transplants.
Cabbage, which is the first to
be planted into the garden in
spring. is hardy and will tolerate
light frosts. Unlike tomatoes and
peppers which are itender,plants.
cabbage can be planted about
four weeks before the last frost
date in any given area. Healthy
transplants can ,be purchased
from bedding plant outlets. They
should be spaced 1% feet apart in
a row. Miniature heads are not
yet formed when cabbage is
bought as a bedding plant. Heads
appear after the plants are well
established in the garden. Even
so, healthy cabbage transplants
can cut six weeks from the
growing time.
Broccoli is closely related to
cabbage and can. be treated in the
same way with early planting.
Like cabbage, broccoli, will not
form heads until about six weeks
after transplanting.
Peppers and tomatoes cannot
tolerate frost -and so should notte
set out as transplants until after
the last frost date in any area.
Tomatoes should be set out with
several inches of stem buried
below ground. The stem will
produce additional roots and
create a healthier plant. Bedding
plant outlets often sell plants with
flowers or fruit already formed.
When these are placed in the
garden. gardeners have an op-
portunity for an early crop.
Tomato vines need the support
of staking. Left to sprawl on the
ground. tomatoes will occupy
more space and be more prone to
disease.
Bedding plant tomatoes in good
supply range from giant -sized
(usually red -fruited hybrids) to
cherry -sized fruits. Yellow -
fruited tomatoes can also be
found at bedding plant outlets.
Although peppers and tomatoes
are closely related and thrive
under similar conditions. the
stem of the pepper plant will not
produce additional roots, so it
should be planted shallow. A
sunny location and fertile soil Is
needed to get worthwhile crops of
peppers. The pepper stem is
generally . strong enough to
support the plant without staking,
but when fruit is picked, care
must be taken not to break the
extremely -brittle branches.
Sweet bell peppers are the most
popular kinds in horse gardens.
These generally ripen from green
to red, although several good
yellow varieties are also
available.
Clean garden loos now
Cleaning your gardening tools
now will make the spring digging
and hoeing easier when you get
down to it.
"Dirty spades and shovels pick
up a covering of sticky soil at
each thrust." explains Ontario
ministry of agriculture and food
horticulturist. R.A. M . Fleming.
"Rusty .hoes and cultivators
accumulate gobs of soil instead of
gently turning them over. So the
gardener who cleans his tools
before he needs them saves lots
of time and energy because his
equipment is less apt to clog with
mud."
Use coarse steel wool and
emery paper to remove rust and
corrosion from steel tools. When
they are bright and polished, rub
them carefully with light
lubricating oil. This keeps them
clean all season with a minimum
of care.
We can help
e ItIUIPPC
Use our money for all
Your worthwhile purposes
* HOME IMPROVEMENT LOANS
* AUTO LOANS
* FIRST & SECOND MORTGAGES
* MOBILE HOME LOANS
* VACATION PROPERTY LOANS
ROYALBANK
serving Ontario
MAIN CORNER, CLINTON 4824477