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Clinton News-Record, 1983-04-27, Page 51am Page 26 Gro y :,..mss Goxaame TORONTO - If you spend lanae and effort growing beautiful flowers and delicious fruits and vegetables, don't hide you talents. Take a little extra time to prepare the fruits of you lair for competition. Youcan find possible recognition for your effort at more than 509 com;;.;. titive events held annually by agricultural and hor- ticultural societies across the province. These friendly competitions give amateurs an opportunity to show off their '; t produce. The results will encourage others, as well as yourself. Here's how to start and have a better -than -average chance of winning. First, become a member of your local grow. The cost is nominal - about $1 to $3 per person. Read the show rules carefully. Many societies publish the rules in book form for each member. Select the best varieties, when •: +;wing flowers and vegetables from seed. Plant them in your best garden soil - a well -drained, protected, sunny location is preferred. Follow the recommenda- tions on the seed packet, or follow cultural practices given in the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food lublications, available at ocal agricultural offices. Timing is important. Know the approximate ' -te from seed to maturity, so you will have plenty of specimens to choose from when 'showtime' arrives. for s ow e tips for competit Choosing Vegetable Seimens Select the best. Compare your produce ianst as you would if you were shopping. You have to convince the judge that your entries are the best. Select for uniformi- ty, colour, and freshness. Choose produce that is free of insect and disease damage. It is best to select vegetables that are slightly larger than medium size, rather than extra -large specimens. Over -sized vegetables tend to be coarse in texture and poor in flavor. There are some exceptions however, such as onions and squash. Select under -ripe rather than over -ripe vegetables. Keep in mind the number of specimens required for the class. Only a certain number can be entered, but take along a couple of extras in case some are damaged in transit. In most cases, it is best to clean specimens, including carrots, beets, turnips and potatoes, with a dry cloth. Washing isn't recommend- ed. Trim the outer leaves of such leafy vegetables as cauliflower and cabbage, neatly. 1f you are not sure, ask a show committee member whether the calyx on tomatoes should be removed, or whether rows of corn kernels should be ex- posed. Selecting fruit for competi- tion is almost the same as selecting vegetables. Sometimes, at is necessary to pack fruit early for the show. If this is the case, keep the fruit cool, and avoid drastic changes an temperatures. Selecting Flowers For Competition Be particular when you begin choosing flowers for show. Cut flowers when the sun is not shining on the plants - early morning or evening is best. Take a pail of tepid water out to the garden when you are ready to pick. Use a sharp knife to cut flowers: dull tools crush stems- Protect flowers from wind, heat and evaporation, after cutting, to maximize keeping qualities. Place the stems in deep water im- mediately after cutting, and leave them for at least four hours before the show. Remember, fresh uniform flowers with even blooms, win extra points. The best time to pick roses is when the outer petals begin to unfold. Pick dahlias in the evening when they are in full bloom, and gladiolus when the first buds open ful- ly. Most other flowers should be picked before they reach full bloom. To keep tulips, daffodils, and other stems straight, wrap them carefully with newspaper before placing them in water. Flowers, such as roses and begonias, like a fine mist of cool water. Never spray petals of delphiniums, petunias or sweet peas, water spots will develop. Make sure pails and other containers for conditioning flowers are clean. A little sugar in the water will help prolong the Life of cut flowers. To overcome wilting, place five cen- timetres (two inches) of the cut end into hot water for a few minutes, then add tepid water almost up to the flower head. A season or two off com- petition, examining and comparing your entries with the winners, can be very good experience. Try it this year. Competitions begin in mid -spring and continue un- til frost. Taxes can't touch gardener's assets Do you feel manipulated and milked dry by the "System"? Are you looking for a legitimate tax loophole or a sure-fire weapon to fight in- flation? Or perhaps for home - GREAT EARLY SPRING SAVINGS SNAPPER RIDING MOWERS Fantastic Savin is On Our Truckload of JACO®SEN RIDING MOWERS Select Front Our La., a HON A PR a„ JCT LONE Lawn Mowers Tillers Pumps Generators Now Only SAVE ALMOST $300 OFF SUGG. UST ,'''';ICES "LA,' GEST" Onve utoryv of Lawn '. ower parts And Smal6 Engine Parts In The Area. If Bt's A Pere You Need e°ve Got Ot 88 BRITANNIA RD. E. GODERICH MARINE & SMALL ENGINES' Please Dial 524-9201 based recreation to save on expensive gasoline? Home gardeners already have the answers and are using them to fight back. Gardening provides a tax loophole for the average Canadian, one of the few not subject to Revenue Canada audit. Vegetables from your home food garden aren't taxable. You can even barter garden produce for other useful goods. The cost of growing your own is still reasonable as compared to the cost of pur- chasing fresh or processed produce. A skillful gardener can harvest vegetables worth ten times his or her yearly investment in seeds and supplies. Budget -conscious and conservation -minded citizens are planning to spend more weekends at home this sum- mer. The National Garden Bureau, a garden seed trade educational organization, reports that sales of vegetable seed packets have never been stronger. Furthermore, sales of flower seed packets are keeping pace because more people are planning to "fix up the place with beds of flowers. The demand for community garden plots is increasingly rapidly, unfortunately at a time when county and city park budgets are being squeezed. Consequently. some churches and other institutions with spare land are moving in to fill the gap. But, for the foreseeable future, the major' growth in gardening will be among families who have land around their homes. Com- munity garden plots still make up only a small part of the land devoted to food gardens. The National Garden Bureau doesn't expect an immediate shift in the motivation for food gardening. First and foremost. Canadians garden for the boy of it. They hike the good feeling of working in the soil and the fulfillment of producing healthful foods with one's own hands. But, oh. the allure of a tax- free, inflation -proof food factory right in your own backyard! A beginning gar- dener can harvest fitty cents in retail value of produce from every square foot of garden space. Experienced gardeners regularly top one dollar per square foot per gardening season No wonder home gardeners are such a cheerful lot! rs Young Gwen Holland knows what it takes to be a prize winning gardener. Gwen was one of the youngest com- petitors and winner at the Clinton Horticultural Society's competition in 1982. (Shelley McPhee photo) Climbing roses are rewarding Climbing roses are shrubs which bloom so beautifully over such a long period of time that many home gardeners assume they are diffic 't to grow. It is true that climbers have particular needs, and attention must be paid to them, but the gardener's ef- forts are certainly reward- ed, says Bob Hamersma, horticulturist at the Hor- ticultural Research Institute of Ontario, Vineland Station. Climbing roses do not ac- tually climb on their own. They produce arching canes up to five metres (15 feet) long which, if not trained on to a support, such as a trellis, post or fence, would soon bend over and sprawl along the ground. Canes should be tied to such a support as they grow in length to keep the bush from becoming messy and taking up ground space. This also shows off the blooms to best advantage. Haniersma says there are three distinct classes of climbers, each of which has its own characteristics. These characteristics deter- mine the type of maintenance required; the gardener who is aware of the difference between the classes can make a more in- formed choice for his par- ticular needs. Large -flowered climbers are the most popular. Blooms are five centimen- tres to 15 centimetres (two inches to six inches) across on strong arching canes and most varieties present two strong bloom periods, in spr- ing and fall, with scattered intermittent blossoms in between. Hamersma says these have excellent disease resistance and are the most cold tolerant of all the climbers. Prune after the first flush of bloom since flower buds occur on the previous season's wood. Climbing versions of popular bush -type roses (hybrid tea, floribunda) comprise a second class that produces shorter canes and therefore a neater, more compact habit of growth. Hamersma says this type is less hardy than the large - flowered types, but its con- tinuous flowering, disease resistance and variety of flower sizes and colors makes it very popular with gardeners. Ramblers, the third type of climber, are also the oldest. They bloom only once, on current year's wood, and so they should be pruned every spring to in- duce new flowering wood. Hamersma says these have declined in popularity because of their rampant growth and often messy ap- pearance, their susceptibili- ty to mildew, and their single bloom period. Climbing roses grown in Ontario's warmer ars re- quire a cover of burlap of waterproof paper. Evergreen boughs may also be arranged against the canes to protect them from sun and wind. In colder areas, canes should be taken down from their supports, divided, tied in two bundles, bent to the ground on opposite sides of the plant, and pegged down. A loose insulating material, such as peat moss, should be placed over the canes to a depth of 25 cm a 10 in. l and held in place with burlap or waterproof paper.