The Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-04-29, Page 41All gardeners love spring, and a chance to resume their
favorite hobby°after a long, cold winter. Jack Irwin of
Clinton is an exmple of an enthusiastic gardener, found
carrying out one of his annual rituals, cleaning the winter.
accumulation of sand off his front lawn. Property facing
busy streets always means sand and gravel build-up, left
from the 'winter road crews, hgwevek Me. Irwin said: ;at
this year there wasn't too much sand to serape away.
(News-Recrod photo)
Good tools
make it easy
Clean, sharp tools_ will make
your summergardening more
enjoyable according to a
garderiingspecialist.
Dirty and -or rusty spades,
hoes, rakes, shovels and other
small hand tools pick up a
coating of soil at each thrust.
This not only makes . using
them hard work, but they do
not turn the soil nearly as well.
A wooden spatula will
remove earth and coarse steel
wool or emery paper will
remove rust and corrosion
from steel tools. A light touch-
up with a medium file on the
gutting _edges of spades and
hoes will make for neater,
faster work. When they are
bright and sharp, wipe them
with a lubricating oil. This will
protect them between jobs.
Once they are clean it takes
only a .minute before putting
them away to clean and oil
them. Clean tools will also last
.much longer, _the spokesman
points out.
Lawn mowers should also be
kept dean and the cutting
blades sharp. A good, rinsing
with the hose after each use is
a must. While lawn mower
maintenance is usually a job
for the repair shop. there is one
important adjustment which
the home owner should attend
to, the spokesman says, and
. that is adjusting the cutting
height.
Many people cut their grass
too short, probably because
they think that by so doing they
won't have to mow as often.
A Lawn mower should be set
to cut the grass at the proper
height, about one and one-half
inches. The grass blade acts
much in the same' way as your
stomach. It. 'converts raw
materials - -plant foods and
nutrients into .starches and
sugars which • the plant can
then use for growth. Constant
close mowing reduces the.leaf
surface of the grass plant and
the plant loses vigor and is
unable to compete with weeds
. and to withstand drought.
In fact, during the hot, dry
days of 'mid -summer, it is
advisable to raise the mower
blades to cut the grass at two
inches. And try not to cut off
more than one-third of the leaf
at any onetime.
Coldframes, hotbeds...
•frompage5
required for hotbeds that
need more than one heating
cable set.
You can plant seeds
directly into the soil, or set
flats directly on • top •of
heating cables. The method
used depends on the type of
plants, and the amount of
handling they require.
Electrically heated hotbeds
require more water than
manure beds. Keep the soil
moist. but not saturated.
During cold nights, when
bottom heat is insufficient,
cover the frames with straw,
old rugs or sacks'. On(warm,
sunny days, temperatures in
the frames will rise rapidly,
which can damage or kill the
young . plants. To prevent
damage, open the sashes a
bit to provide ventilation.
Ventilation is also important
to control high humidity
which encourages damping -
off and other d iseases.
Coldframes
Coldframes are used most
often to harden young plants,
such as tomato • started
indoors, for an early start in
the garden. Home gardeners
also find them handy for
direct secdings of cold -hardy
seeds, such as lettuce or
cabbage and for flats of seed
Crops.
Cold frames can be con-
structed from almost any
type, of material, including
hay hales and cement
blocks, because they are
usually less•permanent than
hotbeds.
Hotbeds and coldframes
can help you get an early
start in the garden, but they
can also be used for a variety
of practical purposes
throughout the year. Use
then to store over -wintering
bulbs and hardy perennials
in winter for seeding
perennial plants in summer
and for an early winter
lett tic ecrop in the fall.
Send your green thumb to school
Horticulture is such' a
diverse field that there is
something of, interest for
everyone. There is always
something new to learn - new
ways to do things, new plants
to produce, or new en-
vironments..
n=vironments• to create. The
magnitude of horticultural
subjects, is as endless as the
information sources about
them.
Ask a friend or neighbour.
Even an apartment dweller
could be an expert. baffling
associates by manipulating
the environment, and
defying the elements to
produce flowers, fruits and
vegetables.
Listen to the radio, There
are a number of gardening
specialists to keep you up-to-
date with weekly gardening
tips. Phone-in shows allow
immediate response to your
gardening questions.
Visit your community
library or a magazine stand.
You will find information on
subjects • ranging from
landscaping to growing
houseplants or producing
your own mushrooms. Many
daily and weekly
'newspapers feature gar-
dening columns that offer
tips on insect and disease
control, and light, water and
fertilizer requirements.
One visit to the neigh-
bourhood .garden center,
florist shop, or nursery will
show the variety of hor-
ticultural products
available. Sales staff are
trained to assist you with
plant selection and plant use.
Manygardening buffs
benefit by attending lec-
tures, or lecture series.
Ontario horticultural
societies, and continuing
education programs offered
by schools, colleges, •and
universities, also feature
lectures and courses on
many horticultural subjects,
For the \\busy or distant
enthusiast home study
courses may be the answer.
New innovations in
educational technology now
allow the home student the
same educational op-
portunity as class students.
Many of the independent
study packages include an
illustrated text, film strips,
hand film strip viewer and
instructor's commentary in
audio cassette form. These
multi -media, creative self -
learning courses may also be
used for group lectures.
The University of Guelph
offers lectures and in-
dependent study packages
designed for novice and
professional horticulturists.
In addition to the creative
self -learning, kits, about 40
courses are available
through the ,Independent
Page 7
Study Office.
On -campus horticultural
courses available this year
include: Home Landscaping,
Turf Managers' Short
Course, Greenhouse
Management and Gardening
with Commercial Fertilizer.
The Home Gardening series,
featuring topics such- as
roses, lawns, pruning,
vegetables, annuals, and
perennials gardening under
lights:, higbrise gardens, will
be offered in evening and
Saturday sessions.
These programs are of-
fered through the Office of
Continuing Education,
University of Guelph, in co-
operation with the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and
Food. For more information
regarding ongoing
programs, write to the Office
of Continuing Education,.
University of Guelph,
Guelph, Ontario NIG 2W1.
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