The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-04-26, Page 55Page 22
First time gardener? Try this plan
Research by the •National
Garden Bureau indicates that
mann beginning gardeners hate
only a hazy idea of the mature
size of vegetable plants. Also.
beginners often fail to leave sot
ficient space between rows.
All it takes is one successful
garden to make each succeed
ing vegetable garden a breeze.
Yet. first gardens are. more
often than not. overly•targe,
crowded and poorly arranged,
with tall plants in the front and
frequently ha,wested vegetables
stuck wav in the back.
Your next vegetable garden
can be as pretty as a picture.
sensibly arranged and of .t
practical size Use this National
Garden Bureau plan as a model
and be sure to:
Plant no more than you
can care for with. ease in
tour to six hours eat it
week.
Select varieties that are
adapted to vour area.
Plant at the season recom
mended on seed packets.
Allow plenty ot space fo"r
plants to grow: thin ruth-
lessly • -}
I he 'il)t) sq. It. National
Gat den But eau garden is 20 •
15 It about -the site of a 1 cat
gai.ige It is designed to at
tommodatr 13 kinds of vege-
tables and 1.111 supply inosi ut•
the flesh vegetables needed by
a taunt% ot three. It can be
weeded w.ttrred and harvested
within an average ot two hours
time cath week.
Seeds tor this garden wit) lust
about Sb 50 yet. tram it, you
tan harvest 5150 or more of de•
litmus vegetables. depending
on the length of your gardening
season
1-bu might not care for some
of the vegetables shown in the
plan Substitute others of corn
pat a hit' plant size Seed packets
and gardening books tan ads ise
you Your County Cooperative
Extension Srrsice offers free
bulletins on segctahlt' garden
ing and lists of lot ally recom-
mended varieties.
Depending on the length of
the gardening season in your
•tilt•a. you can plant "succession
crops' as soon as you have
harvested the vegetables shown
in this plan. Cher most ot the
counuy, leafy salad vegetables.
cabbage family members. and
rout mops t an be planted as
Butte Ston trips as late as
August fur tall hal vest.
Dwarf fruit trees
offer versatility
fl
By John T. A. Proctor
University of.Guelph
"Gone are the clays when the
gardener dismisses growing tree
fruits because they take up a lot
of space, and. create too much
shade. Today, there is an ever-
uncreasing ru.nge .. of plant
material - dwarfing root -stocks
and genetic or natural dwarfs -
and associated techniques of
training, pruning, and growing...
Think. of fruit trees not only for
their fruit. but for their 'part in
the landscape year-round. You
..can _train.. th.em.._.as..
espaliers, or you .can combine
dwarf trees, training. and con-
tainer gardening, for an orchard
right on your terrace.
Although you can propagate
'your own dwarf trees, it is
probably hest to purchase them
from a reliable nursery that
specializes in fruit trees. Many
such nurseries exist in Ontario.
The amateur may obtain a listing
of nurseries providing trees in-
spected for trueness of name
from the Ontario Ministry of
'Agriculture and Food. Well-
grov9n, one-year trees are
preferable to two-year trees.
Before buycing trees,. develop a
plan. Even two dwarf apple trees
in your garden requires thought
in relation to other garden ac-
tivities the vegetable patch, the
perennials, and play areas. Once
the trees are planted, it is not
always easy to move them, and
you. may spend years trying to
correct your early mistakes.
While making your plan, hear the
Following in mind - space
requirements, possible yields,
ri:pen-n.g...-..timetuble,'.and _cr.os.s,_
pollination needs.
A named fruit variety is made
up of two parts - the scion or
fruiting variety forming the
above -ground parts of the tree,
and the rootstock. Using size -
controlling rootstocks allows six
or eight dwarf trees to be grown
in the spread of a single old fruit
tree, grown on a standard
(seedling) rootstock. ' '
A very general rule of thumb -is
to allow 3.6 x 3.6 m for all dwarf
fruit trees. If you don't have this
much space, you might give some
thought to growing them as
e_spaliers,. dr_ cirClons, along_ a
building or wall, or posssihly as'a
decorative fence. When selecting
a location in the garden,
`remember fruit trees like direct-
' sunshine, and do not like spring
frosts,.
Most dwarf fruit trees require
three to five years before they
will fruit. When mature. they will
probably yield about one bushel
of fruit each year. Available
space will dictate the number of
trees, and therefore. the yield- to,
be expected. It is almost as much
,trouble (or pleasure) to care. for
half a dozen trees, as it is to look
-after several.times that number.
The next thing to consider is the
ripening timetable. Select and
plant the right variety. These are'
innumerable fruit varieties, and
eacb.__ h_iSits_wn climatic__,_
adaptations and limitations.
While peach culture' is restricted
to the warmer areas of Ontario, it
may be successful outside its
climatic range if grown in a
sheltered location.
The selection of the right kinds
and varieties of tree fruits will
allow harvest from early July to
late October. Sweet and sour
cherries ripen in July, apricots
from mid-July to mid-August,
peaches from late July to late
September, plums from late July
to mid-October, pears from early
August to late October, and
apples' from mid-August to late
October.
The final planning point is
pollination. Tart (sour) cherry,
apricot and peach •will set fruit
with their -own pollen. However,
apple, pear, plum and sweet
cherry will not, and therefore two
or more varieties must be
planted side-by-side. A novel
approach to this requirement is
the' five=iTr-one apple tree, w -hi -c -h --
carries five varieties on one
rootstock-:- Such -a tree
economizes on space', and
provides the owner with fresh
fruit maturing from early to late
seas'on on one tree.
To ensure success in the home
fruit garden, -provision .must be
made for pest control. Pesticides
should be applied only when
necessary, and then, only in the
amounts recommended. The
gardener must learn about these
pests and their control.
Publication 64, Insect and
Disease Control in the Home
Garden _..contains pest descrip-
tions'" and a spray guide. 1 his
publication is available from the
Information Branch, Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and
'F'ood, Legislative Buildings,
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1A5, or
from local agricultural offices.
Six plants Swiss chard
with onion sets alongside
plant early
Two 12ft rows
bush beans
NOTE plant two rows
6 inches apart
down the center
ot• the bed
Two rows lettuce
interplanted with
parsley
and
Two rows beets
plant early
National Garden Bureau Plan
for 3011.X15tt.
:
e Garden
DIVIDE'GARDEN INTO FIVE BEDS, EACH 211 WIDE,
WITH 111 WIDE WALKS BETWEEN BEDS
Two rows sweet corn
space plants 9 to 12 inches apart
Three plants tomatoes
les
20ft.
15 ti.
'Three plants
summer squash
IOr bush type
winter squash or
bush cucumbers)
Six plants cabbage
or broccoli
plant early
Four plants peppers
101 two eggplant bushes)
Two rows carrots
mixed with radishes .
plant early
For
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