The Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-04-13, Page 24Page 8—Crossroads—April 13, 1983
ackyard
Gardener
J✓
By PATRICK DENTON
Gardeners who are plan-
ning to grow flowers and
vegetables in containers on
their balcony or patio this
summer should be on the
lookout now for free or in-
expensive planters. Any-
thing that will hold soil
will do. -
Look for any size — dif-
ferent -sized containers can
be matched to a suitable
planting later. And don't
overlook the possibility of
using hanging baskets ei-
ther. Drag that old diaper
pail or baby bath out of
storage. Plastic garbage
cans, plastic foam picnic
coolers, old buckets, wood-
en boxes and baskets will
all do.
Wooden containers that
have a somewhat open con-
struction can be lined with
plastic mesh screening to
hold soil better. The wood
can be treated first with
copper naphthenate to pre-
serve it but don't use other
preservatives like creosote
or pentachlorophenol,
which are toxic. Copper na-
phthenate turns the wood a
rather attractive shade of
green.
The container must have
some drainage holes in the
bottom. If it doesn't, punch
some with a can opener or
nail and hammer. To im-
prove drainage, put a one -
inch layer of peat or sphag-
num moss at the bottom of
the container, with a dust-
ing of charcoal. Rocks or
gravel can be used but I
feel that container plant-
ings, especially for balco-
nies, should be kept as
lightweight as possible.
Aim for a lightweight
planting mixture, too. A
mix based on sand will be
terribly heavy, so for bal-
cony containers look for
light materials like peat
and vermiculite:
If you -will be planting
just a few small contain-
ers, then purchase pack-
aged, sterilized soil. If you
plan to establish a large
container garden, then you
might find it more econom-
ical to mix your own.
You can start with a
packaged soil mixture or
sterilized soil (apartment
dwellers might find a place
to dig some on the
outskirts of the city and
sterilize it in the oven). To
the loam add just a handful
or two of clean, coarse
sand for good drainage and
root penetration.
Also add just about as
much peat as you have soil,
and the same amount of
vermiculite. If you tend to
go heavy on the peat in
your mixes, then add some
dolomite lime at the rate
of five tablespoons for
every four gallons of peat.
Whatever mixture you
use. fill the container up to
about an inch from the rim.
pressing it down firmly
into the container. Dampen
it down well but don't use
liquid fertilizer until the
plants are set into the con-
tainers or the seeds have
sprouted and the plants
have produced their second
set of leaves.
The next thing is to de-
cide what vegetables to
grow in which containers.
Or, you can start at this
end and decide first which
varieties you want to grow
and choose suitable con-
tainers for them.
Most vegetables need a
soil depth of at least one
foot. Possible exceptions
are small vegetables like
radish and lettuce. Very
tiny and suited for small
pots is Thom Thumb, a
baby butterhead which can
be served whole as an indi-
vidual salad.
Although herbs and cher-
ry tomatoes will grow in a
soil depth of six inches,
baby carrots, radish and
lettuce in eight, and toma-
toes in 18 inches, as a gen-
eral rule a plant will live
longer and produce more
abundantly given more
room to stretch out its
roots.
Quick crops like minia-
ture lettuce and radish al-
ways can be tucked in
around eggplant or tomato
plants, to be removed in
time for their slow-grow-
ing companions to take
over the whole container.
YAPLE LE.ii,F
FULLY COOKED
SMOKED PIC IC
zehrs
fine markets... of fine foods
PORK
SHOULDER
G RAiE
AD
CUT FROM
EEF
STE
/kg
SPECIALS EFFECTIVE UNTIL CLOSING
TUESDAY, APRIL 19
MAPLE LEAF
REGULAR OR ALL BEEF
WIENERS
454 g
(1 Ib.)
PKG.__
MAPLE LEAF
SLICED 3 VARIETIES
SIDE BACON
MAPLE LEAF
BEEF BURGERS
750 g
PKG.
PARTY STYLE. - 5 VARIETIES
MAPLE LEAF
MEAT STICKS
250 g
PKG.
179
COUNT Y
R GOLD SLICED
CORNED BEEF
SLICEDD SALAMI
FOUR 50g PKGS.
175g
NO NA E SLICED
COKED HAM 375 g
NO NAME SLIC D MOCK CHICKEN OR 375 g
MACARONI s CHEESE
MAPLELEAF
COTTAGE ROLL
6f' P!
f.99
99°
Y.69
129
FULLY COOKED - PORTION SIZE
MAPLE LEAF
HAM STEAKS
175 g
PKG.
1
79
MAPLE LEAF
GOLDEN FRY
SAUSAGE
500 g
BABY BAG - REG OR ALL BEEF
MAPLE LEAF
WAXED BOLOGNA
.28 x.49
/kg W Ib.
SWEET PICKLED - BONELESS PORK BUTT
MAPLE LEAF
COTTAGE ROLL
4.39 i.99
MAPLE LEAF COIL
POLISH
SAUSAGE
3.95'.79
/kg 10..
CHICKEN LEAF
N
LOAF
i.39f99
/k9 Ib.
MAPLE LEAF
EXTRA LEAN
COOKED HAM
6•'52•
19
/kg ib.
PRODUCT OF ONTARIO
CANADA FANCY
RED DELICIOUS
APPLES
3 LB.
PROD. OF FLA. CAN. NO. 1 SWEET
GREEN PEPPERS
PROD. OF CHILE CAN. NO. 1 RED
EMPEROR GRAPES
PROD. OF U.S.A. OR MEXICO CAN. NO.
TOMATOES
PRODUCT OF ONTARIO
VINE
RIPENED
BEAN SPROUTS
162/kg
119th
3.06 /kg
1.39'
12.111 /kg
990lb.
130/kg
59¢ lb.
PRODUCT OF U.S.A.
CALIFORNIA
STRAWBERRIES
if r
PINT
FRESH 8 PLUMP
PRODUCT OF CALIFORNIA
FRESH
BROCCOLI
Ib,
J .
CUT FROM
GRADE ' A' BEEF
BLADE BONE REMOVED
SHORT RIB
ROAST
$7,1�1.
e.
GROSS CUT
RIB ROAST
.37'.98
/kg lb
MEDIUM
GROUND BEEF
3.9s 1.7b9
MAPLE LEAF
VEAL STEAKETTES 750g 3.59
MAPLE LEAF ENGLISH STYLE
BACK BACON SLICED 175 g 2.49
BONELESS
BLADE STEAK 3.92/k9 f.781b.
BONELES CROSS CUT
RIB TEAK ROAST 5.06'/kg2.29Ib.
UPER
PROD. OF ONT. CANADA NO. 1
�x.�FRESH
CARROTS
PROD. OF FLA. CAN. NO. 1 RED OR
WHITE POTATOES
PROD. OF FLORIDA
MINI CARROTS
PROD. OF ONT. CAN. NO. 1
12 oz.
99°/ kg
COOKING ONIONS 5 LB.
PROD. OF ISRAEL-JAFFA
ORANGES 4 LB. BAG
45' Ib.
S9
99F
L99
PRODUCT OF CANADA DRY STYLE
CHINESE NOODLES 1;° S9'
99$
89¢
PRODUCT OF ONTARIO ONIONS
DUTCH SETS of G. 79',
PRODUCT OF ONTARIO
TO FU
PRODUCT OF U.S.A.
SPINACH
500 g
10 oz
PKG.
WITH
CRABGRASS PREVENTER
NO NAME 12-3-5
FERTILIZER 1O kg 9.99
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
ROSE BUSHES EA 3.79
LAR'OE SIZE - ASSORTED
TROPICALS 10 POT 095
NO NAME
TOP SOIL 36 LITRE 2.99
e