Any man who calls a spade a spade ought to be forced to use one regularly. So said Oscar Wilde, the great Victorian playwright. Here at home in Guyana we get over that little problem by calling a true spade a shovel − and we can usual1y get someone to do the ‘shovelling’ for us. Certainly when I was a lad, anyone who had aspirations to be a gardener was generally thought to be fit for nothing else. Nowadays most people have learned that this oldest of crafts can give the greatest satisfaction, as well as engender the most intense fury.
Now dear readers, don’t ever run away with the idea that experienced gardeners are temperamentally well equipped for their work, because nothing is further from the truth. Just like anyone else they are all anxious for their seeds to come up overnight, and as mature plants.
Others want mature gardens overnight and believe that anyone who is a ‘landscaper’ is not doing their job if they fail to deliver the goods overnight. As people gain experience most will come to understand that there is just no rushing mother nature. We have to stop worrying about it, and stop worrying about what the neighbours might think. You have to look upon your garden as your own private piece of heaven where plants move at their own particular speed.
Anyone who has a garden, or who has had a garden on heavy clay soil, or on pure sand will know something of the trials and tribulations to be faced. The growing of magnificent vegetables and glorious flowers requires some effort, not the least of which is the control of weeds, which are of two kinds: Annuals, which produce thousands of seeds and have relatively small root systems, and perennial weeds which are often deep-rooted and persistent. In the north of England from where I come, there is an old and well-known saying regarding annual weeds: “One year’s seed equals seven years’ weed.” In this there is a clue.
Don’t let annuals get to the stage of flowering. Hoe them out or pull them out. If you do this throughout the year they will eventually die out. Perennial weeds need a bit more persistence, because they are themselves persistent. If you try and control them by hoeing they will simply grow again. You have to try and dig them out or, if they prove to be very persistent, use a chemical weedkiller on them. Not by spraying the ground all around, but by careful spot treatment.
Last week I mentioned little about sowing seed from the packet, but of course not all seed need to be bought. Many can be harvested from plants you already have in the garden − that is if you think they are worth saving. You may have grown many vegetables from F1 hybrid seed. F1 hybrid seed does not come true and may resemble either parents in different proportions. If‘ you decide to sow all your F1 hybrid seed at one time, you’ll no doubt have a glut come harvest time. If this happens you’ll need to have a very large family or a very large freezer. Or a stall in the market.
Many of the seeds you buy nowadays come as ‘pelleted seeds.’ These seeds are generally coated with clay to which is added a fertilizer or a fungicide or both to assist germination.
Just like all plants, for seed to germinate, cuttings to root and so on, they need to have air. warmth, and some actually need light in order to germinate. Primulas are an example of this.
Some seeds need extreme cold to germinate, and others extreme heat to crack open their seed coat, the Canna (or Indian shot) being a good example of this. Sowing depth sometimes causes problems to the gardener, but the general rule of thumb applies. This depth should be one-and-a-half times the diameter of the seed except in the case of the primula, as I’ve just mentioned, which should be sown on the surface. Until next week may your God go with you.
