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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 25, 2017 21:58:04 GMT
I was hoping for a full day on the allotment but it was raining this morning so I couldn't go. The next job in the greenhouse is to pot a lot of rooted fuchsia and geranium cuttings into small pots. I normally wash all my pots in the winter but I decided to have a pot washing session this morning and wash the small yoghurt pots to pot these cuttings into. The weather did dry up this afternoon so I went to the allotment and did some weeding on the root crop bed which was full of chickweed. Garden News have put in this weeks paper a picture of the dahlia "Garden Friends" that I sent them to illustrate the article that I had written. Raymond sent me the plants so I have just sent him a message to tell him .
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 26, 2017 21:11:44 GMT
After Blackleach this morning and shopping this afternoon I just had an hour and a half on the allotment carrying on weeding the root crop bed. Mowed the lawns this evening
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 27, 2017 20:51:07 GMT
Had another pot washing session this morning. I had an email from Suttons yesterday saying that some plug plants that I had ordered had been dispatched. They are winter and spring plants such as primulas and winter pansies to plant in my tubs when the summer plants have finished . They are "garden ready" plugs and I have not had these before. I have always got "extra value" plugs before which are smaller and I have potted them on and grown them on before planting. When I ordered these they were out of stock which is why I have had to go for "garden ready" plugs which are a lot dearer. I am not ready for re-planting my tubs yet though because most of them are still nice. I don't know if these plants will be O.K. in these plugs for a few weeks till I am ready for re-planting my tubs or if they will need potting into bigger pots .This is why I decided to wash some 3 inch and three and a half inch pots this morning in case I need them. This afternoon I went to my son, Martyns , to cut his hedges . They weren't bad though and it didn't take me long so I did some weeding after on his borders. It is our harvest at church on Sunday and I intend doing a basket of veg as I do every year as well as taking flowers such as dahlias and chrysanths. I could do with taking them all on Friday evening . Tomorrow, as every Thursday , I am at Blackleach till 3.30 for the health walk and art club then school till 4.30 so I haven't much time then. Also , according to the forecast, Friday is likely to be wet. So I decided to come home from Martyns at 3.00 even though I hadn't finished his weeding and go to the allotment and start collecting the veg for my basket. I picked the runner beans and some climbing French beans and some sprouts. Gina, who I help to run the garden club at school is also doing a hamper, mainly with veg that we have grown at school for the harvest at the church . It is a church school but it isn't the same church that I go to so what she is doing and what I am doing are for two different harvests. I had promised her some of my veg for her hamper . There are no beans or sprouts at school so I am giving her half of what I collected this afternoon. The school is alongside the allotments and so I put her veg in bags and put them through the railings to save me having to carry them round tomorrow. This evening there was supposed to be a bat walk at Blackleach but it was pouring down. We had put our names down for it so I thought I had better go up and see what was happening. The ranger who had organised it said he was going to re-arrange it for another day.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 28, 2017 21:21:09 GMT
After school at 4.30 I went on the allotment and got the rest of the veg I need for the harvest on Sunday. It's a bit early for cutting flowers for Sunday but I cut some spray chrysanths because chrysanths keep longer than any flower that I know. This evening I cut twentyodd chrysanths from my garden before it went dark. I put the lights on in both my greenhouses and shed to help me and each time I cut a bloom I took it in the greenhouse to check that it was O.K.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 29, 2017 20:51:28 GMT
One thing I forgot to tell you yesterday was that the plug plants arrived from Suttons. I said that most of my tubs were still nice so I didn't want to re-plant them yet. The ones containing busy lizzies under the carport were more or less finished though so I re-planted those . Put some daffodils in and some of the plug plants of primroses. Another thing I forgot to mention yesterday was that 30 Dobies catalogues arrived for me to give out to people on our allotments and our horticultural society. I have been giving them out on the allotments this afternoon. People who I didn't see I left the catalogues in their greenhouses or polytunnels . I have just been phoning them all to tell them. We get a good discount by ordering in bulk. People can either give their orders to me or send them themselves but they have to use the correct order form to get the discount. They can place their orders on line if they wish but they have to quote a number to get the discount. Today I wanted to cut flowers for the church harvest. It was raining this morning , though , as was forecast . I had got all the veg yesterday so I made up the basket to take. It did stop raining after a while so I cut some flowers from the garden. It rained a bit this afternoon but when it stopped I went to the allotment, not only to give out the catalogues but to cut more flowers for the harvest including dahlias. When I got home I made up two vases of mixed flowers like I do at flower shows to take to the harvest. This evening I have taken all the flowers , the basket of veg and 2 large marrows to church.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 29, 2017 20:53:43 GMT
Flowers cut for the church harvest.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 29, 2017 20:56:42 GMT
Basket of veg for the harvest
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Post by Cat on Sept 30, 2017 18:52:56 GMT
What a lovely harvest basket Derek. Are those Borlotti beans in the front? I remember my mum growing them but I never knew how she used them. Are they used like broad beans in stews etc?
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 30, 2017 20:40:15 GMT
Thanks, Cat. The beans at the front are climbing French beans called "Rob Roy" from Robinsons .Don't know if they can be used in stews but we just boil the pods whole if they are fairly young but if they are older and contain large beans we shell them and just use the beans. I'll try and show you a picture of the flowers in church tomorrow. It has been raining nearly all day today so I couldn't go on the allotment this afternoon as I had hoped so I went in the greenhouse. I told you about the garden ready plugs that had arrived and that I didn't know if they needed potting on because I didn't want to re-plant my tubs yet. I did re-plant two of the tubs as I told you yesterday but this afternoon I decided to pot on the rest of the plants into 3 inch pots . There were just over 100 and I didn't get time to do them all.
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 1, 2017 20:39:31 GMT
Went on the allotment this afternoon . After all the rain yesterday I thought it would be a bit wet for weeding. I decided to turn over the compost, job I have been intending doing for a while. I have three compost bays and I always keep one empty to transfer the other compost into which makes it easier. I then removed the sweet peas because they had all finished. It takes a while to remove all the twistits and rings . I am going to show you 4 pictures now of my flowers at the church harvest this morning
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 1, 2017 20:41:17 GMT
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 1, 2017 20:42:46 GMT
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 1, 2017 20:44:22 GMT
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 1, 2017 20:45:55 GMT
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Post by Cat on Oct 2, 2017 21:45:23 GMT
Nice lupin I spy.
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