|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 13, 2018 21:43:19 GMT
Went on the allotment this morning and carried on with forking over and weeding the beds. Finished the bed I was doing yesterday then did nearly half of the spray chrysanth bed. I always save my own runner bean seeds but for this year I decided to try to save the climbing French beans "Rob Roy". The pods have all been on top of a cupboard in the kitchen since last autumn and this evening I have removed all the beans from the pods.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 14, 2018 20:02:38 GMT
Went on the allotment this afternoon to carry on with forking over and weeding the beds as I have been doing the last two days. Finished the spray chrysanth bed then did about a quarter of the dahlia bed. The dahlia tubers are ready for boxing up but it was more important to get on the allotment while the weather is fine . It is supposed to be raining tomorrow so I can do the dahlias then.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 15, 2018 23:04:31 GMT
As forecasted, a mostly wet day so I have had a full day in the greenhouse. I boxed up the dahlia tubers. There are 7 boxes altogether. 2 are in the kitchen , one of them on a propagator and the other on a warming mat. The rest are on one of the warming benches in the greenhouse and another propagator. I then took the first 85 chrysanth cuttings. These are also on a propagator in the greenhouse.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 17, 2018 20:49:42 GMT
Very windy with heavy showers so too wet to do anything outside. Now that the dahlias are boxed up and chrysanth cuttings taken there was nothing urgent to do in the greenhouses so I have spent all day washing pots.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 19, 2018 21:49:27 GMT
Still too wet to do anything outside so I have been in the greenhouse and taken another 71 chrysanth cuttings including the first 40 sprays.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 20, 2018 20:31:27 GMT
We usually do our walk round Blackleach, counting birds in the afternoon . We had to go somewhere else this afternoon and didn't know what time we would get home . Also, the weather forecast isn't good for tomorrow so we decided to go this morning. It was rather dull and drizzly though. We got home at 3.30 this afternoon and I went to the allotment because she wanted some sprouts for tomorrow. Brought home some turnips as well.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 22, 2018 22:03:37 GMT
I have been waiting for some mild weather to prune the roses on the allotment . The forecast is for a few mild days so I went. There is a row of hybrid teas and one of floribundas and I almost finished the hybrid teas this morning. I could have done with going back this afternoon to finish them but my two grandsons from Wales were coming and we didn't know what time. Rosemary goes to school on Monday afternoon to listen to children reading so I had to stay at home in case they arrived. I use a lot of margarine tubs and ice cream cartons in the greenhouse for sowing seeds and taking cuttings and I decided to wash them this afternoon. The boys didn't arrive till 5.30 so I could have gone to the allotment if I had known. They have come because Jake, the youngest one is 21 today and they are going to Lanzerote in the morning for his birthday treat. They are flying from Manchester and have to leave our house at 7.00 so we have called a taxi for them. So Alex's car will be on our front all week .Martyn, my son, is going to the airport for them next Ssturday to bring them back. We have all been out for a meal this evening with Martyn.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 23, 2018 21:55:33 GMT
Just had about 2 hours this afternoon after Blackleach and shopping so I went to the allotment and finished pruning the H.T. roses and did the floribundas.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 24, 2018 20:56:03 GMT
Just had this morning for gardening but it was raining . So I went in the greenhouse and sowed the first flower seeds -4 varieties of lobelia (2 bedding and 2 trailing), 3 varieties of asters, 2 of penstemons and one petunias. Put them all in my home made propagator and switched on my new heater.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 25, 2018 19:06:58 GMT
I had an email last night from the allotment secretary saying that the allotments had been broken into . Sheds had been broken into and tools scattered about. The intruders had been in the brew cabin (don't know how they got in there ). We were told not to go in today because the police were going taking fingerprints. I called this morning on my way to Blackleach. There was no damage on my plot and the only damage I noticed was that the polythene on somebodys polytunnel had been slashed with a knife.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 26, 2018 22:22:38 GMT
Just had a bit of time this morning for doing gardening jobs and I just did some tidying up . The first dahlia tuber is growing-A Alf Ramsey
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 27, 2018 19:43:03 GMT
It was raining this morning but dried up in the afternoon. So, this afternoon I went to a friend's house to prune her roses. Not many so it only took me an hour. When I got home I did some more tidying up jobs. I washed the containers that I grow carrots in. The path going up to the greenhouse gets a bit muddy because when it rains, soil from the chrysanth beds washes down onto it so I spent some time scraping it clean.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 28, 2018 20:16:28 GMT
It was dry today so I went on the allotment this afternoon and finished forking over and weeded the main dahlia bed. I thought the ground might be too wet after all the rain we've had but it was better than I thought. I just managed to finish it before it went dark. Brought home some turnips and beetroot. There are 5 dahlia tubers growing now. I can't help keep looking at them . Isn't it exciting!
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 30, 2018 21:57:24 GMT
It was a bit frosty this morning but I went on the allotment. I picked the last sprouts and pulled up the plants. I told you on Sunday that I had weeded the main dahlia bed. The path alongside it was a bit weedy and muddy though so I tidied this. I then just started weeding the smaller dahlia bed. It was too wet really bit I worked off the path to avoid walking on the soil. Four begonias and six gloxinias came yesterday from Blackmore and Langdon . I boxed them up and put them in the propagator.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 31, 2018 22:07:26 GMT
A horrible windy and mostly showery day with hail stones. I therefore decided to stay in and test the pH of my soil samples of which I have 15.They have been drying on top of a cupboard in the kitchen for a few weeks. I have an electronic pH metre that I use which was given me as present when I retired 17 years ago. I crushed all the samples first . I decided to test 5 samples at a time but when I had done the first 5 the metre stopped working. I had a spare electrode but that didn't work either so I thought it must need new batteries. I went for some batteries this afternoon but they didn't solve the problem either so I don't know what to do. We have some cheap soil testing kits at the hut. They are not as accurate as my electronic metre but I think I may call for one tomorrow on my way home from Blackleach just to finish these tests . I will have another try with my metre but if I can't get it to work I may consider buying a new one if I can find one in a catalogue. I went in the greenhouse after and took another 66 chrysanth cuttings.
|
|