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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 16, 2018 21:05:30 GMT
A nice day for a change. Went to the allotment this morning and shifted another 6 barrows of manure. Filled 5 sacks with it and brought them home. I have promised these to somebody .I also brought home 5 swedes. We were due to do our walk round Blackleach this weekend, counting birds. We usually do it on Saturdays or Sundays but because it was such a nice day we decided to go today. Went on the allotment again after and shifted another 6 barrows of manure. Filled another 5 sacks and brought them home and put them on the chrysanth beds.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 17, 2018 21:15:10 GMT
After one nice day we were back to rain this morning but thankfully it didn't last long and it was dry this afternoon. The seed potatoes were delivered to the hut during the week so I got those I wanted-3 kilos each of Casablanca and Kestrel, and also 3 kilos of arran Pilot for school. . When I got home I put them in trays to chit and put them on a greenhouse shelf. Also got some onion sets for school. Went on the allotment this afternoon and shifted another 15 barrows of manure and brought another 5 sacks home and put them on the chrysanth beds.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 18, 2018 20:22:39 GMT
Went on the allotment this afternoon. Took 4 sacks of manure round to school. I told you a week or so ago that we had vandals on the allotments causing some damage to polytunnela and sheds broken into. They did some damage at school as well. They got into the school grounds first before they climbed over to the allotments. The polytunnel was a bit damaged but not as much as I had feared but they had broke into the shed and scattered the tools about. When I went today the shed had been boarded up , by the caretaker I presume. Back on the allotment I shifted another 4 barrows of manure then filled another 4 sacks and took them home and put them on the chrysanth beds. There is enough on there now. Won't be able to go to the allotment again for a week or so. We are going to Wales on Wednesday till Sunday. Tomorrow I am at Blackleach all day and again Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon I will have jobs in the greenhouse to do in preparation for going away. Before I went to the allotment today I took another 16 dahlia cuttings.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 20, 2018 20:31:40 GMT
As I told you we are going to Wales tomorrow till Sunday. So this afternoon I have been doing greenhouse jobs in preparation. I potted up the remaining rooted chrysanth cuttings taken in January and took another 17 dahlia cuttings. Alan, my friend from across the road waters my plants when I am away. The large plants only get watered once a week at this time of year and I will do them tomorrow before we go so the only things he will need to check are seeds and cuttings My propagator is full of begonia tubers and seeds . I don't want Alan to have to go in the propagator so I have taken the trays of seeds out and put them on a warming bench to make it easier for him. I have had to take the chrysanth stools off the warming benches temporarily to make room. The begonias can stay in the propagator as he won't need to bother with them.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 22, 2018 13:41:56 GMT
Heather and my two grandsons were working this morning so Rosemary and me just went shopping. I bought some red onion sets, some ixias, acidantheras and two agapanthus from Wilkinsons and a factory shop.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 22, 2018 19:42:35 GMT
Heather has been off work this afternoon and we have been to a garden centre on the way to Caernarvon. The only thing I bought, though, was a bag of Charlotte potatoes.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 23, 2018 19:56:29 GMT
Been bird watching this morning on the cob at Porthmadog .Counted about 350 wigeon and these are some of them
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 23, 2018 19:58:24 GMT
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Post by roofgardener on Feb 23, 2018 20:58:24 GMT
They look REALLY cute !
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 25, 2018 20:35:20 GMT
Yes, they are, Roofie Arrived home from Wales about 5.00. Called at Snowdonia garden centre on the way home and bought a bag of Red Duke of York potatoes. I have brought home from Heathers about 7 nine inch pots which I planted for her last year with geraniums , fuchsias or other summer plants , for me to re-plant again this year. I will take them back next time I go in May. I have been in the greenhouse a bit this evening doing some sorting out. To make it easier for Alan watering while I was away I temporarily removed the boxes of chrysanths from the warming bench and put some trays of recently sown seeds from the propagator onto the warming bench. When I sow seeds in trays, I stand them on top of each other in the propagator till they germinate .But they need looking at every day because once they germinate they need to come out of the propagator and I don't expect Alan to do that. So I have put some trays that haven't yet germinated back into the propagator on top of each other to save room and put the chrysanths back on the warming bench.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 27, 2018 22:19:29 GMT
Two or three inches of snow fell overnight so no chance of doing anything outside , apart from clearing the snow off the path. So I have been in the greenhouse most of the day. I started re-potting all my pot plants which are in 5 inch pots and over in the greenhouses which I do every year at this time. I knock each plant from its pot and remove some of the compost and re-pot them using fresh compost. Each plant usually goes back into the same pot but sometimes I pot them down into a smaller one depending on the size of the root ball. I don't usually pot them up into larger pots at this time of year .This is done later if needed. I tidy each plant up as I go along.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 28, 2018 19:17:46 GMT
More snow but not as much as yesterday. Took another 44 dahlia cuttings then carried on with what I was doing yesterday ,re-potting my pot plants. It is so cold that I decided to light a paraffin fire in each of my greenhouses. The temperature in one of them last night went down to almost freezing .
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Post by Cat on Feb 28, 2018 22:20:33 GMT
Top tip to freshen and repot
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 1, 2018 19:53:32 GMT
It was snowing again this morning but I went to Blackleach for the health walk as I do every Thursday but I didn't know whether we would have one or not. One of the other leaders phoned me last night to ask what we should do and I said we had better go and see how many turn up and then decide what to do. There are 4 leaders altogether and the other two had been in touch with each other and decided not to go so there were just two of us. Only 7 people turned up and we usually get at least 40 . We decided not to have an official walk because of the dangerous conditions but we said that they could go for a walk on their own if they wanted at their own risk and three of them did. The others just stayed in for a drink and the three came in for one after. As you know, I normally have to stay till 3.00 in the afternoon to cover the art club . There was nothing that Richard, the ranger ,could do outside this weather so he said he would stay in to cover the art club and that I could go home if I wanted so I did so about 11.30. The regional co-ordinator for health walks sent an email round this morning to all the leaders in the district telling them to cancel the health walks if conditions were bad but I have only just seen it because I don't go on my computer before I go out in the morning. This afternoon I have taken Rosemary somewhere then gone back for her later. If I am still at Blackleach she normally has to go on the bus or walk. In between I have been in the greenhouse carrying on with the re-potting. I have filled both paraffin heaters up and left them on.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 2, 2018 20:12:58 GMT
No more snow today but it is VERY cold with a gale force wind. I had to go somewhere both this morning and afternoon but I have been carrying on with the potting in the greenhouse in between.
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