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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 3, 2018 21:34:46 GMT
At the hut this morning someone gave me a propagator which he once made but has no longer any use for . He asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted it. It is a large box with a heating cable and thermostat which goes between layers of sand like the warming benches that I already have but they don't have a thermostat. I got two bags of sand from the hut and this afternoon I made room on my staging and fixed it up with one bag of sand below and one above the cable. A few weeks ago I had to take the boxes of chrysanth stools off one of my warming benches to make room for cuttings so I have put some of them back on this new one. I have also put my leeks and onions on it so it is already in full production! I did some more re-potting after and I have nearly finished it.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 6, 2018 22:14:13 GMT
The post I put on the forum on Sunday seems to have disappeared. I finished the re-potting then emptied the pots I had brought from Heathers, Last night we went to a choir practice , as we do every Monday. The place where we practice is 23 miles away down the M60 but we had a problem getting home . We were held up a long time and finally had to come off and find our way home another way and when we got home it was too late to come on the forum and we went straight to bed. In the morning I potted all the remaining rooted chrysanth cuttings taken in January. I haven't had much time today , just time to look at my seeds in the propagator.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 7, 2018 21:08:31 GMT
Rosemary went out in the car this morning and afternoon as she usually does on Wednesdays. This is the first time she has driven since her cataract operation so I didn't need to take her as I done for the last few weeks. I went in the greenhouse first and took another 28 dahlia cuttings. I have taken 124 up to now. There are some chrysanth cuttings ready for taking but it was a decent day and I thought it would be a shame to stay in the greenhouse because I have been held up with the weather a lot recently. I decided to scarify the front lawn , spike it and brush sand over it like I did with the back lawn a few weeks ago. When she came home this afternoon I went to the allotment. This is the first time I have been since before I went to Wales mainly because of the ice and snow. I have told you before that I order flower seeds from Dobies to give free to anyone on the allotments who wants to grow them . They are paid for from allotment funds . I choose flowers that are best for attracting beneficial insects which are needed to pollinate our crops. I took all these seeds this afternoon and left then in a place where everybody goes ( the toilet)along with a list of all the types and varieties. I have just sent an email to the secretary asking her to circulate it to everyone on the allotments telling them about these seeds. Now for some news I am really thrilled about. The National Vegetable Society have finally published my book "Getting started growing cut flowers" as the next book in the "getting started" series. I had previously written "Getting started on the allotment" and "Getting started on the show bench". I received my copy of the new book yesterday. I am really pleased with it.It is really colourful and full of pictures . They are sending me some more to sell . They are £5.99 plus £1.60 postage so if you would like one, please email me Derekbrooks70@btinternet .com. I know some of you have got my other books.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 8, 2018 21:22:33 GMT
I had so much to tell you yesterday that I forgot to mention that when I went to the allotment I shifted another 10 barrows of manure onto the veg plots. It has nearly all gone now and I was hoping to finish it this afternoon but after a nice day yesterday we were back to rain and sleet this morning with a cold wind. In spite of the weather we did have a health walk at Blackleach but only 32 turned up against the usual 40odd or 50. When I got home after the art club this afternoon I went in the greenhouse and took another 70 chrysanth cuttings. A bag of onion sets arrived from Marshalls.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 9, 2018 22:17:10 GMT
A decent day today and I have been on the allotment this morning and afternoon. I scraped the rest of the manure off the path where it was tipped and filled another 3 barrows so it's all gone now. Altogether I have had 85 barrows and filled 18 sacks. Someone else has had a load tipped and some of it has gone on my herbaceous border, on top of some of my plants so I spent some time this afternoon making a path between the pile of manure and my plot and getting it off my plot. I then started forking the manure into the onion bed and did about half of it. 15 copies of my new book arrived from the editor for me to sell and I sold one on the allotment. I will take one to the hut in the morning to show people.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 10, 2018 20:41:19 GMT
Last Thursday I said that after one nice day we were back to rain. Well, it is just the same today so it was greenhouse this afternoon. I potted the shallots on from three and a half inch pots into five inch. There were 21. I then planted 50 Fen early onion sets into 3 inch pots and also 16 red onion sets. Also sowed a few more tomatoes.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 11, 2018 20:59:12 GMT
We went out for lunch with our son ,Martyn for mothers day .We booked the same place for our diamond wedding celebration in August. It is the same place where we had our golden wedding 10 years ago. The weather is dry today so I went to the allotment after and finished manuring the onion bed and did about half the chrysanth bed. I am doing the beds first that will be planted first. The dahlia beds will be done last because they wont be planted till June.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 13, 2018 21:25:41 GMT
It was a bit drizzly this morning so I didn't know whether to risk going on the allotment. Glad I went though because it was fine the rest of the day. I went this morning and again this afternoon after shopping. I finished forking manure into the chrysanth bed then did the runner bean/sweet pea bed and started the potato bed. I haven't dug trenches for the runner beans and sweet peas as I usually do. I should have done them before the manure arrived but didn't get round to it and it's too late now. I have been too busy shifting the manure and forking it in the beds. When shopping this afternoon I posted five copies of my new book to people who have asked me for one. Lesley off this forum is one of them. Paws57 has also had one but that didn't need posting as she is on our allotments.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 14, 2018 22:04:26 GMT
Rosemary needed the car this morning so I went in the greenhouse and took another 75 dahlia cuttings-that's 199 up to now. Went on the allotment this afternoon . Finished manuring the potato bed and almost finished the brassica bed as well.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 15, 2018 22:42:25 GMT
It was a bit drizzly this morning for the health walk and only 22 people turned up . We usually get at least 40. It brightened up this afternoon so when I got home at 3.15 after the art club I went on the allotment carrying on forking manure into the beds. I finished the brassica bed , then started the gladioli bed.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 16, 2018 22:03:49 GMT
Went to the allotment this morning and carried on with the manuring. I finished the gladioli bed. There was too much manure on here so I put some of it on the compost. I then started manuring what I call the "others" bed. This bed is for any crop apart from brassicas, potatoes and other root crops that don't need manure. Rosemary wanted the car this afternoon so I went in the greenhouse and sowed a lot of flower seeds.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 17, 2018 20:26:34 GMT
It snowed on and off all day and VERY cold with a srtong wind. So I had the afternoon in the greenhouse sowing more seeds. Those I sowed yesterday were half hardy annuals which went in the propagator . Those I sowed today were mostly hardy annuals (calendula, lavatera, annual chrysanths and sunflowers ) which don't need a propagator so were just left on the staging.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 18, 2018 22:08:51 GMT
More snow fell overnight and there is still a bitterly cold wind so it was another afternoon in the greenhouse. I potted up about another 70 rooted chrysanth cuttings into 3 inch pots.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 19, 2018 22:28:35 GMT
This evening I have been to the meeting of Salford and Bolton Fuchsia Society. I took three copies of my new book to sell. Several people said they liked it but nobody said they wanted one.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 20, 2018 21:11:46 GMT
At the fuchsia meeting last night the speaker was giving cuttings away and I got a few cuttings of one called Bryn Y Baal. I planted these this morning then went on the allotment and after shopping this afternoon I went on the allotment again. I finished manuring the bed I was doing last time I went and also a patch at the back of the potato bed where I grow marrows. All the manuring on the allotment is done now except the dahlia beds. I started doing the main dahlia bed but before I finish it, I think I will do the chrysanth beds at home because the chrysanths will be planted before the dahlias.
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