|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 21, 2018 21:45:36 GMT
This morning I had to take Rosemary to Bolton (about 5 miles away)for her second cataract operation. It is a few hours of a job so to pass some of the time away while waiting for her I went in Wilkinsons. I bought some lilies and some tigridias. This afternoon I took about another 60 dahlia cuttings then started forking manure into the chrysanth beds . Only managed to do one of the four beds.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 22, 2018 22:38:35 GMT
As I have told you before I am at Blackleach country park every Thursday for the health walk in the morning . I then have to stay till 3.00 for the art club. I don't take part in the art club but I have to be there to let them in about 1.00 and then lock up when they go at 3.00 because Richard, the ranger is often out. When I got home about 3.15 I finished manuring the chrysanth beds. Some plug plants came from Suttons,18 each of Verbena bonariensis and Lobelia "queen Victoria". Went in the greenhouse for a bit this evening to pot them into small yoghurt pots.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 23, 2018 20:30:53 GMT
Had the morning in the greenhouse and got my Christmas dinner started by sowing the sprouts. Also sowed cauliflowers and 2 varieties of cabbage. I sow all these in 3 inch pots, about 3 seeds in each , thinned to one when they germinate.The sprouts are "brilliant", the caulis are "Boris" and the cabbages are "Kilazol" and "Brigadeer". Also took about 50 cuttings from my overwintered surfinias. I'm not usually very successful overwintering surfinias but most of them have survived this time. This afternoon I carried on with the manuring. Went to school first and forked manure into the potato and brassica beds. Hopefully, these beds will be planted in April and May so I thought it more urgent to do these than the dahlia beds on the allotment which won't be planted till June. I went on the allotment after and continued with t5he dahlia beds. There are still two beds at school that need manuring but there is no more manure there. However, I think there is too much on the dahlia beds so I will take some of this round to school. By the way, talking of school, you may be wondering why I haven't been going to garden club. As usual, I made a sowing and planting plan with about 3 jobs to do each week beginning in mid March which is when we usually start. I phoned Gina, the lady who I do garden club with, a few weeks ago and she told me that garden club wasn't starting till after Easter because the headmistress has given her other things to do. This is very disappointing and I have had to make another plan out and there are five or six jobs on it for each week to try and catch up . I doubt if we will be able to do them all so things will be late so the headmistress has messed things up again.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 24, 2018 20:30:48 GMT
This afternoon I went to the allotment and filled 4 sacks with manure off the dahlia bed and took it round to school and forked it into the remaining two beds. So all the manuring at school is done now. This evening I have taken 30 cuttings from my overwintered diascias.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 25, 2018 21:07:42 GMT
A nice day today so I had the afternoon on the allotment. I finished forking manure into the main dahlia bed and also did the smaller bed. All the manuring is done now, thank goodness! I can concentrate on other jobs now.
|
|
|
Post by roofgardener on Mar 26, 2018 14:35:23 GMT
Wasn't it a lovely day ? First day of Spring, as far as I was concerned. I managed to repair my polytunnel, and get it ready for use....hopefully I'll be starting to weed and plant seeds over the course of this week.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 26, 2018 20:49:13 GMT
Another nice day today, Roofie. I have been on the allotment this morning and afternoon. I have forked over half of the root crop bed. Last year this was the brassica bed and half of it still has a few cabbages and sprouting broccoli on and also winter onions. Spent the rest of the time forking over and weeding the beds where I grow cut flowers. This evening I have been in the greenhouse and took some cuttings from my overwintered bacopa and nepeta that I use for baskets.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 27, 2018 21:27:15 GMT
After a few nice days we were back to rain this morning but it dried up this afternoon. After shopping this afternoon I went in the greenhouse. It is getting rather crowded at present so I decided to put all the chrysanth stools outside (10 boxes )but I took 114 cuttings from them first.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 28, 2018 21:19:56 GMT
In the greenhouse most of the day. First, I sowed a packet of cosmos which came in the Garden News. You know that I grow long carrots and parsnips in tubes made from builders damp proof material. They are clipped together top and bottom and stood in large buckets. Today I made up 24 tubes for parsnips and filled them with potting compost rubbed between my hands to break it up and feel for lumps. It took me nearly all day.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 28, 2018 21:26:07 GMT
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 29, 2018 21:32:36 GMT
Went in the greenhouse when I got home from Blackleach about 3.15 and again for a bit this evening and took 68 more dahlia cuttings.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 30, 2018 20:06:41 GMT
Had about an hour and a half in the greenhouse this morning and the same this evening. Sowed another 8 packet of flower seeds. Pricked out the first 38 tomatoes into small yoghurt pots. Potted the first thirtyodd rooted dahlia cuttings into three and a half inch pots. I'm not doing well with dahlias this year .On March 17th last year I potted 119 rooted dahlia cuttings and so far this year I only have thirtyodd. I have lost most of those taken in February as they haven't rooted. The only explanation I can think of is that previously I have used fresh rooting powder every year and this year I used what was left from last year. The reason is that I have been economising with it because it has gone off the market and we can't get any more at the hut. When I found out about this I got another two pots to last me a few years. I have now started using a new pot so I hope the cuttings I am taking now will be O.K. We have now got a different kind at the hut now so I will have to start using this next year Had the afternoon on the allotment carrying on with forking over and weeding the annual beds. I finished the one I started last time and started another.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 31, 2018 21:05:37 GMT
Heather, our daughter from Wales, is here for the weekend. She arrived last night. She came with us for our walk at Blackleach this afternoon but we didn't walk right round. They went shopping after and I came home and went in the greenhouse. I pricked out the rest of the tomatoes into small pots . There are 72 altogether. Then potted about another 50 rooted chrysanths. They have rooted a lot better than the dahlias. I had planted the begonia corms in boxes in February and put them in the propagator . Most of them are now growing so I began potting them individually into 4 inch pots. I told you a few months ago that my pH tester wasn't working properly . I ordered a new pH meter from Two Wests and Elliot a week ago . It arrived last Thursday while we were out so couldn't be delivered. So before we went to Blackleach this afternoon I went to the Post office depot to collect it.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 2, 2018 18:20:30 GMT
It rained all morning and again it rained hard from mid afternoon. Had the morning in the greenhouse and sowed all my sweet peas , 8 packets altogether. I have said before that many of you will have yours growing by now and maybe ready for planting. I sow mine late because I want them for the August and September shows. I sow them in individual drinking cups. These come in different shapes and sizes but I chose the tallest for sweet peas. Didn't get much gardening time yesterday . Because Heather is here we went out for lunch with our son, Martyn, then went for a walk. When we got home I just had time to fill some of the cups. Martyn came for us again today because we had arranged to meet Rosemary's brother and niece for lunch at a garden centre near where they live. We looked round after but the only thing I bought were two packets of seeds, cleome and tagetes because those I sowed earlier had not germinated. On the way home, Martyn took us to another garden centre, one we had not been to before. Went in the greenhouse again when we got home and I sowed the seeds I had just bought. Also sowed some zinnias. I grow these in drinking cups with the base cut off and stood upside down in trays. This is because they don't like root disturbance so when they have grown the cup is just lifted away without disturbing the roots.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 2, 2018 18:28:00 GMT
This is a picture taken a few years ago to show you zinnias growing in bottomless drinking cups stood upside down.
|
|