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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 6, 2019 21:09:09 GMT
The ground has thawed out now but the weather didn't look promising so I didn't know whether to risk going to the allotment. I did go, though, and I'm glad I did because I got a lot of weeding done on one of the veg beds. We had a shower about 10.00 so I sat in the car but it only lasted a few minutes so I carried on after.It started raining again at 5 to 12 as I was ready for going home. We went shopping this afternoon and I thought I might go to the allotment again after but it was raining again so I decided to stay at home and start washing my pots. Like I said about canes, I have hundreds of pots and they will all be washed in the next few weeks. I wash them at the kitchen sink. .
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 7, 2019 22:27:12 GMT
Just had till 11.00 for gardening today because we have been out the rest of the day. Went to the allotment and carried on weeding the bed I was doing yesterday.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 8, 2019 20:52:53 GMT
Went to school this afternoon to take the rest of the compost in which tomatoes had been grown to the allotment. I had emptied all the pots into compost bags last time I went and three of the bags wee still there. There were still 4 growbags with 2 bottomless pots on each so I had to empty these into sacks . I then took all the sacks and the 4 growbags round to the allotment in two journeys where they will get spread onto the beds.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 9, 2019 22:11:59 GMT
Been at Blackleach all day but the only gardening I've done was removing the annuals from the border. We weren't able to do our walk round the reservoir recording the birds this weekend so I did it this afternoon then went back in the visitor centre to fill in the charts.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 10, 2019 22:46:58 GMT
Very windy and a bit showery first thing and I didn't know whether to risk going to the allotment. Good job I didn't go because it rained more persistently later. So I decided to start cleaning my propagating greenhouse as I do every year at this time. It is a big job and will take me most of the week but I think it is important to start next season with a clean greenhouse. As you know I hardly get any time on Thursdays but I have most of tomorrow and Friday. First of all it involves completely emptying the greenhouse. This morning I transferred all the plants to the other greenhouse. I have trays on the staging in which I put grit in the summer . I emptied this grit into sacks. There are three propagating benches consisting of warming cables between layers of sand. I put fresh sand in them each year and this morning I began removing the sand and putting it in sacks but I am getting short of sacks. I have a lot of sacks containing old compost so I emptied some of them onto the chrysanth beds so that I could use them for sand but I didn't get time to move it all. When I do my lawn maintenance , this sand will get brushed over the lawns to help drainage. When we got home from shopping this afternoon it was pouring down so I didn't go out so I will carry on in the greenhouse tomorrow.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 11, 2019 21:38:47 GMT
I have been working in my greenhouse most of the day carrying on with what I was doing yesterday. I finished removing the sand from the warming benches and put the warming cables in the shed. I brushed all the staging, took all the shelves down and brushed them , then swept the floor. I then sprayed all the staging, shelves, propagator and warming benches with armillatox and then put some of the shelves back in position. I have left the greenhouse door open overnight to get rid of the smell of the armillatox. I switched the power off this greenhouse then the heat won't come but left it on in the other greenhouse where all the plants are. I was reminded of a lecture I went to many years ago at a local gardening club. The speaker was talking about armillatox and told us of all the things it was useful for but he said that one thing it wasn't good for is your sex life.His wife said to him "You're not sleeping with me with that smell"
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 12, 2019 21:29:58 GMT
We had a party at Blackleach after the health walk. It managed to stay mainly fine for the walk but it has rained all afternoon and evening. I usually have to stay at Blackleach for the art club but there wasn't any today and they are not coming again till January 9th. So I could have come home about 12.30 but because Richard, the ranger, is on holiday I decided to stay to keep the visitor centre open. I had intended doing some jobs outside if it had been fine but I just sat at my desk carrying on with my writing.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 13, 2019 21:59:33 GMT
Another mostly wet and windy day but I have been in the greenhouse most of the time. I finished putting the shelves up then put the home made propagator and the three warming benches in position. The warming benches consist of warming cables between layers of sand. I put a bag of sand in each one (which I get from the hut), spread them out even then put the cables in position on it. I switch on cables on for a bit to warm them up which makes the more supple and easier to fix where I want them then spread more sand on top. The sand is about 2 inches deep altogether .I haven't enough sand to finish them off though so I will have to go to the hut for another bag in the morning. The hut is closed now, of course,but I have my own key. Can't remember if I have shown you this picture before . It was taken last year but it is just the same today except that one of the warming benches is short of sand.You can see the three warming benches and the large home made propagator. This is stood on sheets of asbestos, has a tubular heater in and is covered with glass when in use.It takes a while to get it in position and get it level
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 14, 2019 18:38:15 GMT
Only had this morning to do gardening jobs because we have been out singing with our choir this afternoon. I went to the hut for a bag of sand and topped up the warming bench that was short. I then washed all the pieces of glass that I put on seed trays when sowing seeds. Most of them are the size of a half tray so if I am using a standard tray, two pieces of glass go on. there are also some smaller pieces that I use for smaller containers like margarine tubs.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 15, 2019 19:56:10 GMT
After the carol service at church this morning we had a three course meal. We didn't get home till 2.45 Hoping to get some jobs done but it was pouring down so I stayed in and wrote my next article for Garden News. I won't get any gardening jobs done tomorrow either. We are going to our daughter, Heather's over New Year as we always do but tomorrow we are meeting her half way to exchange Christmas presents. Half way between where we both live there is a Mcdonalds so that's where we are meeting.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 18, 2019 21:27:04 GMT
Didn't have time to do any gardening jobs yesterday and I won't have time tomorrow either. All the time I have had today was this morning.The ground was frozen so I could'nt do anything outside and I have nothing particular to do in the greenhouse. I showed you a picture of my empty propagating greenhouse last week. All my plants are in the other greenhouse. When I had cleaned the propagating greenhouse in other years I have started transferring the plants back that were in there before and put the chrysanths on the warming benches. However, I have changed my mind this year. I don't see any need to heat both greenhouses until I need to do so , to save money. The plants in the other greenhouse are a bit cramped but they are O.K. for another week or so. We are going away to Wales a week on Saturday for a few days over New Year . I will put the chrysanths on the warming benches and transfer the plants before we go.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 20, 2019 21:10:58 GMT
I decided to wash all my seed trays today. I wash them under the carport in the wheelbarrow filled with hot water and some washing up liquid and a bit of armillatox. I was doing them all morning . We went shopping this afternoon till about 4.00 then I carried on with them after and managed to get them all done. Didn't have time to put them away after so they are still under the carport. Some are standard size and some are half trays .Even in these two sizes the trays are not all the same depending where they came from. I will have to sort them out tomorrow , putting each kind together because they stack together better. I will see if any need repairing and put them to one side. If any need repairing I just bind some sticky tape round them.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 21, 2019 21:34:55 GMT
This morning I first sorted the seed trays and put them away under the greenhouse staging. I then went to the allotment, mainly because she wanted some sprouts but I transferred the green material from one of the compost bays on top of what was in the next bay because both bays were part full. This bay which is now full will be left to rot down . Any new material from now on will be put in the bay I've just emptied. I did my walk round Blackleach this afternoon counting the birds. When I got home I cleared the path down the back garden because it was messy with soil that had washed off the chrysanth beds and leaves.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 23, 2019 22:12:57 GMT
Went to Blackleach this morning. On the way there I called at church to remove the annuals from the garden. When I removed the annuals from the border at Blackleach I didn't take enough sacks to put them in so I just left some in a pile. I brought these home today. The border was covered in leaves from a nearby tree so I raked off as many as I could and filled four bin bags with them .Difficult to get them all off with them being wet.I will take these bags to the allotment next time I go and let them rot down to make leaf mould. I also cut down some perennials in the border.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 24, 2019 21:35:48 GMT
Been at Blackleach again this morning. Billy, my helper has been weeding the nursery beds but he has only done one yet but I took two bags of old compost and put it on. He can rake it level next time he goes. I thought I might start weeding one of the other beds because it is taking Billy a long time but I decided it was too wet. So I just sat behind my desk the rest of the morning doing my writing. This afternoon I didn't know whether to risk going on the allotment because the weather didn't look promising but I did go and I took the four bags of leaves that I brought from Blackleach yesterday. I will leave them in the bags to rot down a bit then put them on the compost. There were about 8 bags of old compost there that I had brought from school in which the tomatoes had grown. I spread these on some of the veg beds. I still have weeding to do there but as I did at Blackleach I decided it was too wet. So I spent the rest of the time doing some more pruning on the roses.
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