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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 19, 2012 22:09:29 GMT
Didn,t get time to go on the forum last night because I got home too late. I had been the questionmaster at an inter D.A.quiz between three sections of the National Vegetable society,Manchester,Cheshire and Merseyside. (in case you don't know,D.A,stands for District Association ).I have done this for three years. Last night it was in a place near Warrington and a close contest was won by Merseyside.
I had been at Blackleach in the morning.As you know I grow wild flowers here by sowing them in nursery beds .Germination has been poor though this year but I transplanted the few that had grown into the border alongside the visitor centre.I also took some rudbeckias and nicotianas from home and planted them.
In the afternoon I went on the allotment and finished getting the main dahlia bed ready for planting and planted two thirds of them .
This morning I planted the rest of them.This bed holds 90 plants and they are all decoratives,cactus,miniature balls and pompoms.
There is another bed which holds 22 plants and these will all be waterlilies,collaretes and singles.This bed needed weeding and I did that this afternoon and got it ready for planting but didn,t get time to plant any.I have a full day tomorrow so I hope to plant them then.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 20, 2012 22:04:01 GMT
A full day and evenings gardening today.
On the allotment I planted the 22 dahlias that I mentioned yesterday. I also planted sweet corn,celery,fennel and some French and broad beans to fill gaps where those sown direct have not germinated.Also put the second collars on the leeks and began weeding one of the annual beds.
At home I got the borders round the back lawn ready for planting.The border down one side has had three frames on it.I have taken these to the allotment the last three times I have been.One at a time will fit in the car without dismantling them.I use them there for growing carrots
The other border has had boxes of bedding plants all over it.The soil in both borders was therefore very compacted and needed a good forking over.I grow five dahlias and ten spray chrysanths on each of these borders and I got these planted and also some pansies but that's all I had time for.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 21, 2012 21:11:49 GMT
After school this afternoon and this evening I have been trying to get the planting round the back lawn finished between showers but finally rain stopped play about 7.30
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 22, 2012 21:45:35 GMT
Raining all day today till 7.30.,hard at times so no planting today.
This is not the school where I help with the garden club but another local primary school is having a Summer Fair tomorrow. This morning I took most of my spare bedding plants and dahlias there,as I do every year,those that I didn,t sell at our church last Saturday.I just kept a few in case I need them to fill gaps .
Worked under the car port after, mixing some old compost with Q4 so that I could re-use it.Will probably use it to top up the potato bags.
Went in the greenhouse a bit after and did some potting.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 23, 2012 21:24:20 GMT
Finished planting the borders round the back lawn this afternoon.Thank goodness it stayed fine while I did it.It did over two inches of rain yesterday.
I also dismantled the aluminium frames and put them away behind the greenhouse.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 24, 2012 22:09:26 GMT
Had an afternoon on the allotment.Planted a few marrows because some planted previously have died.
Spent the rest of the time weeding the annual beds getting them ready for planting.I have five of these beds and I finished two and started the third.Because it is late in the season I think it is more important to plant those I have weeded than weed the rest of them so hopefully I will do some planting tomorrow.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 25, 2012 21:59:52 GMT
Had this morning and evening on the allotment today.it was a nice day so I was there till nearly 10 o'clock.
I planted the two annual beds I weeded yesterday then carried on weeding the next two.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 27, 2012 22:29:37 GMT
Went to my son's house this morning to cut his hedges
Had the afternoon on the allotment and planted an annual bed I weeded last time I was there and started weeding the next one.
There is no gardening at school tomorrow because it is sports day so I can have a full day on the allotment weather permitting.The forecast isn't very good though.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 28, 2012 22:04:23 GMT
I did have a full day and evening on the allotment today .This morning we had two heavy showers but they didn't last long so I just sat in the car till it stopped.
I finished weeding the annual bed that I started yesterday and planted it. Then began weeding the next one.I put more ties on the sweet peas as I have to do twice a week and I fed the tomatoes in the polytunnel for the first time.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 29, 2012 21:50:26 GMT
Should have been at Blackleach all day today but I only stayed till 1 o'clock then I could get on with the weeding and planting on the allotment.I finished weeding the bed I started yesterday and got it ready for planting.So I am hoping to plant it this weekend.All the annuals will be planted then.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 1, 2012 21:33:44 GMT
Yesterday I only had about an hour spare for gardening so I just went in the greenhouse and potted on the large flowered begonias into larger pots.
Today I have had the afternoon and evening on the allotment. I finished planting the annual beds which is what I wanted.I'm just glad it stayed fine while I did it.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 2, 2012 22:13:22 GMT
I have been at Blackleach country park all day today.I normally sow wild flowers in nursery beds and transplant them to a border alongside the visitor centre.This year the germination was rather poor.Last week I transplantd all that there was but there wasn't enough to fill the border.This morning I filled the border with some of my left over annuals.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 3, 2012 21:49:30 GMT
Went on the allotment this morning mainly to do some tidying up.I told you on Sunday that I had managed to plant all the annuals but I had left all the boxes lying about.Some had spare plants in that I put on the compost heap and others just needed the compost emptying out.Brought all the empty boxes home.
I also harvested the remainder of the winter onions and brought them home.I harvested half of them a few weeks ago.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 4, 2012 22:17:40 GMT
First of all I went to the recycling centre with 8 sacks of weeds from the allotment.
Spent the rest of the day and evening tidying up the garden.After all the planting there were empty plant pots and seed trays and other boxes lying about all over the garden mainly on the paths.All the plant pots are stored in large buckets and tubs and put behind the greenhouses.There is a high hawthoen hedge running along the back of the garden behind the greenhouses and I had to cut that first because I can't get at it when all the pots and boxes are there.I then had to sort all the pots (hundreds of them)into various sizes and put them in the tubs and the same with the boxes .Some of the boxes had compost in and a few plants which needed emptying. I am always glad when this job is done and the garden is tidy again.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 5, 2012 22:25:57 GMT
Before it was time to go to school this afternoon I did some weeding in the garden.(Yes I have some here as well ) .Because of all the weeds on the allotment weeds in my own garden tend to get neglected.I intended carrying on with them this evening but we had a heavy downpour and the garden is flooded.
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