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Post by sweetpea on Mar 17, 2020 23:17:55 GMT
Derek, will the school work be affected by this CV? be a shame if you can't attend the plot.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 18, 2020 22:10:18 GMT
Hi Sweetpea Like all other schools, our school will be closed from next week. I was wondering if there would still be a garden club tomorrow so I phoned Gina this evening .She said as far as she knows tomorrow is normal so we are still having one. I told you that I had made out a sowing and planting plan. When the school is closed, from next week onwards, I told Gina that I still intend going to carry on with the plan and do the jobs that the children would normally be doing. When the club does start again we will just carry on with the plan. As you know, different crops need sowing and planting at certain times so if I didn't carry on with the plan we wouldn't know what to do when we did start again.I will still go on my way home from Blackleach on Thursdays . Gina and myself will have to go at other times to keep the plants watered.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 18, 2020 22:35:14 GMT
I have had a full day today in the garden and greenhouses so I have got a lot done. I potted the first 65 rooted dahlia cuttings into three and a half inch pots. These cuttings were taken up to Feb 21st.I then potted 36 tomato seedlings into small yoghurt pots. 16 plugs of Verbena bonariensis came from Suttons so I planted these into 3 inch pots. I have told you that I use last years potato compost from the tubs for growing carrots. I had sieved this compost before and I mixed 16 gals of it with 16 oz. of Q4 fertiliser and put it into the tubes that I had made using builders damp proof material. There wasn't quite enough to fill all the tubes (there are 19 tubes). There were 20 gals of potato compost left so I mixed this as well but didn't get time to finish filling the tubes. Apart from finishing filling the tubes I have to use the rest for filling bore holes in drums on the allotment and some other containers at home. 65 dahlias potted up
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 18, 2020 22:36:47 GMT
36 tomato seedlings potted up.
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Post by sweetpea on Mar 18, 2020 23:36:19 GMT
36 tomato seedlings potted up. Your tomato seedlings look like mine at the moment.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 19, 2020 21:30:45 GMT
When I got home from school today I just had time to finish filling the carrot tubes
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 20, 2020 21:56:40 GMT
Not a full day because we went to Tesco first. Took another 41 dahlia cuttings. I think these may be the last because I have more than enough. There are just a few varieties that I could do with a few more of. When I potted up the rooted chrysanth cuttings into 3 inch pots I stood them all in trays and put them on the floor of the other greenhouse but not in any order.Today I sorted them out into varieties and counted how many of each variety I had and made a list. I then took another 30 cuttings of varieties I would like more of and put all the boxes of stools outside so I won't be taking any more. I potted some more begonias that were growing from trays into pots. I have also done what Moses does for the first time this year . You know what that is, I have told you before (Moses lawn ).It was hard work because I only have a push mower. I should have done it before but it will be easier next time. I will do them every week from now on.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 20, 2020 22:54:27 GMT
I said on Thursday that I would still call at school on my way home from Blackleach on Thursdays to carry on with the sowing programme. However,I won't be going there again for a while. On Mondays there is a toddlers group and a dog walking group, on Tuesdays the volunteers who do jobs in the park and a cycling group and on Thursdays, the health walk followed by the art class. All these are cancelled till further notice. I did intend to keep going twice a week just to keep the visitor centre open . People will still be walking their dogs in the park or just going for a walk and they may want to go in the centre. However, Richard, the ranger, says that the centre will be closed unless he is there so there is no need for me to go, so I am disappointed. Our horticultural hut where I go every Saturday morning is open tomorrow but will probably be closed after till further notice . Rosemary doesn't think I should go tomorrow though so I think I had better do as she says. It doesn't affect me much though because I have my own key so I can go and get anything I want any time. I feel sorry for other people though who are going to find the hut closed. Church is closed on Sunday so that is another disappointment. Going to church is one of the most important things I do all week but the minister is making some worship sheets to give out to us or send them to us on email.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 21, 2020 21:24:48 GMT
I didn't go to the hut this morning so I have had a full day in the garden. I have made three batches of 16 gallons of compost for growing potatoes in buckets and bags , 48 gallons (6 bushels ) altogether. Used mainly the compost removed from the pots when re-potting my pot plants in February but also some which had been used for rooting cuttings .I don't sieve the compost for potatoes like I do for carrots. I just rub it between my hands to break it up and remove any lumps. There were several vine weevil grubs in it too . I do all the mixing under the car port and for potatoes I mix in 12 oz.of Q4 fertiliser per bushel of compost. I grow potatoes in 6 large buckets on the allotment and 9 potato bags of which I take to school. I put all this compost in the 6 buckets and 7 of the bags but they are nut full to the top as I have left room for top dressing when the potatoes are growing.I have also pricked out a few penstemon and salvia seedlings into cell trays. Rosemary has removed all the chrysanth stools from the boxes and put them in the recycling bin after removing the labels. She cleans and rubs the writing off the labels then I can use them again. I emptied the compost from the boxes (which is John Innes)into sacks and I think I will take it to Blackleach and put it on one of the nursery beds.I said yesterday that I won't be going to Blackleach again for a while to man the visitor centre but I will still be going to do some gardening and still do the walks round at weekend recording the birds and wild flowers.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 23, 2020 23:10:51 GMT
Been on the allotment this morning and a bit this afternoon. I took the six potato buckets which I had filled with compost and I planted potatoes in them. After, I planted the shallots from their pots along the front of the onion bed. There are 26, one foot apart. I have three large drums in which I grow long carrots. They are filled with old compost and I made bore holes in them and filled the holes with the carrot compost that I have made but I didn't sow the seeds. I don't normally sow carrots till April. I don't usually plant shallots or potatoes till April either but I have planted them today because I am frightened of Boris Johnson saying that I have to stay at home. Neither shallots or potatoes need any attention now they are planted. I am wondering whether I should have sown the carrots but these will need thinning when they germinate. This evening I have started pricking out annuals,apart from the few that I planted in cell trays. I did two boxes of 48 asters (Duchess) and one of African marigold (Space hopper ). I do this pricking out in the room next to the kitchen where I also have a propagator and a warming mat for the dahlia tubers. Now that I have taken enough dahlia cuttings (I think) I unplugged the warming mat and put it away.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 24, 2020 21:00:57 GMT
Almost a full day in the garden. I mixed another 18 gallons of potato compost and filled another three potato bags. I took 60 cuttings from white bacopa plants that I kept from last year. Pricked out two boxes of 24 of African marigolds Key lime and marvel and a 24 and a 10 of statice. Rosemary did the back rose beds with the claw to loosen the soil.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 25, 2020 21:43:28 GMT
We went to Tesco first but spent the rest of the day in the garden and greenhouse. I told you about the large drums on the allotment in which I grow long carrots. At home I have some smaller drums or large buckets in which I grow stump carrots. These are also filled with old compost so I made bore holes in them and filled them with the carrot compost which I made. When I put the compost in the holes I poke it down with a cane to make sure there are no air pockets. Spent the rest of the time taking more cuttings from my overwintered basket plants,2 colours of diascias and blue bacopa. Took over 100 altogether. Having a rest from pricking out this evening. Rosemary did the rose bed at the front with the claw like she did those at the back yesterday .
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 26, 2020 22:41:17 GMT
Today, I potted a few more rooted dahlia cuttings. I then painted one of my sheds and the gate at the back of the house which is attached to it. Rosemary thinned the pots of brassica seedlings to one per pot. This evening I pricked out 2 boxed of 54 blue lobelia. I had ordered two varieties of bedding lobelia and two varieties of trailing lobelia from Suttons. However, they were pelleted seeds and the germination was very poor. Have any of you found this with pelleted seeds? So I bought another packed of bedding lobelia, "crystal palace" and these are what I have been pricking out this evening. I will get a few from the other varieties but not enough. So I will be short of lobelia this year ,particularly trailing.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 27, 2020 21:57:26 GMT
I have just been watching Gardeners world. Monty Don has been showing us how to take dahlia tubers out of their winter store and start them into growth. Most of my tubers have gone in the bin today. I just took a few more cuttings of varieties which I may be short of.I have 3 tubers still in pots so I have kept these in case I need to plant them. All the rest were in boxes and all these have gone. Altogether, I have taken far more cuttings than I need. I have also been to the hut for some things that I wanted and called at the allotment on the way home for some rhubarb. This evening I have pricked out some more lobelia and some pansies.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 28, 2020 23:07:38 GMT
Not done much today except empty the boxes that the dahlia tubers had been in and put the compost in sacks.Pricked out some more lobelia, asters and pansies.
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