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Post by derekbrooks on Aug 29, 2013 21:22:21 GMT
 Sir Alf Ramseys yesterday |
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Post by lesley on Aug 30, 2013 17:48:24 GMT
I certainly hope mine looks like that when it decides to flower, do you leave your in the ground or do you lift them ?? if you lift them when do you start them of again in spring ??
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Post by derekbrooks on Aug 30, 2013 22:07:42 GMT
Hi Lesley.I have explained on this forum several times how I grow my dahlias but if you missed it I will go through it again for you. I dig up the tubers after the plants have been blackened by frost which is normally in November but occasionally in October.I clean up the tubers but don't wash them and stand the upside down in boxes under the greenhouse staging to drain off any water . I start them into growth again in mid January by setting the tubers in boxes and putting them on warming benches in the grenhouse. They soon begin to grow and cuttings are taken from February onwards.The cuttings of these Sir Alfs were taken from Feb 8th to March 2nd.If you keep reading my diary I will give more detail when the time comes.
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Post by derekbrooks on Aug 30, 2013 22:17:44 GMT
Been on the allotment this morning and afternoon I didn't quite finish what I was doing with the dahlias yesterday . I did some more this morning but ran short of string so I couldn't finish them. Spent the rest of the time weeding the annual beds.One of the beds in particular was overgrown with shaggy soldier.
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Post by derekbrooks on Aug 31, 2013 21:32:24 GMT
This afternoon I picked all the apples and pears from my trees. Alan ,my friend from accross the road helped me. Got some string from the hut this morning so I was able to finish tying up the dahlias this evening then carried on with the weeding.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 1, 2013 21:09:14 GMT
Went on the allotment this afternoon and carried on with the weeding. Also gave several bags of apples away to neighbours. There are far more than we need.
This evening I have tied up the chrysanths
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 3, 2013 18:39:17 GMT
My computer went on strike yesterday so I couldn't get on the forum but my son has just solved the problem. I only had the evening for gardening but I went on the allotment till it went dark and did some more weeding then when I came home I took some coleus cuttings.
Today I have been on the allotment this morning and part of the afternoon.Went to the tip first with 12 sacks of weeds. I grow a tall variety of cosmos for cutting and showing and plant it at the back of one of the borders.I hadn,t as many plants this year as usual so I got some off somebody else on the allotments.He said that it was a shorter growing variety so I planted them in the middle of a border and tied them to 3 foot canes. However, they have grown as big as the ones I normally grow and are swamping other plants in the border.So I decided to put 5 foot canes in and try to tie them up.Had to remove some of the lower branches which were trailing along the ground (some were breaking off anyway).Didn,t get time to do them all so I hope to finish them tomorrow.
This evening I am going to the veg meeting and I am usually home too late to go on the computer then.The speaker tonight is David Allison,the editor of the veg magazine and the person who has published my new book. I have been selling the book and I have £50 to give him tonight.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 3, 2013 21:18:48 GMT
There was a misunderstanding about the veg meeting tonight.I thought that at the last meeting they said that David Allison was coming but he hadn't been booked and therefore there was no speaker.After the business part of the meeting we just had a discussion so I got home early.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 4, 2013 21:21:22 GMT
Went on the alotment this morning and finished tying up the cosmos then did some more weeding
Rosemary needed the car this afternoon so I stayed at home and weeded the rose bed at the front and most of the chrysanth beds. When she came home I went to B&Q for a new hose pipe. The old one had some small holes in it and water kept squirting out.
I have another show to go to on Saturday. A show that I normally go to this weekend, Walnut allotments at Bury ,is not taking place this year . I have decided to show at Whitefield which is this side of Bury.I have not shown here for 18 years. When I am showing on a Saturday I normally get the veg harvested on the Thursday then spend the Friday cutting the flowers.I have not much time tomorrow though so I started getting the veg this evening-just those that I thought would keep.I picked all the runner beans and sorted the possible show ones out .They are now in a wet towel . They will be O.K.in there till I have time to do the final sorting.I also brought home some Rhubarb , turnips and a leek which are also in wet towels and some sweet corn.
Another thing I did this morning was to remove the remove the blanching material from the leeks and measured them all. This will help me when I need some for other shows . There isn't a class for leeks at Saturdays show but I am going to put one in the class for "any other vegetable". At other shows you need two or three and they need matching up so I will know which I am likely to need without removing all the blanching material again.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 5, 2013 20:57:09 GMT
A wet day has been forecast for tomorrow so we have had a change of plans. I decided I had better cut my flowers for the show today instead of tomorrow. I thought Rosemary needed the car this afternoon but she said I could take her and she would come home on the bus then I could have the car. Also we were supposed to be going shopping this evening but we are going in the morning instead.So I have been cutting flowers this afternoon and evening mostly on the allotment.I know that cutting flowers on a Thursday for a Saturday show is a bit early but it is better than having them spoiled by the rain.I had not covered any of the giant dahlias so these would definately have been ruined.Tomorrow I have got some more sorting of the veg to do and do some work on the pot plants.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 6, 2013 21:39:43 GMT
It has been wet today,as forecast so I'm glad I cut my flowers yesterday. After shopping this morning I have been getting the rest of my exhibits sorted out for Whitefield show and been staging tonight.I will be going again in the morning to do the rest of the staging.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 7, 2013 20:44:41 GMT
As I mentioned before I have been showing at Whitefield today for the first time for 18 years. Some people who remember me from before welcomed me back and the new chairman and show manager said they were glad I had gone.They said it was the best show they had had for a few years.I put 60 entries in and got 19 firsts, 19 seconds and 8 thirds. I won most points in dahlias, roses and general flowers and most points in the whole show.I will show you some pictures but you will get tired of seeing my pictures if I show you too many.
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 7, 2013 20:50:42 GMT
 This is my entry in the dahlia championship class for 3 vases.Mine are Elma E, Kenora challenger and Oakwood goldcrest. Thought it was nice but I didn't win.The entry nearest the camera got the silver medal |
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 7, 2013 20:55:30 GMT
 Vases of mixed flowers |
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Post by derekbrooks on Sept 7, 2013 21:03:05 GMT
 Alf Ramseys and Rose Jupiter First with both of these |
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Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
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