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Post by derekbrooks on May 21, 2020 20:44:23 GMT
Today I fixed up the structures of canes for the runner beans and sweet peas and climbing French beans like I did for the peas yesterday.The runner beans and sweet peas are grown on the same structure and is a lot bigger than the others, there are 62 canes on it and just 18 for the climbing French beans. They took me all morning and afternoon except for going for a walk this afternoon. All of these three structures still need some diagonal canes fixing to strengthen them but I have no more 8 foot canes .Will go for some , probably tomorrow. This evening I made 8 gallons of compost for carrots and 10 gals for potatoes by mixing some Q4 fertiliser into some old compost. I used the potato compost to top up the 8 potato bags I have growing at home but there wasn't enough for those on the allotment so I will have to make some more. I also sowed some French beans in pots in case any that I sowed yesterday don't grow.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 22, 2020 21:48:25 GMT
I went to the hut first for some 8 foot canes to fix diagonally on the structures of canes that I made yesterday then went to the allotment to fix them up. Put 4 on the structures for peas and climbing French beans and 8 on the runner bean/sweet pea one. I also planted 16 exhibition onions and 8 leeks . This evening I began getting my tubs ready for planting. The polyanthus, primroses , daffodils and tulips in these tubs had finished flowering but some contained bellis and forget- me-nots that were still nice. They had to be sacrificed because it is nearly time the summer plants were going in. I change the compost in half of the tubs each year and with the others I just remove some of it and mix some fertiliser into the rest before topping up with new compost. I make a note in my diary which ones had new compost.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 23, 2020 21:16:35 GMT
Went to school this morning. The tomatoes are growing well. Was surprized how much they had grown in a week. Put more ties on them all and removed side shoots. I sowed some broad beans in one of the beds. When manuring my allotment a few months ago I took three spare bags round to school and today I decided to for it into some of the small beds . Did a bit more weeding on one of these beds. This afternoon after going for a walk I went on the allotment and again this evening .I planted the sweet peas which I had started in drinking cups. There are six varieties and I planted about 8 of each variety and supported them with twistits. My three water butts were empty so I swilled them out and filled them up with my hose pipe. I mentioned yesterday that I went to our horticultural hut .It has been closed due to the coronavirus but it opened again this morning but only one person allowed in at a time and only two people serving instead of the usual four .Out of these four only two are under 70 (I am the oldest )so these two are going to do it until we get further instructions from the government.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 24, 2020 22:01:31 GMT
I have been working in the greenhouses most of the afternoon. I sowed some more cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce and beetroot seeds. Then potted a lot of rooted cuttings of basket plants into small yoghurt pots. Also potted 12 sweetcorn from drinking cups into 4 inch pots and 8 calabrese from 3 inch into 5 inch pots. This evening I made another 12 gallons of compost for topping up the potato buckets on the allotment. Also made some compost for hanging baskets by mixing a 75 litre bag of potting compost with 16 scoops of swellgel which reduces the amount of watering needed. I am going to tell you two bird stories now. We usually go to our daughter, Heathers in Wales about now to take her some plants and hanging baskets but due to the virus we cant go this year. When we go we often go and look at the Glaslyn ospreys which are only about 2 miles away from where she lives. There is a visitor centre with telescopes so that people can view the nest but it is closed to the public at present. Heather has a friend who works there as a volunteer .However, Rosemary has got live pictures of the nest on her phone which we keep looking at several times a day. There were originally three eggs and today we have watched the third chick hatching. I told you the other day about a robins nest in our shed . This morning I took a picture of it and one of the parent coming in to feed the young. This afternoon I felt in the nest and there were just two unhatched eggs and no young.I was puzzled because when I found the nest last Tuesday I thought the young were only a few days old .This evening we saw a young chick in the garden and I told my next door neighbour about it.Later, he said he had seen the parent feeding it but he said it was still going in the shed so there must have still been at least one chick in there , yet I didn't see them . They must have been on the shed floor somewhere.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 24, 2020 22:10:16 GMT
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Post by derekbrooks on May 24, 2020 22:12:42 GMT
Robin coming in to feed the chicks
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Post by derekbrooks on May 25, 2020 21:19:13 GMT
On the allotment this morning I topped up the potato buckets with the compost I made yesterday. I then started getting the dahlia bed ready for planting. I forked it over and raked in some growmore. After our walk this afternoon I emptied all the frames which contained all the dahlias and some annuals, basket plants and veg. Filled up 3 of the frames again with similar plants. The robin chick that was in the garden yesterday was dead this morning but I found one in the shed still alive and being fed. Can't understand why that one died because it was being fed yesterday.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 26, 2020 21:15:15 GMT
Went to my son, Martyns this morning and forked over the border round his lawn. His soil is like rock so it was hard work. I took two bags of old compost which I will rake it to hopefully improve the soil. I started hand weeding it but only had time to do about half of it. This afternoon after our walk I filled another three frames with plants. All the annuals and basket plants are in the frames now. The frame that was on the dahlia bed is not needed now so I dismantled it and put it away. I will be able to get the dahlia bed ready for planting now. The wooden frame is no longer needed either so I will dismantle that, probably tomorrow. This evening I went to the allotment.I put 5 barrows of compost on the dahlia bed and 2 on the bed where the courgettes, squashes and sweet corn will be going and I brought 3 bags of it home to put on the dahlia beds so I have used it all now. Took somebody on the allotments 3 dahlias and someone else 2 tomato plants in 5 inch pots. A job I did yesterday which I forgot to mention was to paint the greenhouses with Summercloud greenhouse shading. I have always used coolglass before but we can't get it any more as it has gone off the market.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 27, 2020 21:15:20 GMT
Went to the allotment this morning and got the dahlia bed ready for planting. I raked the compost that I put on yesterday over the bed and forked it in then raked the bed again and hoed it. I began putting the canes in but didn't have time to finish them. I also treated weeds on the main path in front of my allotment with weedol. This afternoon I got my dahlia bed at home ready for planting just like I did on the allotment this morning. This evening I went to Blackleach country park and started weeding and tidying up the border alongside the visitor centre. When I gave up half of my allotment I lost the bed where I grew perennials so this border at Blackleach is the only place I can grow them now so in a sense I regard this border as part of my garden.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 28, 2020 21:12:56 GMT
Apart from going for our usual walk early afternoon ,a full gardening day and evening. Apart from filling up the water butts on the allotment again I have done nothing apart from planting dahlias. I planted the bed on the allotment this morning and afternoon and the bed at home this evening. I put a row behind a border in the garden but I can't do that yet but the two main beds are done.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 29, 2020 20:57:03 GMT
This morning on the allotment I planted some lettuce from cell trays and sowed some radish between the rows of runner bean and sweet pea canes. Salad crops like these are not part of the crop rotation.I just grow them anywhere there is room and this is a good place. At home this afternoon I have forked over the border round the front lawn to start getting it ready for planting. It needs hoeing and raking now. Went back to the allotment this evening and Rosemary came with me to tie the dahlia labels onto the canes.I forked over the rest of the "others" bed where the sweet corn squashes and courgettes will be going then started doing the rest of the root crop bed. There are winter onions, swedes and turnips in part of the bed.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 30, 2020 21:31:29 GMT
Not had much gardening time today .We have walked round Blackleach this afternoon and when we got home I put fresh compost in three of my tubs so they are all ready for planting. Went on the allotment this evening just to water. Watering is a time consuming job at present.It takes me three quarters of an hour to water all my plants at home every morning.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 31, 2020 21:43:44 GMT
This afternoon I started planting the border round the front lawn. I forked it over on Friday and Rosemary started hoeing it yesterday but she only did one side of it. I did some planting on the part where she has hoed and put in some gladioli, antirrhinums and lavatera. She has hoed the rest of the border this evening. I went to the allotment this evening ,mainly to re-fill the water butts but while they were filling up I finished forking over the root crop bed and put the second collars on the leeks. For blanching leeks I have rectangles cut from builders damp proof material. The first ones measure 4 inches by 6 inches. They have been wrapped round the leeks 4 inches high and today I have turned them the other way so they are 6 inches high. I have some more pieces for the next stage measuring 9 inches by 12 inches.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 1, 2020 21:25:13 GMT
Been on the allotment this morning and evening. I planted all the tender veg--runner beans, climbing French beans, marrows, courgettes, squashes and sweet corn. Tied the beans to the canes .You don't have to keep tying them ,only to start them off. They will twine round the canes themselves after. Another job I did was to this the turnips and swedes in the rows.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 2, 2020 21:37:06 GMT
This morning I went to Martyn's and finished weeding his garden. I put on the two bags of old compost which I took last week and raked them over and forked the soil over again. The soil is still very hard,I could hardly get my fork into it in places .It needs the lumps breaking up with the back of a rake and hoeing before I can plant it. On the allotment this evening I planted three rows of beetroot that I had grown in cell trays and a few more lettuce. I then started getting the annual beds ready for planting by forking them over but didn't have time to do much.
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