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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 20, 2020 19:38:07 GMT
It was a bit showery first thing this morning so I thought I had better not risk going to the allotment. When it stopped raining I finished cutting down the dahlias on my main bed. I made room to work in my larger greenhouse by moving plants from one side to the other then I could work in there when it was raining. I kept digging up a few tubers at a time and taking them into the greenhouse and untying the labels from the canes , making sure I kept the correct label with each tuber. I then tidied them up and prepared them for storing , as I told you yesterday, and stood them upside down in boxes. We went shopping in the afternoon (too showery for a walk). I carried on with the dahlias after and managed to get them all finished. Next time we get a dry day I will do the same with those on the allotment.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 21, 2020 21:24:52 GMT
It was dry this morning so I went to the allotment . Cut down the rest of the dahlias then started digging them up and preparing them for storing. I knew I wouldn't have time to do them all so I dug some up and took them home to do this afternoon. Just brought three varieties home and put them in separate boxes with the labels then I wouldn't get them mixed up. It started raining a bit when I was ready to go home and it has been drizzling off and on all afternoon. I took the tubers that I brought home into the greenhouse and prepared them for storing and put them in the trays. I use the large trays that they have in supermarkets and the dahlia I have done up to now have filled four of them. I still have about half those on the allotment to do. When I had finished them I started sorting all my canes of which I have hundreds. I had to make more room temporarily in the greenhouse by removing some shelves. I examine all the canes to make sure they are sound then sort them into sizes then tie them in bundles.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 21, 2020 21:30:37 GMT
Sorting canes in the greenhouse.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 22, 2020 21:15:03 GMT
This morning I just tidied up the dahlia bed and path of leaves and other remains from the dahlias. This afternoon the weather didn't look promising for a walk so we didn't go. It stayed mostly fine though so I weeded most of the border between the back lawn and the fence where the row of dahlias had been. We did have a shower so I went in the greenhouse and sorted some more canes. Dahlias stood upside down in supermarket trays to dry.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 23, 2020 20:00:09 GMT
Went on the allotment this morning and finished digging up the dahlias and preparing them for storing. Took them home and put the with the others in the trays under the staging. Also brought the rest of the canes home ready for sorting. While I was out this morning Rosemary has been painting the fence along the side of the garden. She did three panels and after we had been for a walk this afternoon I did another six panels but there are still three to do. Rosemary painting the fence
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 24, 2020 19:43:30 GMT
We went shopping first and when we got home I painted another fence panel. There are still two that I haven't done but they are alongside the back of the greenhouse and my cold frames are stacked behind there so I will wait till I bring them out next spring and paint them then. I also painted one side of the shed which looks worse than the rest. After a walk this afternoon I finished weeding the border between the back lawn and the fence and forked it all over. This is the border that had a row of dahlias at the back and the border that you saw Rosemary stood on, painting the fence yesterday.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 25, 2020 21:39:56 GMT
Went to the allotment this morning. Rosemary wanted some sprouts but I brought home some beetroot and turnips as well. I finished weeding the root crop bed. I had done some of it a week or two ago. Went to Martyn's this afternoon and finished weeding his garden. I also pruned his roses (he has only five )and his berberis and cut some off his ivy that was trailing along the ground. I won't need to go again for a while.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 26, 2020 20:50:16 GMT
Went to Blackleach country park this morning to tidy the border alongside the visitor centre. Weeded the L shaped bed which is at the far end then cut down the perennials that have finished. There are some penstemons which are still flowering. The large clump of golden rod is spreading too much so I dug some of it up. There is still some weeding to do there so I may go again tomorrow. After a walk this afternoon I forked over the chrysanth beds. There are still the dahlia beds to do but there wasn't time before it went dark. I then went in the greenhouse and finished sorting the canes which are 4 feet and over so there are just the smaller ones to do now.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 27, 2020 20:49:30 GMT
Went to Blackleach again this morning and carried on weeding the border but didn't quite finish it. We went shopping this afternoon and when we got home I forked over the dahlia beds. I then started sorting the canes that were less than 4 feet.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 28, 2020 21:46:01 GMT
Very dull and drizzly today. I intended going on the allotment this morning and doing our walk round Blackleach this afternoon. I didn't risk the allotment this morning so I went in the greenhouse and continued sorting the canes. It wasn't raining early afternoon and Rosemary wanted me to go to the allotment for a cauliflower so I did go. I took two bags of old compost and a bag of green material for the compost heap. I put the compost on the dahlia bed and raked it over. It still wasn't raining so I forked over the dahlia bed .It started drizzling again soon after so I cut the cauliflower and also a cabbage and came home. I also brought home a lot of small canes that were there. I then finished sorting the canes and tied them in bundles and put them outside.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 29, 2020 20:52:47 GMT
We didn't do our walk round Blackleach country park yesterday because the weather wasn't very promising and the forecast for today was supposed to be better. However, it wasn't much better and was very dull but we did go. We didn't walk right round though. We just went to see what was on the reservoir. When we got home I just had time to weed the terrace near the form.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 30, 2020 22:39:56 GMT
A wet day today so I didn't go anywhere. I was hoping for a morning at school as I haven't been for a while . There may be veg to harvest and more weeding. I also want another morning at Blackleach and I still have jobs to do on the allotment but I couldn't do any of them. When sorting canes I sort them into 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet and so on but there are so me in between where some has broke off. Today I decided to cut some of those between 3 feet and 4 feet down to 3 feet. I save my own seed from runner beans and climbing French bean. I put some pods containing large beans on top of a cupboard in the kitchen to dry and this afternoon I have removed all the beans from the pods. Runner bean seeds saved for next year
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 1, 2020 20:24:56 GMT
Not done much gardening today. We went shopping this afternoon . This morning I went to the allotment because Rosemary wanted some sprouts but I called at school to see if anything needed harvesting. There were just some swedes but I decided to leave them to grow a bit bigger. I use a lot of 3 foot canes for staking plants in summer which is why I cut some that were over 3 feet down to 3 feet yesterday. My allotment beds are marked out with mostly 3 foot canes but I thought that some of those that were over 3 feet would do for that job so I swapped them over and brought the 3 feet ones home.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 2, 2020 20:52:08 GMT
All the gardening I have done today was to clear the leaves again from the back of my larger greenhouse. The floor of one of my sheds has a hole in it . I emptied that part of the shed to see if I could repair it but not sure that I can so I am considering getting a new one. Went to the garden centre and got a price list.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 3, 2020 20:58:12 GMT
It was raining first thing but it stopped about 11.00. I had decided that I would start cleaning my propagating greenhouse as I do every year at this time. When it stopped raining I went out and started transferring all the plants to the other greenhouse which is always the first job. This afternoon we went delivering Christmas cards then went a short walk. When we got home I carried on transferring the plants and managed to finish them. I then switched off the electricity in the empty greenhouse.
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