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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 18, 2020 19:39:10 GMT
A drizzly day. We went shopping first. There is nothing else I can do about preparing the ground for my new shed till Tristan comes to help me with it and he works so I will have to wait till he is free. This afternoon I made a start washing all my pots of which I have hundreds including drinking cups and yoghurt pots.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 19, 2020 21:04:16 GMT
Mostly dry today. Went on the allotment this morning mainly because Rosemary wanted some sprouts but I did some hand weeding on the onion bed. After we had been a walk this afternoon I went in the greenhouse and planted 24 shallots into three and a half inch pots. They don't need extra heat so I just put them on the staging.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 20, 2020 20:25:19 GMT
Not done any gardening at all today
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 21, 2020 19:50:37 GMT
This morning I took my car to a garage for a minor bodywork repair. This garage is next to the allotments and if it had been fine I was going to go on and do some more weeding but it was raining so I walked home. There is nothing else I can do about the base for my shed till Tristan is available so even though it stopped raining I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon washing pots. All the yoghurt pots and drinking cups are done. I have to go back for my car tomorrow morning.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 22, 2020 21:06:27 GMT
Went to the garage to get my car back . The weather was fine today so I went on the allotment and did some more hand weeding. I finished the onion bed and then did the runner bean/sweet pea bed. Picked some more sprouts and a swede, two turnips and three small beetroot.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 23, 2020 20:31:57 GMT
The weather didn't look promising this morning so I stayed in and washed some more pots. Five phlox "white admiral" arrived from Thompson and Morgan that I had ordered through an advert in Garden News. They were bare rooted and rather dry so I soaked them in a bucket for a while. I ordered them to plant at Blackleach country park because I lost my herbaceous border when I gave up half of my allotment and I don't have room in my own garden. I didn't know whether it would be best to pot them up and keep them till spring before planting but I finally decided to go to Blackleach this afternoon and plant them. I had forked over the ground before so I just put some Q4 fertiliser on and raked it in first. When I got home some leeks had arrived that I had ordered so I went in the greenhouse and potted them into small pots. I put them on one of my warming benches and switched it on. There were 49 altogether.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 24, 2020 20:53:58 GMT
Much colder today but it stayed dry. I went on the allotment this morning and started digging the trenches for my runner beans and sweet peas. Can't remember if I have explained it before but I dig out two parallel trenches four feet apart , the depth and width of a spade then fork over the bottom and put in a good layer , about half the depth of the trench, of green material from the compost heap then replace the soil. This morning I dug out the first trench and piled the soil at the side , forked it over and put in the green material. Next time I go I will dig out the other trench and put the soil into the first trench. When I have put in the green material I will fill in this trench with the soil from the first trench. When the trenches are finished , there will be a mound of soil on each one but it will level out when the green material begins to rot down. This afternoon we did our walk round Blackleach country park. You probably won't hear from me tomorrow because Christmas day is the only day in the year when I never do any gardening. Anyway, I wish you all a peaceful and safe Christmas.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 26, 2020 16:45:42 GMT
I was hoping to go to the allotment this morning to carry on with my trenches but it was raining so I decided to wash more pots instead. It stopped raining mid morning and it hadn't done very much and it has been fine this afternoon so I did go to the allotment. I finished digging the trenches except that the soil needs levelling a bit better next time I go.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 27, 2020 21:53:55 GMT
We went to Martyn's last night . He came to us Christmas day and he prepared a meal for us yesterday . When we came out at 9.00 it was pouring down and blowing a gale. It did nearly an inch of rain by morning. However, it had almost finished by morning and it has been fine this afternoon. Martyn came a walk round Blackleach country park with us this afternoon. He then took Rosemary home and I went in the visitor centre to get the bird chart on the notice board up to date for the last time this year. I always keep the previous years chart on the notice board for comparison so I removed the 2019 chart and put the 2020 chart in its place and put up the chart for 2021 which I had to prepare first.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 28, 2020 20:44:17 GMT
There was a scattering of snow this morning and there was nothing I could do outside so I washed some more pots. We went for a walk this afternoon and called at the garden centre but they were closed. I need to go soon because I need some advice about the base for my new shed. I will probably phone tomorrow to see if they are open.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 29, 2020 20:59:24 GMT
We went shopping this morning and a walk round another country park this afternoon so I did no garden jobs. I phoned the garden centre to see if I could call but they are closed till Jan 18th. In the meantime, though, I could finish getting the base ready but I need some flags for the bearers to stand on.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 30, 2020 19:57:33 GMT
Rosemary needed the car this morning so I just stayed in and washed some more pots. We went another walk with Martyn this afternoon.
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Post by derekbrooks on Dec 31, 2020 22:06:22 GMT
There was about 2 inches of snow on the ground this morning so there was nothing I could do outside. I still have pots to wash but couldn't do any because we have no newspapers. I need some to put the bucket of dirty pots on and some more to put next to the sink to put the pots on when they are washed and some to put on the floor because she grumbles at me if I mess the floor up too much. I only buy a newspaper on Mondays to read about the football. Martyn sometimes brings me one but that's all I get. I had to go an errand this afternoon but apart from that I stayed in reading and carrying on with my writing. Anyway, I wish you all a Happy New Year.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 1, 2021 23:05:33 GMT
I have been measuring the rainfall in my garden every day for 12 years. In 2020 we had 54.22 inches . This is the highest total in all these years except for 2012 when we had 55.4 inches. The lowest was 29.4 inches in 2010. Yesterdays snow has almost gone but I haven't had much time today. I just went in the greenhouse for a bit this morning and sprayed the chrysanth stools with fungicide which I do every so often to prevent white rust. We have been another walk with Martyn this afternoon and been to his house this evening and played some games.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 2, 2021 19:51:02 GMT
Not much gardening time today, either .We have had a bit more snow. This morning we did our shopping that we normally do on Fridays. This afternoon we went to Bolton mainly to spend some vouchers that we both got for Christmas.
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