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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 16, 2021 22:23:47 GMT
Thanks, Roofie This morning I went in the greenhouse and took another 30 dahlia cuttings. After a walk this afternoon I decided to go to the allotment. On my way there, though, it started raining. When I arrived I just sat in the car for 10 minutes and wondered if I should go home. I'm glad I didn't because it stopped raining so I went on and got some jobs done. I levelled the soil where I had dug the trenches for runner beans/sweet peas. I then scraped the manure off the path where it had been tipped and it filled two barrows . I put them on this bed that I had just levelled as I hadn't put any on before. I then spread the manure on the onion bed but didn't have time to fork it in.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 17, 2021 21:43:03 GMT
A nice day and so I have had a full gardening day. Went to the allotment this morning. A few months ago I planted some lettuce in two frames. They have not grown very big but are usable so I cut them and brought them home because they are on one of the beds that need manuring. I also harvested the rest of the swedes because they are also on a bed that needs manuring. I brought one of the frames home and will bring the other next time I go. They are the same frames that I use for hardening off my plants so I will need them at home soon. I forked the manure into the spray chrysanth bed. I thought there was too much on so I put a barrowfull of it on the onion bed because I thought this bed was a bit short. Also forked some manure into one of the runner bean/sweet pea trenches. I did this next because it is alongside a path at the opposite side of the path to the spray chrysanth bed and the path is messy with manure so I will scrape it clean next time I go. Went to Martyn's this afternoon and planted the cherry tree, and three shrubs that he bought from the garden centre two weeks ago. I had to dig up a spiraea that he didn't want because he wanted his camellia in that place. The other two shrubs were skimmias. He has an obelisk on which I planted sweet peas last year but it wasn't in a prominent position so ha wanted it somewhere else. There were three rose bushes in the way, though, so I had to move these somewhere else.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 18, 2021 19:41:54 GMT
It rained a bit over night but apart from a few spots the day was mostly fine. I've told you this before . I order some flower seeds from Dobies for use on the allotments and I took them this morning and left them in the toilet block. They have been paid for from allotment funds and are free for anyone who wants to grow them. I have asked the secretary to send an email round telling people about them with an attachment with a list of all the varieties and instructions about how to grow them for the benefit of newcomers. They are all varieties I have chosen to attract beneficial insects to the allotments. I have emphasised several times in the articles I have written for the National Vegetable magazine the importance of flowers in vegetable gardens and allotments to attract insects to pollinate our crops. It was a bit wet for digging in manure so I transferred the compost from one bay to the next which aerates it and helps with the rotting process. I brought home the other frame. This afternoon in the greenhouse I potted the shallots from three and a half inch pots into five inch because the ground for planting them needs manuring first.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 19, 2021 21:24:13 GMT
The only gardening time I have had today was about an hour and a half after shopping this morning. I went on the allotment and started forking manure into the onion bed and did about thee quarters of it.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 21, 2021 22:02:15 GMT
My computer wouldn't let me go on the forum last night. At the hut yesterday morning the potatoes had arrived, about six varieties. I always grow Kestrel but we couldn't get it this time so I just got some Casablanca and Charlotte. The weather didn't look promising in the afternoon . We intended going to Blackleach but Rosemary didn't think it was worth risking it in case it started raining when we were round the reservoir. I did take a chance , though, and went to the allotment. If it starts raining there I can just sit in the car. I'm glad I went because it stayed fine and I got a lot done. I finished forking manure into the onion bed and did the potato bed as well. This morning I went in the greenhouse . The gloxinias that I ordered from Suttons arrived yesterday so I planted them in a box. I then sowed five varieties of tomatoes and some more aubergines , about 8 or 10 of each in margerine tubs and also cucumbers. I sow these singly in small yoghurt pots. I told you last Wednesday that Martyn had an obelisk and that I had to move some roses to put it where he wanted it. He wanted something to grow up it so he came a walk with us this afternoon and we went to the garden centre. We had thought about a summer flowering clematis or a climbing rose. They only had early flowering clematis and no climbing roses so he decided on a pyracantha. When we got home I went to his house and planted it for him. Went in the greenhouse after and planted several packets of flower seeds, pansies, antirrhinums, Africa marigolds, cleome and rudbeckias. I put them all and the veg I sowed this morning either in my large propagator or on some of my smaller ones and also the gloxinias.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 22, 2021 20:37:59 GMT
It was raining this morning so I went in the greenhouse and took 54 dahlia cuttings. The rain didn't last long and it has been nice this afternoon so we went to Blackleach to record the birds and wild flowers as we do regularly. There were two oystercatchers on one of the islands .We have never seen oystercatchers here before but we see a lot when we go to Porthmadog. When we got home I went in the greenhouse again and took 36 chrysanth cuttings.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 23, 2021 22:18:15 GMT
Very windy today but it stayed dry. After shopping this morning I had an hour on the allotment and after going for a walk this afternoon I had about an hour and a half. I forked manure into the bed that I call the "others" bed which is for all veg except potatoes, brassicas ,onions and leeks, runner beans and root crops . In this bed I grow broad beans, climbing French beans, peas, courgettes, squashes and sweet corn. I also manured the gladioli bed which is only small compared to other beds.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 24, 2021 22:18:48 GMT
Was hoping to carry on with manuring on the allotment but it rained overnight so it was too wet. Gina, who I do the garden club with at school (when there is one) phoned yesterday to tell me that the school polytunnel had been vandalised and some of the polythene had been slashed. I called at school this morning because she said that she had a new key for me for the shed so I had a chat with her and the caretaker. They have repaired the tunnel by patching up the polythene so it is workable. We don't know when garden club will start again but I am going to prepare the beds , as normal, so I will be going soon to fork in the manure that I took round a fortnight ago and I am growing the tomatoes to plant in the polytunnel as usual. When I got home I decided to weed and tidy up the rockery. There were a lot of buttercups on it.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 25, 2021 21:52:15 GMT
Went on the allotment this morning and also had about an hour there after we had been for a walk this afternoon. I forked the manure into the dahlia bed.I thought there was too much manure on so I put some of it on the rhubarb. I have only the brassica bed to do now on the allotment but I will wait till a month after I had put lime on which is next week. I brought home some small cabbages. Gina, from school, phoned again to say that the polytunnel has been vandalised again and this time it is too bad to repair . She said we may be able to get a new polythene skin on the insurance but it may happen again. They need to find a way to stop the vandals coming in but how I don't know .
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 26, 2021 19:16:36 GMT
After shopping this morning I went in the greenhouse and took another 60 dahlia cuttings . I took 54 only 4 days ago so they are growing fast. This afternoon I forked the manure into the chrysanth beds. At home I have only the dahlia beds to do now.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 28, 2021 21:50:02 GMT
A nice day today and I have forked the manure into the dahlia beds at home and also where I grow a row of dahlias along the back fence. I thought I was short of manure for these beds so I went to the allotment and brought home four bags. When manuring the dahlia beds on the allotment last week I thought there was too much on so this is why I filled four bags. I used two today and I will take the others to school when I go.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 1, 2021 20:50:58 GMT
Went to school this morning and again after going for a walk this afternoon. I took the two bags of manure I told you about yesterday. I forked manure into all the beds that need doing so I won't need to go again for a while. I still don't know what is going to happen about gardening at school due to the vandalism. I don't think it is any use planting anything unless they can stop the vandals going in . If we planted tomatoes in the polytunnel as we usually do they could get vandalised. Also they need watering every day in summer and in the holidays. Gina goes in and does it but she doesn't feel safe going in on her own and she doesn't think I should go in on my own either so it is a problem.
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Post by roofgardener on Mar 2, 2021 11:53:03 GMT
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 2, 2021 21:56:04 GMT
Thanks for your comment, Roofie. I have done nothing but woodwork jobs today. My form on the allotment needs two new pieces of wood along the seat. I got two 4 foot pieces of wood on Saturday from the builders merchants near the hut and I have given them two coats of undercoat . I went to the allotment this morning to fix them into the form. I broke away the old rotten pieces but I couldn't remove the bolts which secured them because they were too rusty and the nuts wouldn't turn. I am going to take my hacksaw and saw them off. You probably know that I have a wooden framework over the chrysanth bed on which I put polythene sheets to protect the flowers. One of the long pieces of wood along the frame which I nail the polythene to had come loose . I fixed it back in position after we had been a walk this afternoon. It wasn't an easy job making sure it was secure at both ends and it took over an hour.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 3, 2021 20:36:09 GMT
Had a rather boring morning today. I went to the hut to help unload a wagon. There were ten pallets of compost (different types) and growbags. We weren't given a time, just "morning". There were three of us and we went about 9.00 but the wagon didn't come till 11.00 so we had two hours just sitting about, waiting. Some of the tomatoes I sowed didn't germinate so I called at the garden centre on my way home and bought two more packets and sowed them this afternoon. I also took another 49 dahlia cuttings.
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