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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 4, 2021 21:22:04 GMT
This morning I went to the allotment and put the two new pieces of wood in my form. Had to saw off the bolts that had fixed the previous pieces first. When I came home I potted the rooted chrysanth cuttings taken on Jan 31st,about 30 of them. After a walk this afternoon I went to the allotment again and painted the two new pieces of wood in the form. I then put 10 bags of manure on the brassica bed and forked it in, so all the manuring is done now and all the manure is used. I had filled these 10 bags before.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 5, 2021 21:31:07 GMT
I told you yesterday that I painted the two new pieces of wood on my form on the allotment. I went this morning and gave them another coat but I painted the whole form then it would all be the same colour. We went to Blackleach this afternoon to record the birds and wild flowers, as we do every two weeks. My old shed went almost up to the wall of next door's garage but my new shed is a foot narrower so there is a gap between the shed and the wall. I store things in this gap such as frame tops when not in use. I decided that I wanted something to cover the gap and hide what was in there. So when we got home from Blackleach I went to the garden centre for an obelisk.It will have to stand in a tub but I haven't decided what to grow up it yet. I may try sweet peas.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 6, 2021 21:10:17 GMT
Went to the allotment this afternoon and forked over the root crop bed. This bed doesn't have manure and there were no weeds in it so it just needed forking over to loosen the soil. This was the brassica bed last year and there was just one small cabbage left which I took home. I had also planted winter onions on this bed but most of them had died and there were only 3 or 4 left and they weren't growing so I pulled them out. I also forked over one of the two annual beds .These beds don't have manure either.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 7, 2021 21:52:15 GMT
Today I have taken another 52 dahlia cuttings and 35 chrysanths. Every time I take some cuttings I have to make room for them on the warming benches by taking off a box or two of chrysanth stools. The dahlia cuttings I took on Feb 9th had rooted so I took these off to make a bit more room. I have also been to Blackleach to update my bird and wild flower charts in the visitor centre.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 8, 2021 21:49:14 GMT
I was disappointed that it was raining this morning .It wasn't doing much but the forecast was for a dry day today and wet and windy weather from Wednesday. I wanted a good day on the allotment before the rain came on Wednesday. I went in the greenhouse and pricked out 30 dwarf delphiniums into cell trays. It had stopped raining about 11.00 so I decided to take a chance and go to the allotment. I forked over the last annual bed so the beds are all dug over now. As you know I have three compost bays and the compost in one of them was a year old and ready for using. My next job was to put this on the beds but all I had time to do this morning was put one barrow of it on the dahlia bed. It rained again when I got home but this afternoon the sun came out and we went a walk . I then went back to the allotment and continued barrowing the compost on the beds. I am putting either one or two barrows on each bed, depending on the size of the beds. I didn't quite have time to finish it, though,so I hope I can go tomorrow.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 9, 2021 20:54:14 GMT
After shopping this morning I had an hour on the allotment and I finished barrowing the compost onto the beds. There was only one barrow left and I put it on the onion bed. I then tidied the area in front of the compost bays. After going for a walk this afternoon I went in the greenhouse. I planted 60 "Fen early" onion sets in 3 inch pots. They came from Marshalls last week. I also planted 12 red onion sets. Also, I decided to plant 15 of my "Fen early" in drinking cups for school. I still don't know if there is going to be a garden club at school but if we were having one , this is what the children would have been doing this week. If there is being a garden club the children can plant them when they have grown but if not I will plant them myself. I had got some onion sets from the hut for school but there were enough of my "Fen early" so I will take those back to the hut on Saturday.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 10, 2021 21:17:18 GMT
The wet weather that had been forecast has arrived so I have been in the greenhouse most of the day. I started off my Christmas dinner by sowing 24 sprouts. I also sowed 8 each of cabbages "Brigadier" and "Kilaxy" and cauliflower "Clapton, all in 3 inch pots, 3 seeds in each. I don't sow more cabbages and cauliflowers at a time than this to spread out the cropping and I shall sow more probably next month. I don't want 30 cauliflowers all ready at once, do I? . I also sowed some parsley in a cell tray. I then potted 10 tomatoes (meccano) and 6 peppers (yellow bell) into small yoghurt pots. I am getting short of room so I decided to put the chrysanth stools outside as I have probably taken enough cuttings. I potted a few more rooted chrysanth cuttings into 3 inch pots and the first 5 dahlias into three and a half inch. I then decided to start pricking out my annuals and I did 4 boxes of asters,(one of "Crazy daisy" and 3 of "Duchess" ).
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 11, 2021 19:40:54 GMT
It has been VERY windy today but it didn't rain till evening. You know that I grow parsnips and long carrots in tubes made from builder's damp proof material stood in containers. Today I made up all the tubes. I roll up the material and staple them top and bottom, wider at the top , the shape of a carrot or parsnip. The parsnip tubes are in two containers, eleven in each. I started sieving some potting compost to fill them with and filled those in one container but didn't have time to finish the other one.When filling the tubes I keep poking the compost down with a cane to make sure there are no air pockets Tubes for parsnips. This picture was taken a few years ago but they are just the same as I have done today
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 12, 2021 21:47:53 GMT
Rosemary has read in a magazine that celeriac is good for you so she wants me to grow some. I did grow some once but it was a few years ago. When shopping this morning I bought a packet and I sowed some in a cell tray when we got home. After, I took 61 more dahlia cuttings. Had to take a box of tubers off one of the warming benches to make room for the cuttings. I have almost taken enough dahlia cuttings .I sieved the rest of my potting compost to fill the parsnip tubes but there wasn't quite enough till I get some more from the hut tomorrow. I then started sieving the compost from last years potato bags to use for carrots.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 13, 2021 21:30:38 GMT
Still very windy and it rained hard till about 9.00 but dry the rest of the day. This afternoon I sieved some more potting compost and finished filling the parsnip tubes with it. I mentioned yesterday about sieving last years potato compost to use for carrots. It is difficult to sieve because it is wet and there is hardly any left on the sieve so I decided to just rub it between my hands instead but I didn't finish it . I have also taken a lot of cuttings from my surfinias saved from last year. I usually have trouble keeping them over winter but they have survived this time.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 14, 2021 21:37:11 GMT
It was showery this morning but it rained very hard this afternoon and so we couldn't go for a walk. I have been sowing flower seeds in the greenhouse. The half hardy ones I put in the propagator and the hardy ones I just left on the staging. I sowed the sunflowers individually in cell trays.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 15, 2021 21:10:16 GMT
Today I have sowed parsnips in the tubes. I then mixed a batch of carrot compost (16 gallons or 2 bushels ) and put it in the carrot tubes .There wasn't quite enough but I will be making some more, probably tomorrow.
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Post by roofgardener on Mar 16, 2021 9:41:53 GMT
It has been VERY windy today but it didn't rain till evening. You know that I grow parsnips and long carrots in tubes made from builder's damp proof material stood in containers. Today I made up all the tubes. I roll up the material and staple them top and bottom, wider at the top , the shape of a carrot or parsnip. The parsnip tubes are in two containers, eleven in each. I started sieving some potting compost to fill them with and filled those in one container but didn't have time to finish the other one.When filling the tubes I keep poking the compost down with a cane to make sure there are no air pockets Tubes for parsnips. This picture was taken a few years ago but they are just the same as I have done today Oooooh that's an interesting idea. I used plastic bottles to try and grow carrots a few years ago, but it wasn't very successful.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 16, 2021 21:28:45 GMT
Are you going to try this method, Roofie? I also put four canes in each container, round the edge and wind string round them to keep the tubes upright. I also grow carrots in large buckets and tubs filled with compost in which I make bore holes and fill these with the same compost that I use for the tubes which is what I have been doing today so perhaps you could try this if you can't get any builders dampproof. I first mixed another 16 gallons of compost and finished filling the tubes for carrots which are like those in the picture and used the rest of it for the buckets and tubs. It would cost a lot to put fresh compost in these containers every year . Some people use sand but this is expensive too. I use old compost which I have used before which costs nothing and I keep the same compost in from year to year. I just use freshly mixed compost in the bore holes and poke it down with a cane like I do in the tubes. I have four of these containers at home which I am using for stump rooted carrots and the tubes are for long carrots. I told you that our son Martyn was having a new kitchen a fortnight ago and one of these containers is a tall peddle bin that he was throwing out. I thought it would just do for carrots. So these containers are all ready for sowing now but I don't think I will so them till April. They are all kept outside but I keep the parsnip tubes in the greenhouse till they start growing. On the allotment I have three 80 gallon drums also filled with old compost in which I make bore holes for long carrots. One of my next jobs is to mix some more compost for these. Another job I have done today was to sow some tomatoes "Tumbling Tom Red "which came free in the Garden News this morning. I have not grown this variety before
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Post by roofgardener on Mar 17, 2021 12:01:54 GMT
Wow.. I happen to have some large-ish containers that bird seed came in.. they might be perfect for your carrot idea ! I'm going to pick your brain closer to the time
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