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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 17, 2021 21:39:16 GMT
You can pick my brains any time, Roofie. We have an alpine pan in the back garden which Rosemary likes looking at through the kitchen window. This morning I put fresh compost in , put three plants back in that were still O.K. and left a few out that were no longer any good. On the way home this afternoon after going a walk we called at the garden centre and bought 4 more plants which I planted when we got home. I have also taken another 39 dahlia cuttings today Rosemary's alpine pan
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 18, 2021 21:41:47 GMT
Today I have mixed two more batches of compost for carrots using last years potato compost rubbed between my hands to break it up .Made a batch of 16 gals and I had about 9 gallons left so I mixed that. I thought that was all but I found another bag after. All this is for use on the allotment so I am hoping to take it tomorrow. I have also potted a few more rooted dahlia cuttings.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 19, 2021 22:37:35 GMT
After shopping this morning I just had an hour on the allotment. I took most of the carrot compost and made and filled 7 bore holes in one of the three large drums. We went round Blackleach this afternoon and after I went in the greenhouse and sowed several more packets of flower seeds antirrhinum "mme butterfly", nicotiana "sylvestris", nicotiana"domino", nicotiana " evening fragrance", salvia "victoria", tagetes "lemon gem " and tithonia "red torch".
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 20, 2021 21:46:45 GMT
After we had been for a walk this afternoon I painted the form and the bird table.Then went in the greenhouse and sowed some more flower seeds,antirrhinum "royal bride", rudbeckia "marmalade", and amaranthus "crimson tassels". I also put my new obelisk in position near the shed.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 21, 2021 21:20:54 GMT
Today I gave the form another coat of paint and put it back in position. It has been on the lawn since yesterday stood on polythene bags while I painted it. I also put the obelisk in position near the shed to cover the gap between the shed and the wall .Not decided what to grow up it yet but will probably try sweet peas. Went in the greenhouse after and potted some more rooted dahlia cuttings and took another 48 cuttings. I put the overwintered surfinias from which I took a lot of cuttings outside to make more room because I don't need them any more Obelisk put in position to cover the gap between the shed and the wall.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 22, 2021 20:40:36 GMT
Not had much time today but I have potted another 27 tomato seedlings into small pots.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 22, 2021 20:48:09 GMT
Sorry, I forgot to mention that this morning I took the rest of my carrot compost to the allotment and continued making bore holes in the drums and nearly finished them
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 23, 2021 22:50:26 GMT
I decided that I don't need any more chrysanth cuttings so I untied the labels from the stools and removed them from the boxes. We went shopping this afternoon and then I went to the allotment and finished making the bore holes in the drums and filling them with compost. I had taken the compost in the potato bags . There was quite a lot of compost left and I transferred it to 4 compost sacks and brought the potato bags home.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 24, 2021 22:47:58 GMT
A nice day and a full gardening day. We couldn't go our usual walk because Rosemary had a dentist appointment in the afternoon and she was doing something else this morning. I mixed the final bag of last years potato compost into carrot compost and put it in a tub near the greenhouse. A lot of pots needed emptying and I used this compost along with some more old compost to make compost for potatoes. I just rubbed it between my hands and mixed some more fertiliser with it . Did 2 bushels (16 gallons)and put it in 5 tubs in which I grow potatoes on the allotment. I brought the tubs home last time I went. I have also sowed some more flower seeds and took cuttings from some overwintered diascias.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 25, 2021 22:21:01 GMT
Another decent day. This morning I took 26 cuttings of trailing nepeta. I then emptied more pots that needed doing. I started moving some plants about on the shelves in the larger greenhouse to make more room but two of the shelves were in danger of collapsing because the bracket underneath had corroded and one of my propagators was on these shelves. I unplugged the propagator and put it on the floor and all the pots that were on the shelves. It took a while to remove the old bracket .I couldn't undo the bolts as they were too rusty so I had to saw them off. On the way home from a walk this afternoon we called at our local builders merchants for a new bracket but they hadn't any long enough. So I had to go to Farnworth, the next town to get one. I managed to fix it up after and put the propagator and plants back in position but hadn't time for any more jobs.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 26, 2021 22:42:57 GMT
Today I took some more cuttings of diascia and potted up some more rooted dahlia cuttings . I have just watched Monty Don on Gardeners world sowing his sungold tomatoes. I potted mine up this morning into small pots .I had planted my begonia tubers in a tray in the propagator last month. Five of them were growing today so I planted these singly in 5 inch pots. I have also mixed another 16 gallons of compost for potatoes and put it in some potato bags. The compost I have used for this is what I removed from the pots when re-potting my pot plants in February.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 27, 2021 21:15:54 GMT
On the way to the hut this morning I went to the allotment and took the 5 potato tubs that I filled on Wednesday and brought away a bag of carrot compost to take to school. Rosemary didn't want to go a walk this afternoon so I went to school earlier . I took two bags of compost from the hut, a S.H.L. potting compost and a Clover multipurpose and the bag of carrot compost. There are nine tubes about 8 inches wide attached to a fence in which we grow carrots. They are filled with old compost like the drums on the allotment. I made bore holes in them and filled them with the carrot compost. The polytunnel has been repaired .We are doing some gardening with the children next Tuesday for the first time for a year and I'll tell you more about it then. When I sow brassicas, I sow 3 or 4 seeds in three inch pots and thin them to one per pot when they germinate. While I was at school Rosemary has thinned out about 50 pots of cabbage, caulis and sprouts that I sowed a few weeks ago. This evening I have pricked out 3 boxes of 48 petunias.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 28, 2021 22:09:04 GMT
Today I sowed some more calendulas, potted more rooted chrysanths and took more cuttings of some basket plants. This evening I have pricked out another box of petunias and two of African marigolds.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 29, 2021 20:19:30 GMT
A bit breezy but nice and sunny. This morning I mixed another 16 gals of compost for potatoes and put it in 4 potato bags. This afternoon I took another 64 dahlia cuttings which will probably be the last. I have taken 477 altogether which is far more than I need, assuming most of them root. I also sowed some amaranthus seeds that came free with Garden News. I sowed some a few weeks ago but they are not growing. They are not supposed to need heat for germination so I left them on the staging but those I sowed today have gone in the propagator. This evening I pricked out 3 boxes of trailing lobelia. Lobelia are a fiddly job because I prick them out in clumps of 4 or 5 plants.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 30, 2021 20:36:09 GMT
A nice day and quite warm. Not much time this morning after shopping but I emptied the compost from the chrysanth boxes into sacks. I went to school this afternoon and while I was there, Rosemary pricked out two boxes of pansies. This evening I have pricked out another tray and two half trays of trailing lobelia (cascade) and two trays of lobelia (Crystal palace). For small plants like lobelia I prick them out an inch and a half apart so a standard seed tray holds 54 plants (9 by 6 ).For larger plants I put them 2 inches apart.
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