|
Post by derekbrooks on Mar 31, 2021 21:41:17 GMT
Another nice day. This morning I potted another 46 rooted dahlias .All the cuttings taken up to March 3rd are now potted up. Seeds from a large ash tree at the bottom of the garden are a real problem. They are all over the borders, the paths and the lawn. I decided to mow the lawns this afternoon for the first time this year . I always put the lawn mowings in the trenches when I plant potatoes but I didn't want them full of ash seeds. I don't want ash tree seedlings growing all over my potato bed. I started picking them up by hand but soon realised that it would take me too long. So I started brushing them off and I got rid of most of them before I mowed but it was hard work. Mowing was hard work too because I had left it too long but it will be better next time.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 1, 2021 20:18:09 GMT
We went shopping this morning and when we got home I potted the last 32 rooted chrysanth cuttings. After a walk this afternoon I washed the boxes which have had the chrysanth stools in and some trays that had been lying about. Sowed 2 more packets of flower seeds. This evening I pricked out two trays and two half trays of lobelia and a tray of pansies.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 2, 2021 21:19:09 GMT
This morning I sowed some kohl rabi in a cell tray and some cauliflower "Cheddar" and broccoli "Gemini" in 3 inch pots, just 6 of each. I always sow brassicas a few at a time like this to spread the cropping. We went our walk round Blackleach this afternoon . This evening I pricked out the rest of the pansies, some more lobelia and some antirrhinums.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 3, 2021 21:10:49 GMT
After going a walk this afternoon I went to Blackleach to update my bird and wild flower charts in the visitor centre. Sixteen plug plants of Lobelia "Queen Victoria" came from Suttons and when I got home I potted them into 3 inch square pots. This evening I have pricked out some more antirrhinums.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 4, 2021 21:18:30 GMT
The only gardening I have done today is pricking out . I have done the cosmos and Marigold "Tall Scotch prize".
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 5, 2021 21:01:00 GMT
This morning I potted another 31 rooted dahlia cuttings. These cuttings were taken on March 7th. I thinned some parsley seedlings that I sowed in a cell tray and transferred some to another cell tray. The large propagator in the greenhouse which I use to germinate most of my seeds stands on sheets of asbestos .I am desperately short of room in the greenhouse and I have to keep shifting plants about to make more room. I decided that I don't need the propagator any more as I have only another two packets of flower seeds to sow and these can go on one of the warming benches because rooted cuttings keep being taken off the warming benches which gives me more room on there. When the propagator is not in use I put the sheets of asbestos on the top so this is what I did today . This gives me a lot more room because I can stand boxes of plants on top. This evening I have been pricking out cosmos, French marigolds and statice.
|
|
|
Post by roofgardener on Apr 6, 2021 9:23:57 GMT
As ever, you have kept yourself busy, derekbrooks. In a few weeks I might need your advice. I have an idea to try growing some cauliflower or cabbages this year. Is it too late to start germinating the seeds ?
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 6, 2021 21:50:14 GMT
It isn't too late, Roofie. I sow mine in small batches from March to July, about 6 or 8 of each variety at a time to avoid a glut. You don't want twenty cauliflowers all ready at once, do you?. For later sowings you need varieties for overwintering. They can be sown direct in the bed but I sow mine in three inch pots, 3 or 4 seeds in each, thinned to one when they germinate. Later, I pot them on into 5 inch pots to avoid clubroot which means that when planted out they are bigger plants and the roots have more compost to occupy before they reach the soil. I hope this helps. When I prick out boxes or trays of annuals I put them under the greenhouse staging and this area is now full and there isn't room for any more. They can't stay there for long, though , as they need light .After a few days they need putting on the staging or shelves but there isn't much room there or transferring to my other greenhouse . This is where most of them go but the chrysanths are in there at present. So I need to put these in my frames and also some of the hardy annuals can go there too. So my next urgent job is to fix up my frames, most of which are behind the greenhouse. So today, I have cleared the area in front of my shed where the frames go. This area is a dumping ground for all sorts of things that are not in use. There were pots, seed trays and buckets .There were also some plants in pots, some conifers, rosemarys, ivies and parsley that were left from last year. I re-potted some of the plants that were still O.K.and put the somewhere else and put the rest in the bin. When the area had been cleared I began getting the frames out and fixing them up and am hoping to carry on with them tomorrow.
|
|
|
Post by roofgardener on Apr 7, 2021 10:23:10 GMT
Thanks for that derekbrooks. I've got relatively limited space, so I might only plant out a half-dozen cauliflowers, and perhaps half a dozen other brassicas. It's more of an experiment than anything, but if I get something to eat that is a bonus. Now, if only I could grow a cheesecake bush or a mars-bar tree, I'd be laughing
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 7, 2021 21:11:43 GMT
All the parsnips have germinated in the tubes so I reduced them to one per tube. Six plug plants of coleus cane from Dibleys. I potted them into three and a half inch pots. The top broke off one of them so I planted it as a cutting. I also potted a Salvia "hot lips" from a 6 inch pot into a 7 inch .After a walk this afternoon I fixed up the rest of my aluminium cold frames but I have not put them in position .I have seven altogether. Several years ago , when our horticultural society held a show, Elite Greenhouses used to donate a cold frame for the person who wins most points in the show .I nearly always won that which explains why I have so many frames. I also have a wooden frame but it needs repairing. I tried to repair it but I don't know if it will do. Will have another look at it tomorrow. This evening I have been in the greenhouse and potted another 50 rooted dahlias. These cuttings were taken on March 12th.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 9, 2021 19:55:45 GMT
What has happened to the post I made yesterday, it has disappeared?. I told you yesterday that I finished repairing my wooden frame. It isn't very good but will do for this year. I put all the frames in position ready for use and cleaned the glass . 450 plug plants arrived from Suttons but they didn't come till 5.00. My immediate thought was where am I going to find room for them all. It's a good job that I fixed the frames up because I put the shallots and the onions from sets that were growing in pots in two of them which has given me a lot more room in the greenhouse. In the evening I went in the greenhouse and started transferring the plugs into cell trays and I did 250 of them, petunias and begonias. This morning, Martyn, our son, came for us at 9.00 to take us to Irlam for our second vaccination. It didn't take as long as the first time and we were home at 10.15. Went in the greenhouse and finished transferring the plugs. These were gazanias, impatiens and more begonias. Because we couldn't go shopping this morning as we usually do we had to go this afternoon and because we couldn't go a walk this afternoon we have been this evening. One other job I have done in the greenhouse was to cut back some fuchsias to make them form more bushy plants.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 10, 2021 20:16:46 GMT
Rosemary didn't feel very well today after her vaccination yesterday so she didn't want to go a walk so I had the afternoon in the greenhouse. My next urgent job was to put all the chrysanths in the frames to give me more room in the greenhouse. Before they go in, though, I pot all that needed doing from 3 inch pots into 5 inch. The boxes of dahlia tubers were still there in and were in the way of me working. I don't need the tubers any more so I took them out of the boxes and put the compost in sacks because I can use this again. When these were out of the way I started potting on the chrysanths and putting them into one of the frames and I did 38 of them.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 11, 2021 21:22:08 GMT
Rosemary is feeling better but we didn't go a walk because it was snowing. So I have had all afternoon and part of this morning in the greenhouses. I finished potting on all the chrysanths that needed doing into 5 inch pots. Altogether I have done 63 plants of disbud varieties and 34 of sprays. They have all gone in one of my frames and those still in 3 inch pots in another frame. I have put a small split cane and a twistit on all those I have potted on to keep them upright. I have also "stopped" all those that were ready which means pinching off the tip of the plants to make them form laterals which will eventually bear the flowers. They need to be at least 5 inches tall before they are stopped. I then transferred all the boxes of plants from under the staging in the propagating greenhouse to the floor in the other greenhouse where the chrysanths had been.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 12, 2021 20:20:13 GMT
I have not done any proper gardening jobs today except pricking out some alyssum this evening. We went for a walk this afternoon and the rest of the time I have been doing some woodwork jobs in the garden.
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Apr 13, 2021 20:46:50 GMT
Today I have sown my sweet peas in drinking cups, one seed in each, 15 each of 7 varieties. Also I sowed my last two packets of flower seeds, another packet each of antirrhinum "Mme butterfly" and stock "early bird". This evening I have been pricking out calendulas and more trailing lobelia and French marigolds.
|
|