Dereks Diary Part 2

When Heather is here, Martyn always wants us to go out for our lunch together so that's what we did today .We went straight to hospital after to see Rosemary. I thought that we would each have to see her separately but all three of us went in together and nobody objected. She did seem a little brighter today but still didn't say much.
Went in the garden and greenhouses when we got home. I sowed carrot seeds in all the bore holes that I made in the drums and buckets yesterday. My next job was to start potting chrysanths that were ready from 3 inch to 5 inch pots and putting them in the frames. I had one frame empty so I put it in position and I removed some onion sets from another frame to make room. I then potted 35 plants and put them in a frame. Will carry on with them tomorrow.

Rosemary seemed a bit better again today, talking more sense. She is still not eating and drinking enough though. One of the nurses yesterday suggested that I go at 12.00 which is dinner time to see if I could help her so that's what I did. She had some soup and a yoghurt but not as much of the main meal as I would have liked.
Been in the greenhouse the rest of the time. I put all the remaining chrysanths that were still in 3 inch pots in one of the frames so they are all in now. They had all been on the floor in my larger greenhouse so now I have a lot more room. When I prick out plants into boxes or trays I put the under the greenhouse staging . They are alright there for a few days but now that the chrysanths have gone I put all the boxes from under the staging into the other greenhouse where the chrysanths had been. I also sowed the "Show perfection"peas and the rest of the sweet peas in drinking cups. They have now gone under the staging until they start growing. This evening I have spent an hour or so sitting at the kitchen table rubbing labels. I write all labels in pencil then the writing can be rubbed out and the labels used again. This is a job that Rosemary used to do for me but can't at present. They were mostly the labels that had been on the chrysanth stools.

Rosemary was much the same today as yesterday. She didn't eat much again. Been in the garden and greenhouse again the rest of the time. I have potted about another 60 rooted dahlias into three and a half inch pots. I also potted a lot of rooted cuttings of basket plants into small yoghurt pots. I then made another 16 gallons of compost for carrots from compost from last years potato bags but rubbing it between my hands to break it up and mixing in some Q4 fertiliser.

This morning I removed the dahlia tubers from the boxes and emptied out the compost. Will probably use this compost for growing potatoes. Went to hospital for 12.00 then I could help Rosemary with her dinner (not very successful though).Went on the allotment this afternoon. I sowed long carrot seeds in the large drums in which I made bore holes. I planted the onion sets which were growing in three and a half inch pots, 12 inches apart and about 60 altogether. Raked some fish blood and bone in first. Also put some on the potato bed. The few sprouts that were left were no good so I pulled up the plants and took them home to put in the recycling bin.

Martyn doesn't come to church regularly but he came with me this morning with it being Easter Sunday. Heather arrived just in time at 10.30 having driven 120 miles from where she lives in Porthmadog. We all went out for a meal afterwards then went to hospital to see Rosemary. We didn't get home till 5.00 so I only had this evening to do any gardening jobs. I mixed another 2 bushels of potato compost and topped up the bags I filled yesterday and put the rest in two more bags.

This morning I planted potatoes in the buckets that I finished filling yesterday and took them to the allotment. As you know, I have been making last years potato compost into carrot compost. I have enough carrot compost now but I still had three bags of last years potato compost so I took them to the allotment and put the compost on one of the beds. After going to hospital this afternoon I mixed another 2 bushels of potato compost.This evening I have pricked out two boxes of Antirrhinum "Mme Butterfly" and one of cosmos "purity".

Went to hospital again at dinner time. When I got home I went on the allotment and planted the potatoes. There are 3 rows of Casablanca and 2 of kestrel. I put lawn mowings in the trenches before planting the potatoes. I had put fish, blood and bone on the ground before. This morning and again this evening I have been in the greenhouse sowing the tender veg that can't be planted out till there is no risk of frost (late May or June).There are 36 runner beans (Stenner), 9 runner beans (Mergoles ), 10 marrows (Tiger cross), 8 squashes (hunter), 21 climbing French beans (Rob Roy), 20 courgettes (orelia).All these are in 4 inch square pots. Then there are 21 sweet corn (Sundance) in drinking cups. All have gone on my propagators or warming benches. Two propagators had been switched off recently but I switched them on again.