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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 2, 2022 21:46:44 GMT
A dry day today so I have been on the allotment this afternoon after my hospital visit and again this evening. I finished planting the annual bed that I started on Thursday by planting a row each of Tithonia, Lavatera "Silver cup" and Aster "Duchess". Staked and tied them all . Also put more ties on the peas and sweet peas.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 3, 2022 21:41:17 GMT
After going to hospital this afternoon I did my walk round Blackleach recording the birds and wild flowers. Went on the allotment this evening and finished weeding the other annual bed , so hopefully I will be able to put some plants in tomorrow.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 4, 2022 22:16:39 GMT
On one side of the border round my front lawn , between the lawn and next door's garden there are hundreds of weeds coming up between my plants . I thought I knew a lot about weeds but this is one I haven't seen before. It hasn't come from next door because they haven't got any. I am going to show you a picture of it so if any of you know what it is, please let me know. The other flowers in the picture are alyssum lobelia and statice. I spent most of the morning forking it out.It isn't deep rooted so it came out easily. I weeded the rest of the front garden after but there weren't many weeds . Went on the allotment this evening planting the border I weeded yesterday. Planted three rows, Cosmos "Purity", marigold "tall Scotch prize" and annual chrysanths "rainbow strain".  Mysterious weed in my border |
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 5, 2022 22:06:52 GMT
Been on the allotment this morning and evening .Planted a row of calendulas at the front of the border I was doing yesterday so all the main flower beds are planted now. I weeded the root crop bed again but there weren't many weeds, raked in some fish, blood and bone and sowed two rows of swedes (same variety)and two rows of turnips (different varieties, Armand and Falco )
Did a lot of tidying up in the garden this afternoon. Now that all the planting is done there were boxes and plant pots lying about so I cleared them all away . There were still part boxes of plants on the terrace and some on the area in front of the shed. I put those from the terrace with the others near the shed so the terrace was now clear so I gave it a good sweeping . The tubs that I planted have been up against the wall so I now put them in position on the terrace. We usually have a table and chairs on the terrace in summer .They have been in the shed since last autumn . I didn't see any need to put them out while Rosemary is in hospital. She can have them out when she comes home. I have a bench to sit on when I want a rest.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 6, 2022 20:44:51 GMT
Don't any of you know what the weed in my garden was that I showed you on Monday?.I would probably know it if I let it flower but I don't recognise it by the leaves.
The weather didn't look promising this morning so I didn't risk going to the allotment .I just did some more tidying up in the garden. I did go this afternoon though and started weeding the onion bed .When it is weeded I intend planting some of my spare flowers where the onions had been. I brought home all the shallots and some loose lettuce leaves to put on my sandwiches.
I had nine spare chrysanth plants in 5 inch pots and I decided to grow them on to flower so this evening I potted them into 9 inch pots. I also potted
14 fuchsias from 4 inch pots into 5 inch.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 7, 2022 20:55:49 GMT
Been on the allotment this evening. Put more ties on the peas and sweet peas. Harvested the rest of the onions grown from sets and the first four calabrese. Then did some more weeding on the onion bed.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 8, 2022 21:41:20 GMT
This afternoon I put stakes in two roses in the back garden that were leaning over the path and tied them up. Put more ties on the antirrhinums in the front garden and replaced three lavateras that were dying.
Went on the allotment this morning and evening. Finished weeding the onion bed and filled the area where the onions had been with flowers. A row of antirrhinums at the back then a row of asters, followed by rudbeckias and African marigolds and Love lies bleeding. There is room for a few more.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 9, 2022 21:39:41 GMT
This afternoon I did some disbudding and side shooting on the chrysanths ,side shooted and tied up some of the tomatoes and gave them their first feed. Heather, our daughter, has been here since Wednesday but she went home this evening. She has taken home most of my spare plants. Went on the allotment after and planted some calendulas on the bed I was planting yesterday and it is now full.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 10, 2022 22:13:59 GMT
A hot day today so when I got home from hospital this afternoon I sat under the car port dressing the onions I brought home last Thursday. I was disappointed to find that several of them were rotting underneath. I went to Martyn's this evening. He had a privet hedge along the bottom of his garden but he has had it taken out and a fence put in behind where the hedge was. He wants me to put some plants in border between the fence and the lawn. I forked over and weeded the area but found it impossible to dig where the hedge was because many of the roots are still in and there are lots of stones. So I will only be able to put plants in the front half of the border.
Called at the allotment on my way home just to water and the water butts are now empty. I will have to fill them up next time I go . My hosepipe hangs on the side of the shed when not in use so I got it out and uncoiled it and stretched it out ready for use.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 11, 2022 22:12:11 GMT
Another hot day. Just had an hour on the allotment this morning and I filled up two of my water butts with the hosepipe and put a string round the potatoes to keep them within the bed . Went again this evening and filled the other water butt and started weeding the back of the onion bed where the leeks were and the path behind it. This afternoon I sat under the car port dressing the shallots but only had time to do half of them. Both my daughter, Heather, and my sister Barbara phone me every night ,mainly to ask how Rosemary is. I told them both that I had a pea on the allotment and they both had a laugh  .Yes, there are a few peas ready so I picked one and ate the peas. |
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 12, 2022 22:04:42 GMT
Been on the allotment this morning and evening just carrying on weeding where I was doing yesterday. This afternoon I finished dressing the shallots and put them in the shed to dry off with the onions.  Shallots all dressed |
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 12, 2022 22:06:10 GMT
 Onions and shallots drying in the shed
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 13, 2022 21:32:03 GMT
Been on the allotment this morning and this evening. I finished weeding the back of the onion bed and the path behind then I started putting the second blanching collars on the leeks but only had time to do half of them. This afternoon I mowed the lawns and did some staking of plants that needed it.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 14, 2022 21:56:05 GMT
Went on the allotment this evening. I finished collaring the leeks. Only about half of the French beans I sowed in the beds have germinated so I planted some that I had grown in pots to fill the gaps. Gave the Kelsae onions and leeks a feed of nitro chalk.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jul 15, 2022 22:13:58 GMT
This morning I sowed some more lettuce in cell trays,4 varieties. I think I told you about a week ago that Martyn was having a raised bed at the bottom of his garden next year. Since then, there has been a change of plans. He has got a professional gardener to do it and it has already been done and he has done a good job. Martyn wanted me to put some plants in but of course I couldn't do it till this work was finished. I have been this afternoon . The gardener has transplanted some bushes onto the raised bed and I planted a few lavatera and ageratum between these bushes and some asters in front of the raised bed and some lobelia and French marigolds in another area.
Went on the allotment this evening . There is a row of gladioli along the back of the onion bed and I staked and tied them and also the French marigolds. I have told you before that I grow carrots in three frames that I used for hardening off plants in the spring at home.I weeded inside these frames this evening.
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.Yes, there are a few peas ready so I picked one and ate the peas.
