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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 21, 2022 18:32:25 GMT
Because Heather is here to see to Rosemary, I took the opportunity to go on the allotment. I tied the labels onto all the spray chrysanths that had been cut down. Spent the rest of the time pulling large weeds up that do so without me digging them out such as Sow thistle, nettles, redleg and shaggy soldier. Filled 5 sacks with them and brought them home and put them in the recycling bin.
This afternoon I went for my walk round Blackleach. I told you yesterday that I wanted children at school to plant some onion sets but I didn't go to school because it was raining. It is half term next week and I don't know if garden club will be starting the week after, so I decided that on my way home from Blackleach I would call at school and plant them myself. It started raining as soon as I had finished them.
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 23, 2022 19:41:13 GMT
Yesterday morning I decided to take down the hanging baskets from the front of the house because they were passed their best. Some of them contained plants that I need to keep till next year. Those that didn't contain these plants,I emptied into a sack to take to the allotment next time I go to put on the compost. The others, I gave a good watering and I will remove the plants from them, probably tomorrow.
In the afternoon,Martyn took us to a nature reserve in Cheshire that we hadn't been to before, called Brereton Heath. Heather didn't come with us because she had to go somewhere first but she met us there. We pushed Rosemary round in her wheelchair in our turns. We didn't see any birds that we don't see at Blackleach but it was a change for Rosemary. It was Rosemary's birthday and Martyn took us out for a meal in the evening to celebrate. I typed all this out last night but then,I pressed a wrong key and I lost it. I hadn't time to type it again because it was bedtime.
I haven't done any gardening jobs today. It rained till mid afternoon. We thought about going somewhere after but we didn't risk it. We stayed in and watched two, hour long programmes on I player about the construction of R.H.S. Bridgewater. Heather went home this evening and she can't come again till a week on Thursday.
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 24, 2022 18:43:28 GMT
Today, I have been potting the plants from my hanging baskets that I want to keep into 4 inch pots. It was a bit showery this afternoon so I did them under the carport. I have a few more to do yet
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 25, 2022 19:18:50 GMT
Took Rosemary a walk in her wheelchair this afternoon. The rest of the day I have cut all the remaining chrysanths and put them in a vase in the house to replace those that were in the vase before. I have also finished potting up the plants that I want to keep from the baskets I took down. There are still some baskets at the back of the house to do yet.
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 26, 2022 19:48:03 GMT
Took down the three hanging baskets from the back of the house and potted up the plants from them that I want to keep. One of them just had fuchsias in. I then picked the rest of the tomatoes including the green ones. Put the green ones in a drawer with a banana skin to ripen them. They don't taste quite as nice as those ripened on the plants but they are usable. I removed the busy Lizzies from the two large containers under the carport. Mixed some Q4 fertiliser in the remaining compost, topped up with some fresh compost and planted some Tete a tete daffodils in them. Did the same with the container in which the runner beans had been but planted it with a different variety of daffodils (can't remember the name).
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 27, 2022 18:28:02 GMT
Blackleach today as usual, Wellbeing walk in morning and art club in afternoon but there is no garden club at school till next year so I came home at 3.00. Martyn has been with Rosemary all day and he stayed till 5.00 so I had an hour on the allotment. I took 4 bags of green material from the tubs and baskets and put them on the compost. Spent the rest of the time weeding. There is so much weeding to do and I didn't know where to start but I started on the onion bed and the path behind it.
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 28, 2022 18:57:42 GMT
Took Rosemary a walk again this afternoon. The rest of the time I have removed the rest of the plants from my containers at the front of the house and under the carport. Some had begonias in so I potted these up. Planted wallflowers and polyanthus in some of them.
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 29, 2022 21:27:18 GMT
Finished planting my tubs and other containers. Planted tulips in some of them. The rest was from plug plants of wallflowers, bellis, polyanthus, primulas pansies and violas. Finished tying the labels on all the chrysanth stools. I have told you about a lady called Edna before. She is one of the other walk leaders with me at Blackleach country park. I plant her hanging baskets for her. She brought me back those I did for her in the summer for me to replant. They still had the compost in so I emptied them into bags and re-filled them with fresh compost .I will take her old compost to the allotment to spread on the beds. There are two large half round baskets which are awkward to do plus two 14 inch baskets and 2 smaller ones. They took eleven gallons of compost altogether. I still have my own hanging baskets to plant and I haven't enough plants for them all so I will have to go to the garden centre again. I will also have to go to the hut for more comost.
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 30, 2022 21:06:41 GMT
I used all my compost filling Edna's baskets yesterday and I still have my own baskets to plant. So I went to our supply hut this afternoon for some more compost. I use Sinclair's potting compost for practically everything, my tubs, baskets and all my potting in the greenhouses, everything except seed sowing and taking cuttings, for which I use Clover multipurpose. However, we have no Sinclair's left at the hut. I took the last two bags a few weeks ago. We will be getting another delivery for next year but I need some compost now. So I had no alternative except for peat free compost so I got two bags. I have never used peat free compost before but I will have to do so in a few years time because peat based composts will not be available. So I will give it a trial in my baskets.
Martyn took Rosemary a ride this afternoon so when I had been to the hut I went on the allotment. I took some more green material and the compost from Ednas baskets and put them on the compost. I then carried on with the weeding where I left off last time but I got rained off about 4.10.
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Post by derekbrooks on Oct 31, 2022 22:20:48 GMT
This morning I went to the garden centre for some plants for mine and Ednas baskets and planted some of them. I could do with a few more plants, though, so I will have to go again. Took Rosemary another walk this afternoon. Forty catalogues came from Dobies this morning for people on our allotments and members of our horticultural society. This evening I have stapled all the order forms into the catalogues. We get 40 percent discount on seeds and 10 percent on other items such as plants, bulbs and equipment. Tomorrow, I will take some to our distribution hut and some to the allotments and leave them in the toilet block. I will ask the secretary to send an email round telling people about them. I can now make my own order out.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 1, 2022 21:06:51 GMT
This morning I took some Dobies catalogues to the allotment and put them in the toilet block then took some to the hut. After, I went to our local garden centre for some more plants for the baskets. We went for a walk again this afternoon. We put the wheelchair in the car and go somewhere to have a walk. As soon as we got back to the car,it absolutely poured down. When we got home it was still pouring down so we sat in the car till it slackened a bit. All the hanging baskets are under the car port, so I finished planting them after, my own and Edna's
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 2, 2022 21:01:52 GMT
This morning I fixed up my hanging baskets at the front of the house. I wanted to take Edna's but she wasn't in and she is going away tomorrow so I will have to keep them till next week. It rained VERY hard again this afternoon and windy as well. So I went in the greenhouse and cut down all the tomato plants and put them in sacks. Will put them on the compost next time I go to the allotment .Emptied the compost from the pots into sacks.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 3, 2022 20:57:55 GMT
I have another show to go to on Saturday, at Whitefield, where I went on September 3rd. It is mainly a late chrysanth show but I don't grow then any more. There is a class for a vase of mixed garden flowers which I will do and some veg classes. When I got home from Blackleach at 3.00 I went to the allotment for some veg. I picked the first sprouts, swedes and beetroot and two cabbages and a marrow. This evening I have tidied up the sprouts and sorted some for showing.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 4, 2022 20:08:04 GMT
Forgot to mention yesterday that Heather arrived and is staying till Sunday which is the reason I can go to Whitefield tomorrow. I have said before that I can't go anywhere unless either Martyn or Heather are here. Went to the allotment this morning and cut flowers for the show. This afternoon I cut some from my garden then washed the veg that I brought home yesterday and sorted them out for showing.  Flowers cut for Whitefield show. Not as many as in September but I hope to do three vases from them. |
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 5, 2022 21:28:08 GMT
Whitefield show today. I put in 15 entries and got three firsts, seven seconds and two thirds. Got first with sprouts, swedes and a vase of mixed flowers. Won a trophy for this vase of flowers. Going to show you four pictures now.  My three vases of mixed flowers. The one on the left is in a different class than the other two. I only got second in that class because a lady beat me with some bought flowers. This is allowed in this particular class. I have removed this vase to take this picture and put it back after |
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