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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 27, 2023 22:19:25 GMT
Not much gardening time today. I had some errands to do this morning. We went a walk this afternoon and when we got back I started cleaning my greenhouse windows but not time to do them all.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 28, 2023 21:15:06 GMT
Today I finished brushing the back lawn so they are both done now. Also did the R.S.P.B. garden bird survey. Spent the rest of the time tidying up leaves from round the greenhouses ,particularly the path between the two greenhouses. Put all the pots that I had washed behind the smaller greenhouse. The tubs containing the pots stand on a layer of polythene so I had to brush this clean first.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 29, 2023 20:12:25 GMT
Just a few showers but it didn't look promising so we didn't risk going for a walk. The onions I sowed last week are growing and will soon need potting up. I have no compost though so I went to the hut for a bag. I also took the grit that I took off the trays in the greenhouse to the hut and spread it on the car park. This is my way of getting rid of it and it does get a bit muddy where the cars park .I put fresh grit on the trays in summer. Also cut some more off the ivy.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 30, 2023 22:47:40 GMT
This afternoon, I took Rosemary a walk round Blackleach in her wheelchair. She used to come on my Thursday morning walks regularly and she used to come with me to do the bird counts and record the wild flower but she hadn't been for two or three years .We didn't go on the car park near the visitor centre where I go every Thursday because from there, there is a slope down to the reservoir and I wouldn't be able to push her back up there. So I took the car to the opposite end of the reservoir where the path to the reservoir is flat. There is no path to walk right round the reservoir but we walked along both sides. It was a nice change for her.
Spent part of the morning and the rest of the afternoon doing more tidying up in the back garden, mainly the path.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 31, 2023 18:59:47 GMT
Not much gardening time today , just did a bit more tidying up. Went a walk this afternoon again.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 1, 2023 20:53:38 GMT
Showery till mid afternoon and VERY windy so we didn't risk going a walk. I told you in December about cleaning out my propagating greenhouse and to do this I transferred all my plants to my other greenhouse and switch off the power. When I have finished cleaning the propagating greenhouse I normally switch the power back on and transfer a lot of the plants back into it. This year, though, because of the increasing cost of electricity, I left all the plants in the other greenhouse till now so only one greenhouse has been heated since December. Today I decided it was time to put the power on and start putting some of the plants back because I need to start sowing seeds and taking cuttings and boxing up my dahlia tubers. I put the boxes of chrysanth stools on two of the warming benches. I have normally done all these jobs in January. even though the chrysanths have only just been put on the warming benches there are many cuttings on them ready for taking.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 2, 2023 19:24:18 GMT
Not time to do any gardening jobs today. Had to do some errands on my way home from Blackleach at 3.00 and there was no time after.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 3, 2023 19:49:40 GMT
Almost a full day in the greenhouse sorting the dahlias ready for boxing up. They had been stood upside down in large supermarket trays since I dug them up last year. I had to make room in the larger greenhouse first by putting plants that were on the floor onto the shelves where the chrysanths had been. As I took the tubers out of the large boxes I cut off all the fine roots and sorted them into their varieties on the greenhouse floor. The labels had been tied on with string right round the tubers but I now tied them to the stems as well to keep them upright so that I can read them when they are planted in the boxes. I then washed the boxes in which they will be planted in my wheelbarrow but didn't have time to plant them.  Chrysanth cuttings ready for taking. |
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 4, 2023 21:13:36 GMT
Our horticultural society supply hut opened again this morning after the winter break. When I am telling you about it I just refer to it as "the hut". This is where I normally used to go every Saturday morning. As you know, though, I can only go anywhere for any length of time if either Martyn or Heather can be here to look after Rosemary. I have not been to my allotment to do any jobs since January 8th (4 weeks) and there is a lot to do there. Heather arrived last night and is staying till Monday. It will then be two weeks before she can come again. Last time she was here, I couldn't go because of the weather. It has been dry today and we haven't had much rain for a while . I decided to make the most of this opportunity and go on the allotment instead of going to the hut. We are not busy at the hut till spring so we would only be sat chatting most of the time. Before going to the allotment, though, I just went to the hut to pay my membership and some money that I owed and get another bag of compost and told them I couldn't stay.
I went on the allotment this afternoon as well as this morning. I decided the most urgent job was to dig the trenches for my runner beans and sweet peas. I dig two parallel trenches a metre apart, a spades depth then fork over the base. I then put a thick layer of green material from the compost heap in before putting the soil back. The soil from the first trench is piled alongside it then the soil from the second trench goes into the first one. I had to do some weeding on the site first but just large weeds. I haven't time to hand weed all the small ones. I dug the first trench ,put the green material in then began filling it up but didn't get time to finish it. I could go tomorrow afternoon and finish it ,weather permitting, but it is raining this evening so I will have to wait and see.
I also picked some sprouts, which may be the last.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 5, 2023 20:27:28 GMT
It was frosty this morning and I had to de ice the car to go to church. I thought it may be too frosty to go on the allotment this afternoon and that the ground may be frozen. It was alright though so I did go and finished the trenches .I am glad they are finished.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 6, 2023 20:06:35 GMT
The ground was frozen again this morning so I didn't go to the allotment. Went in the greenhouse and boxed up the dahlia tubers. They are in five boxes. Put two of the boxes on a propagator and a warming mat in what I call the the utility room next to the kitchen. There were some coleus on the warming bench so to make room for the dahlias I put them on one of the warming benches in the greenhouse.
Went on the allotment this afternoon and forked over and weeded about three quarters of what was the potato bed. Dug up a few potatoes I had missed when I dug them up last year. Also brought home a cabbage. I have told you before that three of my cold frames that I use for hardening off plants in spring I take to the allotment when I have finished with them at home and grow carrots in them. I don't need them on the allotment now so I brought one of them home. I can fit them in my car one at a time.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 7, 2023 21:22:20 GMT
Took Rosemary another walk this afternoon ,but apart from that I have had a full day in the greenhouses. This morning I put one of the remaining boxes of dahlia tubers on a propagator in the greenhouse. This propagator had my leeks on so I put them on a warming bench to make room for the dahlias. Put the other two boxes of dahlias on warming benches. The propagator I have just mentioned and the one in the house and the warming mat are a bit warmer than the warming benches so I put things on them that need a higher temperature. So, there are three boxes of dahlias on propagators and two on warming benches but every so often I swap them over .
I then potted 27 exhibition onion seedlings into small pots.Put these on a warming bench. When we got home this aftrnoon I went in the greenhouse again and took 82 chrysanth cuttings for 10 varieties .I have two more varieties to take which I will do tomorrow. These are all disbud varieties and I still have the sprays to do, which I will probably do tomorrow as well. Fixed a small propagator up on a greenhouse shelf to put some of these cuttings on and others went on a warming bench.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 8, 2023 21:14:07 GMT
Mostly a full day in the greenhouse. Took another 12 chrysanth cuttings from disbud varieties and 46 sprays. Spent the afternoon sowing the first seeds. Sowed 4 varieties of tomatoes,( Meccano, Shirley, Sungold and Alfresco,) 4 varieties of lobelia,( Crystal Palace, Cambridge, Monsoon and Cascade,) 3 varieties of asters,( Duchess, Lazy Daisy, and Pompom,) also Petunia, (Cheerfull mix), Delphinium,(Magic fountains) and achillea. The last two are perennials. All these went in my large home made propagator
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 9, 2023 20:45:19 GMT
No garden jobs today. Had an errand to do on my way home from Blackleach and there wasn't time after.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 10, 2023 20:23:15 GMT
Had the morning in the greenhouse. Sowed some aubergines and peppers in margerine tubs, about 10 in each .All my begonias and achimenes from last year have been in pots under the greenhouse staging over winter .Today I planted the begonias in two seed trays and the achimenes tubercles in two half trays. All these have gone into my large propagator along with all the seeds I sowed on Wednesday.
This afternoon I have weeded the rose beds in the back garden.
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Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Aug 10, 2019 9:01:47 GMT
Aug 10, 2019 9:01:47 GMT