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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 26, 2023 21:02:44 GMT
This afternoon I potted thirty shallots from three and a half inch pots into some of the pots I washed yesterday.  Shallots potted into five inch pots |
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 27, 2023 21:01:59 GMT
In January I normally test the pH value of all my allotment beds but because my time on the allotment has been limited, I haven't had time this year. However,I have decided to test the brassica bed because this is the most important. The pH needs to be at least 7.0 to prevent club root .So, I went to the allotment to get a sample of the soil , brought it home and tested it. It was 6.6 so I need to add some limestone to increase it. 12 oz. per square yard should increase the value by one unit (to 7.6) so that is what I will do. I had no limestone in the shed so I went to the hut to get some. Hopefully, I will go and put it on the bed tomorrow.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 28, 2023 20:27:47 GMT
You know that I can't go on my allotment unless someone is here with Rosemary so I took the opportunity to go this morning while our cleaner was here. I put the limestone on the brassica bed then carried on with weeding .I finished the bed I was doing last time. The onion sets I ordered from Marshalls arrived so this afternoon I planted sixty in three inch square pots. I also took the first 28 dahlia cuttings. They are a bit later than normal because I didn't plant the tubers as early
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 1, 2023 22:28:09 GMT
I have told you about Edna before who is one of the walk leaders with me at Blackleach country park. We went to her house this morning for me to prune her roses. She gave me a large box of chocolates which we have been eating watching football this evening. This afternoon I took Rosemary a walk then went in the greenhouse and took some more cuttings from my basket plants, nepeta and bacopa.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 2, 2023 19:48:32 GMT
When I got home from Blackleach this afternoon I didn't have time to do anything apart from going to the greenhouse to look at my seeds in the propagator as I do every day.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 3, 2023 21:30:35 GMT
Heather arrived yesterday evening and is staying till Sunday so I took the opportunity to have a day on the allotment. I carried on forking over and weeding the veg beds and managed to get them finished. There were still some swedes and a few carrots on the root crop bed so I harvested these first. On the bed that will be the root crop bed this year there are some winter onions growing so I had to weed round them. I also did the gladioli bed. There are just the chrysanth, dahlia and annual beds to do so I hope to carry on with these tomorrow.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 4, 2023 21:27:08 GMT
Another full day on the allotment. Carried on forking over and weeding the beds. Did the chrysanth bed and the first annual bed and started the second one. So there is this bed to finish off, then the dahlia bed. I could go and do them tomorrow afternoon but the weather forecast isn't good and after that I don't think I can go for two weeks because Heather has to go home tomorrow evening.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 6, 2023 20:29:05 GMT
I tried several times last night but I couldn't get on the forum and I don't know why. It kept saying that there was an error. Anyway I'm glad it is O.K. now. The rain that was forecast for yesterday didn't arrive so I had another afternoon on the allotment. I managed to get the remaining beds forked over and weeded so I'm glad they are all done. There are still weeds on some paths but the beds were more important. Heather went home yesterday evening.
It rained overnight and a bit more this morning. I went in the greenhouse and took another 32 dahlia cuttings and 16 chrysanths.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 7, 2023 20:34:51 GMT
As I do every year I have obtained some seeds from Dobies for use on the allotments. I took them to the allotments this morning and left them in the toilet block. They are varieties of flowers that I have chosen to attract beneficial insects to the allotments. There are 14 varieties and 3 or 4 packets of each .They have been paid for from allotment funds and are free to anyone who wants to grow them. I have got a document on my computer with a list of the varieties and advice on how to grow them and I also said that if anyone needs more advice on growing them ,they can ask me. I have asked the secretary to send this round to everyone on the allotments. When I got home I took 23 cuttings of my spray chrysanths . I then started potting the first rooted cuttings into 3 inch pots. These cuttings were taken on Feb 7th and 8th.I will carry on doing them tomorrow  Free seeds on allotments |
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Post by grindle on Mar 8, 2023 5:10:11 GMT
that's a lovely idea Derek  |
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 8, 2023 20:47:00 GMT
Thanks Grindle . I sowed my cucumber seeds this morning ,individually in drinking cups and put them in the propagator. I then finished potting the rooted chrysanth cuttings which had been taken on Feb 7th and 8th into 3 inch pots. There are 64 potted but I took over 100 cuttings on those days so I had a lot that didn't root.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 9, 2023 20:40:04 GMT
Jo Bennett who organises the wellbeing walks in Salford sent an email yesterday to all the leaders(including me) telling us to cancel the walks if there was an amber weather warning .I expected to wake up to snow this morning but there wasn't any. It snowed all morning, though but I went up to Blackleach to see who turned up and there were 18 people, a lot more than I expected .Edna, the leader who I told you about last week couldn't come but Anne, the other leader and myself decided to cancel the official walk but because so many turned up we did go for a walk unofficially. I stayed at Blackleach for the art club this afternoon and the snow turned to rain for a time. When it stopped I did the bird count on the reservoir. When I got home at 3.30 it was snowing hard again so I stayed in, so I haven't done any garden jobs today. I left the greenhouses closed all day.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 10, 2023 22:16:29 GMT
No snow today, just a cold wind. I have started off our Christmas dinner today by sowing my sprouts (Crispus). Also sowed 2 varieties of cabbage, (Brigadier and Kilazol ), cauliflower (Clapton ) and calabrese (Gemini) all in 3 inch pots, 2 or 3 seeds in each , 60 pots altogether.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 11, 2023 21:34:52 GMT
Been in the greenhouse most of the time today. I took another 12 dahlia cutting then pricked out two boxes of asters . I then potted all the plants that were in small yoghurt pots into three and a half inch (9 cm.) pots .There were 35 fuchsias and some regal pelargoniums and salvias, about 50 pots altogether.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 12, 2023 20:46:14 GMT
This afternoon I painted the garden seat and the gate at the side of the house with wood preservative. Also, the path between the two rose beds was covered in moss so I scraped it off and put it near the nest box hoping the birds will use it for their nest.
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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