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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 26, 2023 21:40:15 GMT
Took Rosemary a walk round Blackleach country park this afternoon in her wheelchair. I have been in the greenhouse the rest of the time.I have sown a lot more of the tender veg that can't be planted out till late May or June.They are runner beans"Mergoles", climbing French beans "Rob Roy", squash "Hunter", marrow "Tiger cross", and courgettes "Orelia". Thay are all in 4 inch square pots on my propagators and warming benches.about 50 to 60 pots altogether. The other tender veg that I grow are sweet corn and I shall be sowing those soon. This evening I have pricked out the rest of the calendulas then two boxes of rudbeckia "Marmalade"
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 27, 2023 20:03:50 GMT
Wellbeing walk at Blackleach this morning, as usual.There is no art club till further notice but I stayed at Blackleach and did some tidying and weeding on the border alongside the visitor centre till it was time to go to school for 3.30. This evening I pricked out another 4 cell trays of 10 Rudbeckia "marmalade".
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 28, 2023 19:14:42 GMT
This morning I sowed 30 peas and 15 sweet corn in drinking cups ,one in each cup. The sweet corn went on one of my warming benches .Peas don't need extra heat so they just went on a shelf. 144 plug plants of petunia "frenzy" came from Suttons.I transfered most of them to cell trays but I hadn't enough compost to finish them till I can get some more tomorrow from the hut.I also stopped all the chrysanths that were ready.They need to be at least 6 inches tall. I also put the leeks in a frame.
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 29, 2023 21:27:17 GMT
Our daughter, Heather, arrived yesterday evening but has had to go back home this evening. Because she was here this morning, it meant that I could go to the hut. I told you yesterday that I needed some compost. I got three bags for myself but I also got two bags for school for the tomatoes. This afternoon we took Rosemary a walk in her wheelchair ,then I took the bags of compost to school and laft them in the polytunnel. I did a bit of weeding on the veg beds while I was there but hadn't much time because Heather wanted me home at 4.45 before she went home.
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 30, 2023 21:39:20 GMT
It has rained neary all day today and hard this afternoon.I finished transfering the plug plants that came on Friday into cell trays. I pricked out a tray of Rudbeckia "Toto".There wewre three other flowers ready for pricking out that there weren't enough for a full tray so I pricked them into cell trays, Rudbeckia"Indian summer", Lavatera"Twins hot pink" and Love lies bleeding.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 1, 2023 19:44:08 GMT
This morning I potted another 32 rooted dahlia cuttings into three and a half inch pots. Thiis afternoon I have been potting brassicas from 3 inch pots into larger pots and putting them in a frame.There were sprouts, cauliflowers, calabrese and two varieties of cabbage, 55 plants altogether. I pot them into larger pots before planting out to help prevent clubroot. The roots have a larger volume of compost to occupy before entering the soil and the plants are larger when planting out.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 2, 2023 20:50:52 GMT
I have told you before that we have a cleaner called Tracey who comes for an hour on Tuesday morning and a lady called Cindy whe comes for an hour on Tuesday afternoon to sit with Rosemary so that I can go out.So, while they were here I had an hour on the allotment this morning and one this afternoon and been in the greenhouse in between.
On the allotment I planted a row of eighteen leeks along the back of the onion bed,18 inches apart. Had to do a bit of weeding first and rake in some fish, blood and bone. I picked some rhubarb to give to Cindy. My exhibition onions were still in the greenhouse in small custard pots .I potted 16 into 4 inch square pots and put them in a frame.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 3, 2023 20:14:34 GMT
Not as much gardening time today but I have pricked out 2 boxes of Salvia "Victotia" and some more antirrhinums"Royal bride",echinaceas and nicotiana "Evening fragrance into cell trays.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 4, 2023 20:28:04 GMT
On the walk from Blackleach this morning we went through what we call "bluebell wood" .It is alongside the drive where I live. It was nice seeing all the bluebells. The art club started again this afternoon .While they were in I went out and did some more weeding on the border alongside the visitor centre until it was time to go to school.
While I was out, 72 plugs of begonia "Organdy" came from Suttons.I have been in the greenhouse this evening and transfered them to cell trays. I also pricked out another box of stocks.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 5, 2023 21:28:23 GMT
I hope to be planting the chrysanths in about a weeks time so I decided to weed the beds this morning.There were a lot of tree seedlings in them. The dahlia beds which are next to them are just as bad but they can wait because I don't plant dahlias till June.
We went a walk this afternoon then we went to Blackleach then I could do my bird count but it started raining so we came home.
I want to take the tomato plants to school soon for the children to plant on Thursday .So I sorted them out and decided which to take.I then put a small cane up them so they wouldn't break.There are 28 plants to take.
The sweet peas were still in the greenhouse . I reduced them to one per pot and put them in a frame.I also pot some of the other hardy annuals in the frame, calendulas, pansies and alyssum.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 6, 2023 21:00:13 GMT
Martyn came to our house this morning to watch the coronation with Rosemary so I went to the hut and watched it when I got home. I did my bird count at Bkackleach this afternoon which I wanted to do yesterday.It started raining when I got home so I went in the greenhouse and started potting more rooted dahlia cuttings into three and a half inch pots. I have been in the greenhouse again for a bit this evening and done some more, about 70 odd plants altogether. As you know I have three warming benches in the greenhouse which have all been full of cuttings and pots of seeds.Now that all these dahlia cuttings have come off , one of these benches is no longer needed so I switched off the power and put all these potted dahlias on it.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 6, 2023 21:06:34 GMT
I am now going to show you a picture of mallard chicks I took at Blackleach this afternoon  Mallard chicks at Blackleach country park ,May 6th |
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Post by derekbrooks on May 7, 2023 21:02:59 GMT
This afternoon I took the 28 tomato plants to school. I put all the pots in position in the polytunnel but didn't have time to fill them because Martyn wanted us to go to the garden centre and they close at 4.00. The children can plant the tomatoes on Thursday but I want to part fill the pots ready for them because they won't have time to do that as well so I will have to try and go another day.
Martyn wanted three dwarf shrubs to go on the raised bed that he had built by his professional gardener along the back of his back garden. He got a dwarf rhododendron, an azalea and a choisya . We went to hi house after and I planted them for him. Forked some bone meal into the base of the planting hole and mixed some with the soil I put back iin the hole round the roots.
It was a nice still evening so I forked over my chrysanth beds and put fish, blood and bone on. If you try to put it on when it is windy,half of it blows away.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 8, 2023 19:38:18 GMT
It has been raining nearly all day so I have been in the greenhouse most of the time.This morning I sowed a lot of vegetable seeds into cell trays,4 varieties of lettuce, kohl rabi, beetroot and parsley. This afternoon I have been potting rooted cuttings of basket plants into small custard pots.If you remember, a few weeks ago, I bought 9 plants of surfinias from the garden centre and took cuttings from them. I now have about 45 plants potted up that I have grown from those 9 plants. I have potted about 100 plants altogether this afternoon, the rest being bacopas, diascias and nepeta.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 9, 2023 20:10:35 GMT
This morning I went to school to fill the tomato pots with compost but there was only enough compost for half of them. I got three bags of compost from the hut last Saturday for myself but I took two of them to school this evening. We went a walk this afternoon .The rest of the afternoon and again when I got home this evening I have been weeding the border round the back lawn and nearly finished it.
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