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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 7, 2023 20:38:53 GMT
Another showery day. I went to school this morning and emtied the compost from the tomato pots into the eight sacks that I took on Sunday.The pots had been standing on trays so I brushed them clean and put them in a pile.
The weather looked O.K. this afternoon so I took Rosemary for a walk.We didn't get as far as we usualy go because it started raining so we came home. When we got home the rain had stopped so I went out and did some weeding in the front garden where I had pulled up the plants till it started raining again at 3.45. I then went in the greenhouse and potted some rooted coleus and fuchsia cuttings into small pots.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 8, 2023 20:24:59 GMT
Not done much gardening today.It rained all morning so I stayed in and continued doing my writing.I went out for a bit this afternoon when it stopped raining. I thought the ground was too wet to carry on with the weeding.I tidied the terrace and swept it.There was a lot of moss on part of it which I scraped off. I then pulled a few more plants from the front garden.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 9, 2023 20:16:36 GMT
We were very fortunate this morning on our walk at Blackleach that it kept fine for us because it started raining about 12.30 when we were back in the visitor centre. I had two errands to do on my way home at 3.00 and I hadn't time to do any gardening jobs after.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 10, 2023 20:28:01 GMT
it has been dry today for a change.I had just over an hour on the allotment this morning while Rosemary was still in bed. Cindy came to look after her this afternoon(she usually comes on Tuesdays but couldn't this week) so I went to the allotment again but I had to be home for 3.30 because the occupational therapist (Karen)was comong to see her.
I told you a few weeks ago that my three cane structures for runner and climbing French beans and sweet peas had been partly blown over .I had tried to support them but it wasn't sucessful and they were leaning over very badly.There were no beans on them that were any good so I decided to dismantle the structures shift the plants and put the canes away.I spent all the time doing this but didn't have time to finish them.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 11, 2023 21:01:22 GMT
Forgot to mention yesterday that Heather arrived for the weekend so it gives me more freedom to go out.It was another dry day so I have been able to get some jobs done. Before I went out I sprayed the chrysanth stools with fungicide to prevent white rust.I must keep doing it regularly.I didn't do it enough this year. I went to the hut first this morning then went to the allotment and carried on with what I was doing yesterday.I finished removing the canes on which the runner beans had been growing and put them all away in the shed.I think I have told you before that it is a work of art putting 8 foot canes into a 6 by 4 foot shed and it took me a long time.
This afternoon I went to school .There were 8 bags of compost that I had emptied from the tomato pots.I thought that we could put some of it on the veg beds but they need weeding first so I left 4 bags outside.I also swept the floor in the polytunnel as it was full of leaves from the grape vine. I took the other 4 bags to the allotment. The school veg beds and polytunnel are alongside the allotments with a iron fence between.I often wish there was a gate in thee fence then I could go straight through to the allotments for it is a long way to go round. I told you that I moved all the canes this morning but I have not moved the plants so they need to go on the compost.I have three compost bays,all the same size.One is almost full with the plants I have been taking from home.The other two each have about 9 inches of partly rotted compost in them but they have marestail growing in them.Before I do anything else I thought I had better get rid of that so I spent the rest of the time digging that out.I have not decided what to do next but apart from the bean plants all the dahlias and a lot more annuals will have to go in these two bays. I have not decided whether to put fresh material on top or to empty this material out first or put all this old material into one bay.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 12, 2023 20:38:13 GMT
After two dry days we were back with rain. It started about 11.00. This afternoon Martyn took us ,and Heather, to R.H.S. Bridgewater.I wanted to go because it was the North West Counties late chrysanth show.I used to grow both early and late chrysanths and now I only grow earlies but I am still interested in lates. While I was looking round the show ,they went in the cafe.It did stop raining while we were there so we were able to look round the garden centre for a bit before coming home. Heather went back home to Porthmadog this evening.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 13, 2023 21:35:52 GMT
It has been dry again today but VERY windy.I told you that I hadn't decided what to do with my compost bays on the allotment.This morning I decided to shovel the 9 inches or so of compost from one bay into the other which contains the same amount so that I would have one empty bay.I then put all the runner and climbing French bean plants into the empty bay.I also got rid of the broad bean plants but not on the compost .I put them in a sack and took them home and put them in the council bin because they had chocolate spot.I don't put diseased plants on the compost.
This afternoon I just pulled up some more plants from the borders.
This evening at 7.00 I have been to a meeting on the allotments.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 14, 2023 20:35:29 GMT
Apart from a very brief shower about 1.30 it has been dry till 3.00 when it started raining. I had just over an hour on the allotment this morning and went again this afternoon. I dug up the sweet corn plants and put them on the compost.I cut them up into short pieces then they will rot quicker. I then pulled up all the annuals and did the same with those.I cut the larger ones ,mostly cosmos,up before putting them on. The dahlias have not been blackened by frost yet .I usually wait till this has happened before I cut them down but I started doing it today and put them on the compost.Only had time to do about half of them.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 15, 2023 20:22:02 GMT
Not done any gardening jobs today. It rained most of the morning.Early afternoon was dry and I was thinking of going out when it started again.So I have been carrying on with my writing most of the time.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 16, 2023 20:28:50 GMT
Another day with no gardening. On my way home from Blackleach at 3.00 I had two errands to do and there wasn't time to do anything after.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 17, 2023 19:36:53 GMT
Mainly dry today.Had just over an hour on the allotment this morning and finished cutting down the dahlias and put them on the compost. We went for a walk this afternoon and after, I cut down most of the dahlias in the row between my back lawn and the fence.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 18, 2023 20:47:22 GMT
Did a lot of rain overnight but dry today. This morning was the last day our horticultural supply hut will be open till next February and when we closed at 12.00 we had our A.G.M.I am the vice chairman so I had to chair the meeting because the treasurer couldn't come but the meeting only lasted 20 minutes. Before Rosemary started being poorly I used to go every week from 10.00 till 12.00 but I can't leave her so long now so I have only been going when I have needed something.I went about 11.15 today.
This afternoon I finished cutting down the dahlias in the row along the fence and started cutting them down on the main bed.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 19, 2023 20:21:20 GMT
Raining all day so another day without gardening.Very frustrating because I have so much to do and couldn't do anything.I intended doing my bird count at Blackleach then going to Martyns to pull finished plants from his garden but they will have to wait till tomorrow.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 20, 2023 19:56:43 GMT
The weather didn't look promising but it managed to stay dry.This morning I carried on cutting down the dahlias on the main bed and putting them in sacks to take them to thee allotment next time I go. This afternoon I was able to do what I wanted to do yesterday.I went to Blackleach to do the bird count with Janet. I then went to Martyns and pulled the plants from his garden. These will also go to my allotment next time I go to be put on the compost. I also pruned his roses ,he only has about five.
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Post by derekbrooks on Nov 21, 2023 20:11:56 GMT
Stayed dry again today. This morning I took all the dahlia stems and the plants from Martyn's garden to the allotment and put them in the compost bays,ten sacks altogether. We couldn't go a walk this afternoon because we had to go to the doctors for our annual reviews and there wasn't time after. I just went out for a bit and tidied the dahlia bed and pulled some more plants from the border round the back lawn.
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