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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 22, 2024 20:47:24 GMT
It was dry today but very windy. I went to the allotment this morning and finished forking over and weeding a strip about a metre wide along the back of what will be the brassica bed.My weed membrane had partly blown off so O put it back and secured it with more heavy things.Brought home some sprouts.
This afternoon I did the bird count at Blackleach with Janet. I have a shelf on the side of my shed and a few weeks ago one of the brackets on which it rested came loose and the shelf fell down.When I got home this afternoon I fixed it again. When I emptied my summer hanging baskets and removed the plants from them that I wanted,I tipped them onto the chrysanth beds. This afternoon I broke up the lumps of compost from them with a rake and raked it level.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 23, 2024 19:36:47 GMT
It has rained all day, hard at times.I was hoping for a morning and afternoon on the allotment (Cindy looks after Rosemary on Tuesday afternoons) but all I could do was wash some more pots at the kitchen sink.I did some this morning and more this afternoon.The next job I want to carry on with on the allotment is to dig the trenches for my runner beans and sweet peas. This is why I weeded a strip at the back of one of the beds yesterday because this is where the soil from the first trench will be put.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 24, 2024 20:31:48 GMT
It didn't rain today but still rather windy.I went to the allotment this morning and started digging the trenches that I told you about yesterday.I didn't know whether it would be too wet after yesterdays rain but it wasn't too bad.
We went for a walk this afternoon ,the first time for a while due to the bad weather.When we got home I just had time to put away the pots that I washed yesterday.I had to clean the tub that they had been in ,swilling it out with the hosepipe then put them back neatly in it.I am not going to wash pots then put them back in a dirty tub,am I?
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 25, 2024 19:36:59 GMT
It didn't start raining till late afternoon so it was O.K. for our walk at Blackleach this morning.On the border alongside the visitor centre there is a very large clump of golden rod. This afternoon I cut it all down and also some Michaelmes daisies. I also cut down some bramble that was encroaching onto the border.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 26, 2024 22:01:03 GMT
Dry today but still windy.Went to the allotment this morning and carried on with the trenches.I finished digging out the first trench and forked over the base then put in a thick layer of green material.
24 leeks came from my supplier and after we had been a walk this afternoon I went in the greenhouse and potted them into small custard pots.I fixed a propagator up to put them on.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 27, 2024 20:44:46 GMT
Same weather as yesterday.Went to the allotment this morning carrying on with the trenches.Dug out the second trench,putting the soil into the first one,then forked over the base.Next time I go I will put in some green material then fill the trench with the soil I took out of the first trench. 90 exhibition gladioli corms( 6 varieties) and 25 acidantheras came from Parkers. After we had been a walk this afternoon I laid the gladioli in trays the right way up and put them on top of a cupboard in the kitchen.  Leeks potted up yesterday |
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 28, 2024 20:00:37 GMT
Same weather.Went to the allotment this afternoon. Put green material in the second trench and filled it up with soil from the first trench.The soil just needs leveling now.I'm glad I got it finished because rain is forecast the next few days.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 29, 2024 23:02:46 GMT
Couldn't get on the forum earlier and I don't know why.It has been raining most of the day so I have just been washing more pots. Did some this morning and also this afternoon.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 30, 2024 19:51:15 GMT
Not a bad day today.This morning I put all the pots away that I washed yesterday then went to the allotment for a bit and went again this afternoon. I thought it would be too wet after yesterdays rain to do any digging and weeding or level the ground where I had been working so I decided to prune the roses and take the prunings to the re-cycling centre. I did some this morning and more this afternoon.I didn't quite finish pruning them but I thought it more important to take the prunings that I had done to the re-cycling centre. If I had finished the pruning first I may not have had time to go and the weather is supposed to be wet again tomorrow. What few prunings are left when I have finished I will put in my bin at home.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jan 31, 2024 19:00:47 GMT
It was dry this morning so I went to the allotment and finished pruning the roses and brought the prunings home and put them in the bin. It startrd raining later and as I write this it is pouring down.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 1, 2024 18:47:48 GMT
A decent day but I didn't have time to do any jobs when I got home from Blackleach this afternoon.I have spent most of the afternoon at Blackleach typing my next article for the National veg magazine for seasonal jobs next October and I am going to finish it this evening.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 2, 2024 19:52:08 GMT
I didn't tell you last week that Rosemary's brother passed away.He was 5 years younger than Rosemary. Heather came last night and we have all been to his funeral this morning.Martyn helped to carry the coffin.We were all invited to a workingmans club after for pasties and cakes.
It was dry today so I went to the allotment this afternoon. I did a bit of leveling the ground round the trenches then did some weeding on the bed which is to be the brassica bed this year.Brought some sprouts home and 4 small cabbages.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 3, 2024 20:29:36 GMT
Our horticultural supply hut opened for the first time after the winter break 10.00 till 12.00.When telling you any more about it I will just refer to it as "the hut". 18 people came to join.Because Heather is here to look after Rosemary I was able to go and stay all morning which I can't always do.
Went to Blackleach with Janet this afternoon to do the bird count.Went to the allotment after and carried on with the weeding on the bed I was doing yesterday.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 4, 2024 19:46:26 GMT
Dry today but very windy again.Heather left for home 1.30. Martyn took Rosemary a ride so I went to the allotment and just carried on with the weeding.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 5, 2024 21:08:31 GMT
It has been dry again today. On days like this I usually go to the allotment and carry on with the weeding.Today, though,I decided it was time to get my propagating greenhouse up and running and there are jobs waiting to be done in it. This greenhouse has been empty and the power switched off since I cleaned it out in December.So I switched on the power and plugged in two of my three warming benches then started transfering plants back from the other greenhouse. I put seven boxes of chrysanths on one of the warming benches.There are already a lot of cuttings ready for taking. I potted up my exhibition onion seedlings into small custard pots and put them on the other warming bench.I also put the leeks on here .They had been on a small propagator in the other greenhouse. My next urgent job is to sort out the dahlia tubers and box them up and start them growing.There had been plants all over the floor in the larger greenhouse .I cleared one side by transfering the plants to the other greenhouse to make room for sorting the dahlias into their varieties which I hope to do tomorrow  Boxes of chrysanths put on a warming bench with plenty of cuttings already ready for taking |
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