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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 12, 2014 20:09:50 GMT
Horrible wet and VERY windy day. Spent most of the day in the greenhouse re-potting pot plants and I have nearly finished them. Had to go to the allotment at 1.00pm because my manure man had promised delivery . Because of the weather I didn't feel like staying to shift any of it but will probably go tomorrow unless the weather is as bad. I just came home and went back in the greenhouse.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 13, 2014 20:42:57 GMT
Been shifting my manure nearly all day. Good job it was fine.
I have been busy in the evenings recently printing our show schedule but yesterday I ran short of ink. So before I went to the allotment I thought I had better go and get some cartridges re-filled or I won't be able to carry on with them this evening. I take them to a shop to be re-filled as it is a lot cheaper than buying new ones.
On the allotment I started barrowing the manure onto the Chrysanth, dahlia and veg beds. Did 30 odd barrows but I haven't shifted half of it yet. We are supposed to be going to Wales next Tuesday for the rest of the week. I would like to get as much shifted as I can before going away but I am at Blackleach all day tomorrow and Monday so I only have Saturday and Sunday afternoons so I don't think it will all be done. It is not in anybody's way though so it doesn't really matter.It was all over the path between the allotments but I have cleared one side leaving room for people to walk past.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 13, 2014 21:34:06 GMT
 Shifting manure |
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 13, 2014 21:40:45 GMT
 Manure barrowed onto chrysanth and dahlia beds |
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 15, 2014 21:48:18 GMT
Another horrible wet and windy day till mid afternoon when it dried up a bit. So I didn't go on the allotment to carry on shifting manure. I just called on my way home from the hut because she wanted a cabbage and got wet through. Been in the greenhouse this afternoon and finished re-potting the pot plants then took a few chrysanth cuttings.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 16, 2014 20:51:38 GMT
A better day today but because I am going away on Tuesday and out all day tomorrow ,rather than going on the allotment I needed an afternoon in the greenhouse. So the manure will have to wait till I come back next week. Apart from that, Rosemary needed the car.
Took another 30odd chrysanth cuttings and 32 dahlias. Then sowed several packets of flower seeds.- pansies, cleome, rudbeckias, statice, gaillardias, nicotiana sylvestris and verbena bonariensis. Put them all in my propagator. The boxes are on top of each other and the reason for sowing them just before going away is that they won't need looking at while I am away. When I come back I will have to look at them every day to see if any have germinated and if so they will have to come out of the propagator.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 17, 2014 20:54:19 GMT
Just went in the greenhouse for a bit this evening and sowed some more seeds African marigolds (3 varieties) , gazanias, amaranthus (Joseph's coat), Kochia, and celery. Going to Wales tomorrow till Saturday so no more gardening for a bit.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 19, 2014 19:24:46 GMT
Been to Anglesey this afternoon . Called at a garden centre and got some Charlotte potatoes to grow in bags because there is a class for salad potatoes at a show that I go to and we haven't any at our hut.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 20, 2014 19:41:39 GMT
Went in Wilkinson's at Porthmadog this morning and bought 12 begonias to grow in my tubs and 4 potato growing bags.Went in another shop after for some "Red Baron" onion sets.We sell onion sets at our hut at home but not the red ones.While in Wilkinson's I overheard a man talking to an assistant about vegetables and about chemicals that you couldn't buy any more to treat pests and diseases. Naturally I couldn't help listening and when the assistant had gone I started talking to him.He said that he grew most things for showing and I said "So do I". I asked him if he was a member of the N.V.S. and he said he was , and receives the bulletins.I also asked if he had seen the last two books that the N.V.S.had brought out and he said that he hadn't so I told him that I had written them and that I write in the bulletins so he said he would look out for my name.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 22, 2014 20:43:56 GMT
Arrived home from Wales 6.00pm. After unloading the car I went to the greenhouse to look at the boxes of seeds I sowed last Sunday and put in the propagator. Most of the African marigolds were through and some were a bit drawn. They should have come out of the propagator yesterday but this is the chance I took. I have some more seeds of the same varieties so I will sow these in case the others are no good.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 23, 2014 20:44:09 GMT
Had an afternoon in the greenhouse. Planted the begonias I brought from Wales in a tray and put it into the propagator. Also chitted the potatoes I brought home.
Spent the rest of the afternoon potting rooted chrysanth cuttings. All these were taken on Jan 16th. Potted all the disbud varieties (112 altogether )and about 50 sprays. There are still about 20 sprays to do which I didn't have time for. I use 3 inch square pots for them and Sinclairs potting compost and when potted they go into the other greenhouse which isn't quite as warm. This of course gives me more room in the propagating greenhouse for boxes of seedlings coming out of the propagator.
I have told you before that I have a friend called Alan who lives across the road who does any watering that is needed when I am away. You also know that I have two propagators in the house with boxes of dahlia tubers on which are a bit warmer than the warming benches in the greenhouse. Before going away though, I had to put these boxes in the greenhouse then Alan could water them if needed. So this afternoon I put two boxes of tubers back in the house. Because these propagators are warmer I put the boxes on that are farthest behind. There is a box of cream moonlight not showing signs of life at all yet so this was the first to go on.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 24, 2014 22:21:20 GMT
A drizzly morning but it brightened up this afternoon. Didn't have much gardening time but I sowed some more African marigolds and took another 24 dahlia cuttings.
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Post by derekbrooks on Feb 27, 2014 21:24:12 GMT
Couldn't tell you what I did yesterday because Martyn, my son took my computer home to put a different programme on it. Yesterday I had a morning on the allotment shifting manure and brought 5 bags home and put them on the chrysanth bed. Rosemary needed the car in the afternoon so I had another pot washing session.
Dobies spring catalogue containing flower and veg plants arrived . I ordered some flowers that I wanted and some cucumbers for school. In previous years these plants have been in the seed catalogue that comes in the autumn which is a lot more convenient .Bulbs and corms such as begonias and gloxinias are also in this catalogue but I had already got these from Blackmore and Langdon so they have lost some orders . Because I send a bulk seed order to Dobies in the autumn I still get a discount of 15% on the order I have just sent .I phoned them to ask them to put everything in the autumn catalogue again in future and they said they probably would because other people had been asking the same as me.
Today I have been on the allotment shifting manure part of the morning and part of the afternoon and brought 5 bags home each time.
I have also taken another 24 dahlia cuttings and potter about 20 shallots from three and a half inch pots into 5 inch.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 1, 2014 22:58:57 GMT
Had no gardening time at all yesterday and just about 2 hours this afternoon. Went to the allotment and carried on shifting the manure and brought another 5 bags home . I have enough on the allotment beds now . I have still to wheel 3 or 4 barrows round to school and 4 more bags to bring home but there will be plenty left so if you want any come and help yourselves  . I will probably put the surplus on the compost heap unless anyone else on the allotments wants it. I have told you before that I had been asked to order some flower seeds of varieties that will attract beneficial insects to the allotments. There are 3 packets each of 15 varieties . They have been paid for from allotment funds and are being given free to anyone who wants to grow them. I have put them all in the toilet today (a place where most people go :)and I have sent an email to our secretary asking her to send it round to everybody to tell people that that are there. The email includes some brief instructions on how to grow these seeds for anyone who needs them , mainly some new people we have on the allotments. |
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 2, 2014 23:12:03 GMT
A drizzly afternoon so I worked in the greenhouse. I have told you before that I grow parsnips and long carrots in tubes made from builders damp proof material. I made about 20 tubes up for parsnip then began sieving potting compost and filling the tubes with it but didn't have time to finish them.
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. I will probably put the surplus on the compost heap unless anyone else on the allotments wants it.
