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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 4, 2014 22:59:31 GMT
Wanted a morning on the allotment but it was raining. We always go shopping on Tuesday afternoon but because of the rain we decided to go this morning instead hoping it would dry up later. Glad we did because when we got home at 10.30 it had stopped raining so I went to the allotment then.
It was nice this afternoon so I went again till it was time to go to school at 3.30. I wheeled 4 barrows of manure round to the school which is enough and brought another 5 bags home.I have enough at home now as well . There is still some left so I am giving some to the lady who lets me use part of her polytunnel.
Been to the veg meeting tonight but the speaker was talking about roses, not veg.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 5, 2014 19:32:44 GMT
Had a good gardening day today. She wanted the car this morning so I stayed at home. I forked over the borders round the back lawn forking in the manure. There isn't manure all over it. Just along the back of each border where I grow a row of dahlias and spray chrysanths .I still have the chrysanth beds to dig over but it will wait till she needs the car again because I wanted to go on the allotment this afternoon.
Before I went I took another 24 dahlia cuttings.
Put 10 barrows of manure on Val's plot (the lady I told you about yesterday)and put some more on the compost heap. Some of the manure isn't rotted as well as the rest so this goes on the compost to allow it to rot down further.It is practically all gone now but the path where it was tipped is messy so I will clean it up next time I go.
Forgot to mention yesterday that at the veg meeting I found out that we are not doing a stand at the R.H.S. show at Tatton Park this time which is a big disappointment. The reason given was that it was hard work and those people who do most of the work are not getting any younger and felt that they couldn't do it any more.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 6, 2014 21:09:46 GMT
Not as nice as yesterday but it was dry till 4.00pm when it rained a bit. Only had the afternoon for gardening and Rosemary needed the car so I stayed at home. Forked the manure into the chrysanth beds. All the digging is done at home now . I can have a full day tomorrow and she doesn't need the car so I am hoping for another fine day then I can carry on with forking manure into the allotment beds.
Went in the greenhouse after and finished filling the tubes with sieved compost for parsnips. A week or so ago I accidently knocked a tray off the staging containing statice seedlings which were too small to save so I ordered another packet from Dobies. These came this morning so I sowed them . Also sowed cucumbers and some more tomatoes and celery.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 9, 2014 22:19:17 GMT
I've not been able to tell you what I have been doing for two days because I couldn't get on the internet but Martyn (my son)has sorted out the problem.
On Friday morning it rained till mid morning so I went in the greenhouse and took 88 spray chrysanth cuttings. Went on the allotment in the afternoon and attempted to clear the path where the manure had been tipped. Got off what I could but it was too wet really. Thought I may be able to rake it off but it wasn't easy so I will have another go when it is drier.
Yesterday a collection of 6 gesneriads arrived that I had ordered from Dibleys so I potted them into 3 inch pots in the afternoon. Went on the allotment after . Put another 2 barrows of manure on Val's plot and some more on the compost. Then began forking the manure into the onion bed. Went in the greenhouse in the evening and took another 42 chrysanth cuttings.I probably have taken enough chrysanths now so I will put the boxes of stools in the other greenhouse because I need more space in the propagating greenhouse for other things .
Nice day today and I went again this afternoon and finished the onion bed. Marked out the rest of the veg beds, the 4 beds that I rotate and began forking manure into these. The weather forecast is good this week so I am hoping to get all the manuring done. I will do the beds in order that they will be planted- the potatoes and the first brassicas in April , chrysanths and some of the other veg in May and dahlias and runner beans probably not till June.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 10, 2014 22:52:47 GMT
Another nice day and I have been on the allotment this morning and afternoon just forking the manure into the beds. I also picked the last sprouts and pulled up the plants. They have done very well as they have been cropping since last September .
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 11, 2014 22:00:13 GMT
Not much gardening time today. Just 45 minutes before going to school and 20 minutes after. Parked my car on the allotments then I could carry on forking in the manure then walked round to school then did some more after. Managed to finish a bed that I started yesterday. All the veg beds that needed manuring are now done. I still have the chrysanth, gladioli and dahlia beds to do.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 12, 2014 22:10:09 GMT
A full gardening day today but Rosemary needed the car part of the morning and most of the afternoon. The allotment is within walking distance but when she has the car I usually stay at home because I have plenty to do here as well. When she came home this morning ,about 10.30 I went to the allotment and forked the manure into the gladioli bed. Been working in the greenhouse the rest of the time.
Took 84 dahlia cuttings. I have taken 219 so far . I have almost got enough of some varieties ,particularly Elma E and Don Hill but some varieties I have only got 3 or 4. The cuttings taken in the middle of February were rooted so they came off the warming bench to make room for these new ones.
Sowed parsnips in the tubes I made last week. Also sowed a lot of packets of flower seeds. Those types that need a higher temperature for germination went in the propagator and the rest stayed on the staging.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 13, 2014 20:42:58 GMT
A bit foggy this morning and much cooler but the sun came out in the afternoon. Carried on forking in the manure on the allotment this morning. Did the chrysanth bed and started the dahlia bed. This will take longer because it is bigger.
When sowing seeds yesterday I used all my compost and I still have more seeds to sow. So this afternoon I mixed another batch of seed compost using 12 gals sieved peat, 4 gals coarse sand and a Chempak seed base. This is the way I normally make it but when I made the last batch we had no Chempak at the hut so I used a bag of multipurpose compost and mixed some sand with it.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 14, 2014 22:16:51 GMT
Just had an hour or so in the greenhouse this evening . Potted up 76 rooted chrysanth cuttings into 3 inch pots then came in at 8.30 to watch Gardeners World.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 15, 2014 22:23:48 GMT
Very windy today and not very warm but still dry. Went on the allotment this afternoon and forked the manure into the main dahlia bed. I have only the smaller dahlia bed to do now which won't take long.
A bag of onion sets (Fen early) came from Marshalls.
I have had another pot washing session this evening .
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 16, 2014 20:00:32 GMT
Did a bit of drizzle this afternoon but didn't last long. Went on the allotment and finished the manuring (at last !). I had only a small bed to do. Behind this bed is a row of H.T.roses and I spread some manure among them as a mulch.
I then weeded a path between two of the veg beds and began forking over the veg bed that hasn't been manured , the root crop bed.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 17, 2014 22:27:13 GMT
This evening I have been to the meeting of Salford and Bolton fuchsia society ,where I go whenever I can. I have not been able to go to the last 2 meetings. The speaker this evening wasn't speaking about fuchsias, though. It was Frank Taylor speaking about dahlias. Some of you may have seen him at shows.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 18, 2014 23:01:20 GMT
Rained most of the morning. Apart from the bit of drizzle on Sunday afternoon this is the first rain for 10 days. Been in the greenhouse most of the day till it was time to go to school this afternoon.
Sowed some more packets of flower seeds.
Did the first sowing of brassicas . I sow these in 3 inch pots putting about 3 seeds in each. Got our Christmas dinner on the way by sowing the sprouts. Also sowed some cauliflowers, calabrese and 3 varieties of cabbage. With these I just did 5 pots of each variety because I sow them in small batches like this through out the season.
I then potted 40 odd tomatoes into small yoghurt pots.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 19, 2014 23:07:20 GMT
A full gardening day today so I have got a lot done. Rosemary needed the car part of the morning and most of the afternoon. When she came home this morning I went on the allotment and finished forking over the veg plot that I was doing last time I went. So I have been at home the rest of the day.
I had some dwarf delphiniums and penstemons that I dug up from the allotment last year and overwinterd so I decided to plant these on my side border and also some Lychnis coronaria that I have grown from seed. All these plants had been overwintered on what I call my utility area in front of the shed . I wanted to clear this area because it is where my cold frames go and I need to fix them up soon. There were several other plants on this ground so I went through them and re-potted a few I wanted to keep and got rid of the rest.
I have also potted a few more tomatoes . There are 60 odd done now so that should be enough. I have potted 15 celery, also in yoghurt pots .Potted a few more shallots into 5 inch pots and discarded the rest.
I mowed the lawns for the first time .It was hard work because I had let them get too long. There is quite a lot of moss in them , probably due to all the wet weather.
Went in the greenhouse again this evening and took 54 dahlia cuttings.
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Post by derekbrooks on Mar 20, 2014 22:17:09 GMT
Just this afternoon for gardening today. It was raining so I went in the greenhouse. Began potting the rooted dahlia cuttings into three and a half inch pots. Did all those that were taken in February . There were 86 altogether and I had a job to find room for them all on the staging. Had to shift other plants into the other greenhouse and put the boxes of potatoes in the spare bedroom.
Took 40 odd cuttings off my overwintered surfinia plants. I am not usually successful in keeping these over winter but they have done O.K. this time.
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