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Post by derekbrooks on May 28, 2014 22:28:39 GMT
It was raining this morning so I spent it in the greenhouse. I potted on the plants I bought yesterday into bigger pots. I don't like the shallow pots that you find plants in at garden centres. I also potted all the plants that were still in yoghurt pots (last years cuttings)into 4 inch pots.
The weather dried up this afternoon and I finished planting the front garden. There is a bed of roses in the front garden and the front of it gets waterlogged when it rains hard. There are crocuses along the front of this bed. I dug a trench along the front and forked over the bottom to help the drainage which meant that I had to dig up the crocus corms but I re-planted them when I had put the soil back. I then planted a row of French marigolds on the top.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 29, 2014 22:26:45 GMT
Been at Blackleach country park all day. I can't normally stay Thursday afternoons after the health walk in the morning because Rosemary wants the car for shopping. She is still at our daughters in Wales and also there is an art class in the afternoon and both rangers are on holiday so I had to stay to keep the building open for that so it has worked out right. When the art class people went home at 3.00 pm I went out and carried on weeding the border which I was doing last week until 5.00.
Went on the allotment this evening . Planted the runner beans and sowed another two rows of turnips. Then weeded the rest of the bed where the French and broad beans had been sowed and got it ready to plant peas, climbing French beans , courgettes and sweet corn. Then began weeding the main dahlia bed.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 30, 2014 22:22:34 GMT
It has been a fine day today and I have been on the allotment this morning and afternoon. Planted the "show perfection" peas and climbing French beans (Rob Roy). Had to fix up a cane structure for both first. Also planted the courgettes (Orelia) and marrows (Badger cross) and some lettuce from cell trays. The peas had been started off in drinking cups and the beans, marrows and courgettes in small square pots.
Rosemary has been in Wales all week and Heather brought her home this evening. I daren't be on the allotment when she arrived home so I stayed at home this evening . I joke about having peace and quiet when she is away but I am glad she is home again.
This evening I put all my dahlias on the lawn and sorted them out into varieties and decided which I am growing.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 31, 2014 21:37:41 GMT
I normally plant two hanging baskets for Heather but this time she wanted to have a go at planting them herself. She brought them when she came on Friday but she wanted some trailing geraniums in them and I haven't any. I needed to get some for myself so we went to our local garden centre for some this afternoon. She bought some other plants as well. She went shopping with Rosemary after so I went on the allotment and finished weeding the dahlia bed.
She has planted her baskets this evening and she didn't use any of my plants , just those that she bought. I just showed her how to do it.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 1, 2014 22:19:19 GMT
Only had this evening for gardening today. Heather went back home to Wales about 5 pm. I went on the allotment and begun planting the main dahlia bed. I put growmore on first and raked it in. I normally grow 90 plants on this bed in 6 rows consisting of decoratives, cactus, balls and pompoms. On the other bed I grow 24 plants of collarettes (Don Hill),water lilies (Taratahi Ruby), and singles (Teesbrook red eye). I have not got quite as many plants of either type as normal. For the main bed I only have 83 decent plants so I decided to put the canes an inch farther apart giving me one less plant on each row. I usually put all the canes in first on all 6 rows before I start planting but today I decided to put just the back two rows of canes in and then start planting. I planted these two rows then put another row of canes in and planted half of it. I have planted 31 plants which is about a third of the total.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 2, 2014 21:59:19 GMT
Been planting hanging baskets nearly all day today -39 of them 12 of my own and the rest for friends and neighbours but didn't quite finish them.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2014 22:12:26 GMT
Derek there is always tomorrow and you're as fit as a fiddle :-)
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 3, 2014 22:37:41 GMT
I have not been doing baskets today but hope to carry on with them tomorrow . Somebody has given me another three to do and they have no liners so I will have to go to the hut for some before I can do them. If I have a lot of baskets to do like this I prefer to do them all at the same time then I can spread my plants out between them and plan them out better. For example I put trailing lobelia in them all first then a plant in the centre the decide on the rest of the plants depending what I have available.
I have been at Blackleach country park this morning. Last week the rest of the volunteers weeded the fish shaped raised bed which contained about 6 shrubs. Two of the shrubs were missing so I asked Richard, the ranger if I could get some more .I got them from the garden centre on Saturday and have planted them this morning. They were a pieris and a dwarf rhododendron.
This evening I have been to the veg meeting but it wasn't about veg but about daffodils.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 4, 2014 21:26:46 GMT
Carried on doing hanging baskets today but I could do with a few more plants before I finish them all off. I have plenty of bacopas but I need some different ones to give some variety so I will get some from the garden centre.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 5, 2014 22:25:26 GMT
I have planted my sons garden this afternoon and this evening I have finished the hanging baskets I was doing. Before I went to his house I went for some more plants to finish the baskets. They have been selling plants at school for school funds and they have quite a lot left so I went there for some and then to the garden centre.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 6, 2014 22:23:30 GMT
Now that the hanging baskets are done my attention has turned to tubs and other containers. This morning I went to the house of an elderly couple as I do every year and planted their tubs. Three of the hanging baskets were for them so I took them and hung them up. There are 5 tubs and 3 chimney pots. I remove some of the compost from their tubs and top up with fresh. I ran out of compost so had to go to the hut for some more. The old compost I take out I take to the allotment to spread on the beds.
This afternoon I have planted 6 tubs up for somebody else . They brought them to our house last week empty so they have all had fresh compost. I then begun getting my own tubs ready for planting. I have about 12 tubs altogether. It would be best to put fresh compost in them all every year but it would be too expensive so I renew it in half of them each year. I keep a record of which tubs have had new compost each year. I have also delivered some of the hanging baskets to another friend.
Because I do hanging baskets and plant tubs for people I don't want any of you to think I am a professional. I don't make any money out of it. I just charge people for the cost of the plants and compost. If I have to buy plants from a garden centre I just charge people the price I have paid. Some people do give me more than I ask for but that is up to them and entirely voluntary.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 7, 2014 21:37:59 GMT
Not much gardening time today .It poured down this morning while I was at the hut and showery this afternoon. It was nice this evening though and we decided to do our walk round Blackleach. This afternoon I just did a bit more planting of my tubs.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 7, 2014 21:58:59 GMT
 This is a picture taken at Blackleach this evening |
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 8, 2014 21:59:15 GMT
Alongside the allotments there is a row of houses called "The Reach". Two people from the allotments live in these houses--Sally, and her daughter Annie who is 6 doors away. Her son , Will lives 3 doors from her. On the other side of "The Reach" there is a valley with a stream running through into a reservoir. All the time I remember it , this valley has just been derelict land overgrown with weeds and a place where nobody went. A while ago , Sally's son Will bought the land and part of the reservoir and they (mainly Sally I think)have completely transformed it into a beautiful place and this weekend they have opened it to the public for the first time as part of the National Garden Scheme. Annie who is the chair person of our allotments sent us all an email to tell us all about it and inviting us to go. My first thought was that I was too busy because I wanted to finish planting my dahlias. But we did go and I'm so glad we did and I have still had time to plant my dahlias the rest of the afternoon and evening. The transformation they have made in this valley is absolutely amazing. It's no wonder I haven't seen Sally on the allotments for a while !. They have made paths all round, bridges over the stream, seating areas, picnic areas , done a lot of new planting and it is teaming with wildlife. We saw mallard chicks, cygnets and goslings. I am going to try to show you some pictures of it now.
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Post by derekbrooks on Jun 8, 2014 22:01:52 GMT
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