|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 17, 2015 20:38:41 GMT
A scattering of snow on the ground this morning and the rest of the day was showery. All I did this morning was to wash some more pots. This afternoon we took a chance between showers and went to the Blackleach but we didn't walk all round as we usually do . We just went to see what was on the reservoir.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 18, 2015 21:33:37 GMT
A bit more snow today. Had an afternoon in the greenhouse and took the first 149 chrysanth cuttings--100 disbuds and 49 sprays. Had to take some more boxes of stools off one of the warming benches to put these cuttings on.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 19, 2015 16:48:35 GMT
Very cold today and the ground is frozen so I couldn't do anything outside. Just went to the allotment because she wanted some sprouts. When I came home I went in the greenhouse and pricked out my first batch of onion seedlings into small yoghurt pots.
This afternoon I have had another pot washing session. Nothing else I could do this weather.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 22, 2015 21:57:08 GMT
Had not much to report the last few days. The ground is still frozen and covered with a scattering of snow so there was nothing I could do outside now that I have finished the chrysanth frame. Nothing particular to do in the greenhouse either now that the first chrysanth cuttings have been taken and dahlias boxed up. It's a bit early to sow flower seeds yet but I may start next week. This afternoon I have washed all the pieces of glass that go on top of the seed trays when seeds are sown. Apart from that I have been washing more pots and I think these are finished now.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 23, 2015 22:54:05 GMT
The ground had thawed out this morning and the snow had almost gone so I went to the allotment. One reason for going was that there were several things I wanted to take --6 supermarket trays which had stored the dahlias over winter, 2 sack of leaves and several sacks of old compost which I spread on the beds. My garden is tidier now that I have got rid of these but there are some more sacks of compost which I couldn't fit in the car. The other reason for going was to see if I could do some more weeding. I did manage to get some weeding done and I carried on doing the spray chrysanth bed which I started last time I went.
This afternoon I have done some tidying up in the garden and the shed which had got a bit cluttered up.
Dibleys catalogue came and I made an order out for 6 coleus as I normally do each year.
This evening I bought some "Red baron" onion sets from Morrisons.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 24, 2015 19:23:05 GMT
Went on the allotment this morning and finished forking over and weeding the chrysanth bed. Then marked out the position of the runner bean and sweet pea trenches but didn't get time to start digging them out.
This afternoon I had only an hour spare so I stayed at home and forked over and weeded one of the borders alongside the back lawn.
When I made the Dibleys order out yesterday for some coleus I thought I would like some Achimenes as well but decided I could only afford the coleus. Today I remembered that I had still got some money that Martyn, my son had given me for my birthday , the same amount as a collection of achimenes so I opened the envelope and added these to the order and made a new cheque out. I had saved this money till there was something particular that I wanted .
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 25, 2015 20:59:30 GMT
A reasonable day today and much milder. I made the most of it and went on the allotment this afternoon and started digging out the trenches for the runner beans and sweet peas. I dug out the first trench, a spades depth and about a foot wide and forked over the bottom . Put in half of the dahlia stems (saved half for the next trench)and some more green material. Then began digging out the next trench and putting this soil into the first trench but didn't get time to do much before bad light stopped play. Hope I can finish it tomorrow.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 26, 2015 20:07:24 GMT
A bit colder today but still dry after a bit of rain overnight. Rosemary needed the car this morning so I stayed at home and painted the frame over the chrysanth bed which I had been repairing, till I ran out of paint. Did about three quarters of it.
This afternoon I went on the allotment and finished the runner bean and sweet pea trenches that I started yesterday. Glad it's done!
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 27, 2015 23:07:47 GMT
No gardening today but I have something interesting to tell you. This afternoon we have been to a funeral. The man who had died was a neighbour of ours and had three daughters. When they were children they used to play with my children. When they were teenagers one of them used to help me in the garden. They were, of course, all at the funeral but I hadn't seen any of them for nearly forty years since they got married and moved away and I wouldn't have recognised them if they hadn't been pointed out to me. What I want to tell you is that the youngest one came to me and said that she enjoyed reading what I wrote on the garden forum. This amazed me that she had found our forum and how did she know that it was me after all these years.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 28, 2015 20:23:03 GMT
A horrible VERY windy and showery day so I have been in the greenhouse most of the day. I have sown the first flower seeds, just those that need sowing early -2 varieties of bedding lobelia , 2 of trailing lobelia, 2 of salvias,3 of asters, 3 of penstemons and dwarf delphiniums. I grow these delphiniums as first year flowering perennials. Asters are normally sown in March but I want them for the early shows, particularly Southport. I also sowed one packet of tomato seeds. All these have gone in my home made propagator. I have also been for some new wellies. They don't last long with me. I do all my seed sowing and potting kneeling down in the greenhouse on a kneeling mat which causes my willies to split after a time.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 29, 2015 22:22:19 GMT
The ground is covered with snow again and it snowed quite heavily for a time this morning. I was supposed to be going for refresher first aid course for health walk leaders at Salford and taking 3 more leaders. Traffic was crawling along our main road and pictures on the telly showing the motorways looked bad so I phoned these other people to see what they thought and finally we decided not to risk it . I phoned the venue for the course and told them. I don't think they should organise things like this in the winter.
So, I stayed at home and this morning I washed a lot of margarine tubs and ice cream containers that I use in the greenhouse. This afternoon I went to the hut for some timbercare to finish painting my chrysanth frame and some limestone to put on my front garden. Went in the greenhouse after and put small canes on the leeks and tied them up. A fiddly job because they are small but the leaves were bending over.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Jan 31, 2015 20:02:29 GMT
I told you two weeks ago that I had finished repairing my frame over the chrysanth bed. However I have recently noticed two more pieces that go along the top that were a bit suspect so I have replaced these today. Got the wood and some more brackets from B&Q on Wednesday.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Feb 1, 2015 21:51:25 GMT
Dry today but very cold. This afternoon I finished painting the chrysanth frame with wood preservative. I ran short of paint when I was doing it before. Spent the rest of the afternoon tidying the shed which had got cluttered up with all sorts of things.
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Feb 3, 2015 22:17:33 GMT
Not been able to do much gardening yesterday or today but I have done more tidying in the shed and put 6 pounds of limestone on the border round the front lawn. This should bring the pH up to about 6.9
|
|
|
|
Post by derekbrooks on Feb 4, 2015 23:11:33 GMT
Finished tidying the shed then gave it a coat of wood preservative. I have two sheds and the other one needs doing when I have time.
Took the first 8 dahlia cuttings. Two of my boxes of tubers are on propagators in the house and the rest are on warming benches in the greenhouse. These cuttings were all from the tubers in the house . This is because these propagators are warmer and the tubers always start growing first. Two of the boxes in the greenhouse have no tubers growing yet so I swapped the boxes over hoping to start some of these off. I will keep doing this for a few weeks .
|
|
