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Post by derekbrooks on May 2, 2024 21:18:40 GMT
Because Blackleach Country Park is still closed to the public there was no walk this morning and no art club this afternoon. So,I have been in the garden and greenhouses all the time till it was time to go to school at 3.30. I potted another 7 chrysanths into larger pots and put them in the frame with those I did yesterday.I also put all the remaining chrysanths in a frame.Forgot to mention yesterday that as I was potting them into larger pots I put a small cane in and tied them to it.I also stopped those that were large enough.This means removing the tips of the plants to get the plants to produce side growths (laterals) which will eventually produce the flowers. When I prick out boxes or trays of plants I put them under the greenhouse staging for a few days.Today I put a lot of them on the floor in the other greenhouse where the chrysanths had beem.I put some of the hardier plants such as calendulas into a frame and also the onions grown from sets.This evening I have pricked out several varieties of plants of which there weren't enough for boxes or trays and I transfered them to cell trays.
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Post by derekbrooks on May 1, 2024 21:13:42 GMT
We went for a walk this afternoon but I have been in the greenhouse most of the time. Part of our Christmas dinner arrived today,Brussel sprouts.The sprout seeds that I sowed a few weeks ago didn't germinate so I ordered 10 plants from Browns.I potted them into 3 inch pots.Spent the rest of the time potting chrysanths on from 3 inch into bigger pots and putting them in a frame.I had to weed inside the frame first.Just potted those that needed doing.Did about 35 but there are a few more need doing which I hope to do tomorrow.
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 30, 2024 21:52:45 GMT
this morning I sorted out all my chrysanths into their varieties on the floor of my larger greenhouse.Went on the allotment this afternoon and finished weding the path I was doing the last time I went.This evening I have pricked out a box of antirrhinum "Royal bride"and trancfered those that were left into a 20 cell tray Then did another box of stocks.
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 30, 2024 21:40:41 GMT
Yesterday I potted some more rooted cuttings of diascias into cell trays.I still had the plants from which I got these cuttings.I took a few more cuttings and got rid of the plants. Potted 8 more tomato plants into 4 inch pots. Pricked out some stocks"Apricot column", rudbeckia "marmalade", aster "duchess" and godetia into cell trays .These were some that were left after I had pricked out trays or boxes of them. Pricked out a box each of Chrysanthemum "Rainbow" and stocks"earlibird" and a tray of nicotiana sylvestris.Also potted some coleus and streptocarpus from small pots into 4 inch pots. I am now going to tell you why I haven't been able to do my bird and wild flower survey at Blackleach country park last weekend unless you already know.You may have seen the reason on the television news. Some human body parts have been found at Blackleach and other places. On the other side of the main road at the top of the drive where we live there is a walkway on which you can walk right up to Blackleach.For the last few days there has been a police car at this entrance stopping people from walking down this walkway. The lady in the car told me that the police were searching all the area from here right up to Blackleach. Yesterday morning I went to Blackleach and there were seven police cars there and one was at the entrance stopping people going in.I was hoping to find out how long it would be before we could go in but they couldn't tell me.I mentioned the art club on Thursday and they said it was doubtful that we could have it.I am thinking of going on Friday to ask if we will be able to go in at weekend I typed all this up yesterday but before I posted it on the forum I must have pressed a wrong key and I lost it all.I hadn't time to type it again then because it was bed time
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 28, 2024 21:23:38 GMT
Another afternoon in the greenhouse.I potted all the remaining rooted chrysanth cuttings (46) and about 15 dahlias.Although I have taken all the boxes of dahlia tubers off the warming benches they are still growing and I took another 36 cuttings.I am having a rest from pricking out this evening so I have watched Gardeners World that I recorded on Friday. I wanted to watch it because I had been told that someone who I know (Ken Harrop) was going to be on.He used to judge our shows at Worsley. I regard him as a chrysanth man and he is the show manager of the chrysanth shows at R.H.S.Bridgewater and I see him there.On Gardeners World,though, he was showing us all his daffodils and I didn't know that he grew them.
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 27, 2024 20:22:59 GMT
It has been dry again today but like yesterday I didn't risk goimg to the allotment because the sky was dull and showers were forecat.So I had another afternoon in the greenhouses.My large home made propagator in the greenhouse stands on sheets of asbestos with a large sheet of glass on the top( was a shower curtain). There was not much in it now so I removed what there was.Some were no longer needed and the rest I found room for on one of the warming benches.When it is no longer in use I take off the glass and put the sheets of asbestos on the top.This gives me a lot more room because I put plants on the top. My tomato plants were still in small custard pots on a warming bench. I potted 36 of them into 4 inch square pots and put them on asbestos.There was no room for them on the warming bench after they had been potted on and they needed doing.I then got the trays and boxes ready for pricking out this evening. I pricked out a boxof 48 statice and one of stocks"apricot column" then a tray of 54 godetia and one of rudbeckia "marmalade" and another cell tray of 10 asters.
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 26, 2024 20:24:19 GMT
It has been dry today but there were some black clouds so I didn't risk going to the allotment.Apart from going for a walk this afternoon I have been in the greenhouses the rest of the time.I have sown all the rest of the tender veg ,10 each of marrow "tiger cross", courgette"aurelia" and squash "hunter" in 4 inch square pots and 20 sweet corn "earlibird" in drinking cups. I have taken all the boxes of dahlia tubers from the propagators and warming benches to make room for these veg. This evening I have pricked out 2 boxes of 48 stocks and the remaining asters into 2 cell trays of 10. Heather is coming tonight for the weekend but she hasn't arrived yet (9.25)
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 25, 2024 20:57:11 GMT
I told you last week that there were only two childen but there were six today.I intended getting them to sow some seeds,cabbage, lettuce and courgettes.However, the veg beds are full of weeds and because it was dry Gina suggested that the children do some weeding and I aggreed.It's no use growing veg in the polytunnel if we have nowhere to plant it when it needs planting.There were a lot of large tufts of grass, too big for children to get out with a hand fork,so I had to get them up with a digging fork and they scraped the soil off them .
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 25, 2024 20:41:40 GMT
It was a bit drizzly this morning but it dried up this afternoon and it has rained heavily this evening.There was no walk at Blackleach again so I went in the greenhouse.After watering which I do every morning I filled three boxes with compost for pricking out this evening and filled a lot more pots for sowing tender veg but didn't have time to sow any.This afternoon I went to Blackleach for the art club then to school.This evening I have pricked out two boxes of 48 calendulas and one of asters.
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 24, 2024 21:22:57 GMT
Dry today so I went to the allotment this morning and carried on weeding the path I was doing yesterday.Before I went I sowed about 40 runner beans in the pots I filled testerday.Put then on a propagator in my larger greenhouse.Took a box of dahlia tubers off to make room for them. We went a walk this afternoon then I mowed the lawns.This evening I have pricked out two trays of antirrhinums.
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 23, 2024 20:09:56 GMT
My next important job is to sow the tender vegetables that can't be planted out till there is no risk of frost, late May or early June. These include runner beans, climbing French beans, marrows, courgettes and sweet corn.I sow all these in pots in the greenhouse .Sweet corn go in drinking cups but the rest go in 4 inch square pots.Didn't have time to sow any today but this morning I filled a lot of pots ready for doing so. I have told you before about Cindy who comes Tuesday afternoons to look after Rosemary then I can go out.So I took the opportunity to go to the allotment. I finished weeding the root crop bed then started doing the path between this and the next bed. I need to carry on with my pricking out in the evenings and today I have done two boxes of marigolds "Tall Scotch prize "and three trays of French marigolds,two of "honeycombe" and one of "Zenith yellow".
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 22, 2024 19:45:10 GMT
It has been showery today.Took another 48 cuttings from the basket plants,168 altogether from 30 plants. This evening I have pricked out 3 boxes of cosmos,48 per box.They are blue plastic boxes from the greengrocers .They are deeper than the seed trays that I use for small plants like lobelia and French marigolds. I line them with polythene cut from compost bags. 168 cuttings from basket plants,28 margerine tubs each containing six
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 21, 2024 20:29:25 GMT
It has been dry today. I stll have some weeding to do on the allotment but I decided that what I wanted to do in the greenhouse was a bit more urgent.So, this afternoon I took 120 cuttings off the basket plants that I bought last Friday but I still have more to do.I put them in margerine tubs,6 in each tub.I had to take two boxes of dahlia tubers off a warming bench to put them on.
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 20, 2024 20:12:30 GMT
Couldn't get on the forum yesterday but Martyn has sorted the problem for me. Yesterday I went to our local garden centre and got 30 basket plants, mostly surfinias and calibracoas. My alyssum hasn't germinated as well as usual so I got another packet and sowed them when I got home. We went a walk in the afternoon. I then took another 37 dahlia cuttings .In the evening I pricked out two trays od 54 French marigolds. Not done much gardening today. Went to the hut at 10.30.This afternoon we have been another walk then I took another 12 dahlia cuttings which will probably be the last.Also pricked out 20 Love lies bleeding into cell trays.
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Post by derekbrooks on Apr 18, 2024 21:03:10 GMT
Garden club at school started again today. There were only two children but they are trying to get more. They had not done gardening before so Gina, who does the garden club with me,had to show them the tools we use and tell them the aspects of safety when using them. It was raining so we couldn't do anything outside .I took some onion sets that I got from the hut and we planted about 20 in drinking cups.They each took one of the planted ones home to grow at home. They also took some rhubarb home.
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