Dereks Diary Part 2

[derekbrooks]

Showery again today.Went in the greenhouse this morning.I finished potting the rooted cuttings of basket plants.A lady at the meeting yesterday asked me for some dahlias so I told her that she could have most of my tubers.They were still in the boxes so I started taking them out and sorting which she could have.Cindy comes on Tuesday afternoons to take Rosemary a ride somewhere which gives me more freedom.It was a bit too showery to go to the allotment so I decided to go to school and get the tomato pots ready for planting .The pots all stand on trays so I put them all in position ,26 altogether,and put a full bag of compost in them.There is not enough so I will have to get another bag.I did this to save time because the children can't fill the pots and plant them in an hour and they should have been planted weeks ago.
When I got home I finished weeding the border between the back lawn and the fence.I also re-filled the two frames which had chrysanths in.I put most of the dahlias in and more annuals.

[derekbrooks]

Mostly dry today.This morning I finished sorting my dahlia tubers and decided which Tracy,the lady on the allotments,could have and put them in two boxes and took them to her plot on the allotments.She said any colour except yellow would do.I have also potted the brassicas(cabbage, cauliflowers and broccoli) from 3 inch pots into larger ones.I do this in an attempt to prevent clubroot .The plants are bigger when planted out and the roots have a larger volume of compost to occupy before they reach the soil.I am going to sow some more seeds in the same 3 inch pots so I filled them ready.

[derekbrooks]

I looked for the seeds to sow in the pots I filled yesterday and realised that I am short of cabbages and broccoli so I went to the garden centre and got a packet of each.Went to the allotment after and started weeding the onion bed. Went to Blackleach at 1.00 for the art class.When the art class people are in I usually just sit reading or writing but today I decided to go and have another hour or so on the allotment,as long as I am back for 3.00 to lock up.However, it started raining so I didn't go after all. At 3.00 when the art class had finishd,it had stopped raining so I did go and carry on with the weeding and I have done about half of the bed.

[derekbrooks]

I finished weeding the root crop bed on the allotment on April 23rd but now,only about 5 weeks later it is full of tiny weeds. I went to the allotment this morning and watered it with weedol.I also put some on my front garden because there are a few there as well and I want to plant it soon.We went a walk this afternoon and after I went in the greenhouse and sowed more brassicas in the 3 inch pots that I emptied yesterday.I have three large tubs in the back garden filled with old compost .I made bore holes in them,filled them with carrot compost that I mixed and sowed them with carrots"sweet candle".

[derekbrooks]

Did my walk round Blackleach with Janet this afternoon recording the birds and wild flowers.Went in the garden for a bit after.On the border alongside the path that leads up the back garden there were a lot of nettles growing out over the path.I got rid of them and also cut some off a rhododendron to make it easier walking up the path. I don't like leaving Rosemary for very long unless she is in bed.I had to do so for an hour this afternoon to go to Blackleach.She went to bed earlier than usual this evening so I had an hour or so on the allotment and almost finished weeding the bed I was doing last time I went.

[derekbrooks]

Martyn took Rosemary a ride this afternoon so I had an afternoon on the allotment.I finished weeding the onion bed,raked in some fish,blood and bone and planted the onion sets which were growing in 3 inch pots.They were planted in these pots on March 1st.There were 48 and I planted them 9 inches apart in two rows along the front of the bed. Went back this evening and planted 14 leeks along the back of the bed,2 feet apart ,and planted a gladioli corm in between them.The leeks were in 4 inch square pots and had their first blanching collars on.

[derekbrooks]

This morning I weeded the dahlia bed but there weren't a lot of weeds.Went to the allotment this afternoon for an hour or so and started weeding the spray chrysanth bed which is quite bad. When I got home and also this evening I mixed another 18 gallons of compost for potatoes.Put more of it in the bags that I had part filled before and filled two more.Went to the allotment again after till about 9.20 carrying on with the weeding.

[derekbrooks]

It started raining mid morning and carried on most of the afternoon,hard at times but it was dry this evening.Mixed another 16 gallons of compost for potatoes.Topped two drums up that I filled yesterday.I have six of these drums on a border alongside my greenhouse but I also grow five on the allotment.I brought these home yesterday ,still full of compost from last year.I emptied this on some of my borders and put compost that I had just made in three of them.
This evening I dismantled my two 6 foot cold frames because they are not needed any more and I put them away behind the greenhouse.

[derekbrooks]

We are going away for the weekend,Saturday till Monday so I am trying to get as much planting done as I can before we go.Our great grandson is being Christened on Sunday .They live on Anglesey so that is where we are going.We are staying in the hotel where Alex,Heather's eldest boy and the baby's father, works as a chef.
I went to the allotment this morning.I had weeded about a third of the spray chrysanth bed.There are a lot of weeds in this bed and it would take me a long time to weed the rest of the bed so I decided to plant the part where I had weeded before I carry on with the weeding.I raked fish, blood and bone into it and put in 20 canes in 4 rows of 5.I normally only put 3 rows and a row of gladioli along the back but I thought it more important to get the chrysanths in because I have already planted some gladioli in the onion bed.
We went a walk this afternoon and when we got back I sotred out 20 spray chrysanths to plant on the allotment.I was going to take them to the allotment this evening and plant them but it started raining so I didn't go.It didn't rain long but I didn't think it was worth going after. I decided to get the border round the front lawn ready for planting.I raked in some fish, blood and bone and planted a row of gladioli down one side.I do hope I can get this border planted and the chrysanths on the allotment before we go away. I have not much time tomorrow,though. I have a doctors appointment in the morning then I am at Blackleach in the afternoon.
Another job I did this morning that I forgot to mention .I had 18 Charlotte potatoes so I planted 2 in each of the 6 potato bags at home and 2 in each of the 3 tubs for the allotment.I usually put 3 potatoes in each bag or tub and I usually have 5 tubs on the allotment but I hadn't enough potatoes and we have sold out of them at the hut.

[derekbrooks]

Hadn't time to do much this morning apart from watering because I had a d0ctors appointment at 11.00.One job I did do was to pot my achimenes into 5 inch pots.I started the tubercles into growth in margerine tubs early in the year and they were growing well. I went to Blackleach for 1.00 to open up for the art club.While they were in I went to the allotment and planted the 20 dahlias that I told you about yesterday and tied them to the canes.I had to go back to Blackleach at 3.00 to lock up when the art club people had gone home.This evening I have mowed the lawns.

[derekbrooks]

It has been dry today.We went for a walk this afternoon and the rest of the time I have been planting the border round the front lawn.I didn't quite finish it,though.There are two places where I have not decided what to plant.
As I told you before, we are going to Anglesey tomorrow till Monday.Martyn is taking us.So,you won't hear anything more from me till monday evening.

[derekbrooks]

We arrived home from Anglesey this afternoon so it is back to "normal" for a bit.My next job in the garden is to plant my dahlias.I had weeded the bed before so this evening I just forked it over lightly and raked in some fish,blood and bone.I then put the canes in ready and I hope to plant them tomorrow.I will first have to sort them out into their varieties and decide which to plant.I have to plant some on the allotment as well but this bed still needs weeding.I normally sow my broad beans and dwarf French beans direct in the bed but this is another bed that still needs weeding so I decided to sow them in pots. I sowed 45 dwarf French beans in 3 inch square pots and 24 broad beans in 4 inch square pots .

[derekbrooks]

This morning I put all the dahlias under the carport and sorted them into varieties.I need 29 to plant in my dahlia bed at home so I sorted those out.
Because Cindy looks after Rosemary on Tuesday afternoons I went on the allotment.I have seven cold frames altogether that I use in spring for hardening off plants.When not in use I take three to the allotment to grow carrots in and I took the first one today.I started weeding the runner bean/sweet pea bed .
This evening I planted the 29 dahlias.I then took a bag of compost to school for the tomatoes and put it in the pots.I had partly filled them before.There still wasn't emough for all the pots .When I got home I did some more planting in the front garden.

[derekbrooks]

Went to the allotment this morning.Took another of the frames and continued weeding the bed I was doing yesterday. I hadn't much time this afternoon but I finished planting the front garden. This evening I took the tomato plants to school ready for planting tomorrow ,26 altogether.They should, of course,have been planted a month ago.They were quite tall but still in 4 inch pots.I had put 26 pots out in position and filled some up with compost but some were only part full because we were short of compost.I transfered some compost from part full pots into other ones and filled them up so there are now 20 full pots.We may just plant these but I could get more compost for the other 6 pots.
When I got home I dismantled the two frames that we on the area in front of the shed.This has given me more room so I have put all the veg plants and some bedding plants on this area.These boxes of plants were on the border between the back lawn and the fence so I have now cleared that border ready for planting.

[derekbrooks]

This morning I forked over the bed that I cleared yesterday ,raked in some fish, blood and bone and planted 9 dahlias along the back and tied them to canes.
Went to Blackleach this afternoon to open up for the art club.I had thought of going to the allotment while they were in but it started raining so I just sat reading my Garden News.Went to school after.I will tell you what we did on the school page.
It was dry again this evening .I just did some tidying up then went in the greenhouse.There are trays on my greenhouse staging which have been upside down since last year.Today, I turned them over and filled them with grit.This helps to create a moist atmosphere which plants want in summer but not in winter and spring.It also means that less watering is needed.