Late Winter Bits and Bobs.

A place to chat about anything you like, including non-gardening related subjects. Just keep it clean, please!

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oldherbaceous
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The ground is totally water-logged here again….the people that dug their allotments in the Autumn are going to struggle with their plots in the Spring, as they have all gone flat, with no air left in the soil!

Many years since we have had a Bullfinch here, Geoff.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

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Geoff
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Soggy here too. Snow yesterday and ½" rain overnight to wash it away. It is strange we often see Bullfinches briefly at this time of year then never later.
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retropants
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I don't dig anymore, but the worms are beginning to take the top layer of manure down into the soil, leaving their casts on the surface. I also try not to walk on it too much, it's only a small patch. It looks pretty soggy! I've got my aubergine seeds now, so I can get them going in the heated propogator.
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Clive.
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Half inch of rain (sleet at first) yesterday by home time with another inch overnight and it made it up to 1.7" today, although it seemed wetter out in it . The old boiler house has filled up again so its just under potting shed floor level.
Steeping River is to the top and adjacent farmland is awash again. One field had been worked again last week during the dry interlude..but it's back to square one again now..

It was blooming cold yesterday with wind squarely from the East. Fairly early on there was a skein of geese heading directly into the wind...their groundspeed was amazingly low.
By evening we were still on 4.5C, however I understand that the Sunny South (not sunny) was up to 10C at that time, chatting to a friend in West Sussex..
C.
Westi
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Lovely day down at the plot, no rain, no wind, sun shining although a little light cloud on & off & not particularly cold. Tunnel was 12.7C with both doors open & was 27C when I opened it up.

The channels are working around the soggy beds, the beds are still quite wet but certainly better than they were so it seems the stones & pebbles in the channel are helping. I'm still waiting proper gravel to be delivered. I sowed a few things on the tunnel staging & started digging & feeding the brassica beds to be. I think I will cover them again but with the left over clear tunnel bubble cover rather than black plastic which might deter the mice as 2 nice little nests found, no babies.

Could have done more but too much chatting as the plot guys were filling pot holes along my row, then the neighbours popped down as committee asked them to gain my permission for them to build a tunnel. I'm hardly in a position to say no to them when I have one!
Westi
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oldherbaceous
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Evening Clive, Sam and Lily said to say hello!
They went to Shuttleworth today, firstly to have a walk around the Swiss Garden, then on to the plane collection….they had a lovely time…they asked if you had visited there before, but I wasn’t sure if you had, or not!
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

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Clive.
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Hello Old H',
Thank you for the greeting from Sam and Lily, Long time since I was at the Shuttleworth collection...maybe back to 1977/78.! Family trips out to a couple of the airshows...down the A1 in dads Austin Allegro 1300.
I remember buying a LP record of the sounds of the aeroplanes...it's still in the old LP case in the front room.! it was great fun playing that loud..so it could be heard right up the garden.!!

I haven't been to the gardens there though.

...raining again...I checked this morning and out of nowhere a potential 11hrs of heavy rain had been popped into the forecast...



C.
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peter
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Blackthorn is flowering here, well a few of them at any rate.
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oldherbaceous
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Had a busy morning, mossed loads of pots of Hyacinths up and moved some pots of Narcissus from the small back glasshouse, into the big glasshouse, the big one gets more sunlight!
Just sown some Beetroot, into some 12 section trays, 4 trays worth…..
Now going to sort out some 2 litre pots of Herbaceous plants, left over from last year…..scrape away as much compost from the top as possible, then top-dress with a little plant food, then top up with compost….
A lot better morning out there then they predicted…even a little sushine…🙂
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

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Primrose
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Our gardening support guy came this morning to help Mr Primrose sort out our potting shed area. It has apparently descended into chaos since I,ve had to give up gardening. Lost count of the hundreds of pots, cells trays and other items thrown out onto patio for disposal. Just enough kept for the few tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes I'm hoping husband might be able to grow this year.
A painful experience watching all my gardening memories headed for the rubbish tip. Still following you lot on here though!
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oldherbaceous
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Dear Primrose, it must be so frustrating for you, but please keep popping on the forum, as we love seeing you!
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

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Westi
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Sorry to see your post Primrose, I would probably be putting one or two under my jumper as I keep & use some very useless pots that come with memories of the giver. Now & again I do a big cull of plastic pots which is a lot easier now as the Garden Centre has a drop off point & it's right beside the plot. (Obvs they have figured how to recycle these now & some money to be made), says the cynic in me! ;)

I'm very glad you are staying posting though, you have a wealth of knowledge & happy to share & you certainly have helped focus me over the years in the kindest way. If I had asked such rubbish on other sites & got their aggressive responses I'd probably given up...but here I remain; thanks to you & the forum members. And still asking rubbish questions but hopefully not as many!
Westi
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Primrose
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Well Westi, once a gardener, always a gardener,. Even if you can't physically do it any longer the interest is still there. And thankfully my other half has gown so used to having fresh veg from the garden for 50 years that he's prepared still to grow few items under my supervision! And he,s learning ! Was very proud of his climbing beans , tomatoes and cucumbers last summer!
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oldherbaceous
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Another dull and dreary day here….tried doing some hedgecutting for a customer, for a couple of hours but, admitted defeat…..I was soaked and the machines didn’t like getting so wet either!

Maybe tomorrow will be a brighter day….🙂
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
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Clive.
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We were on herbaceous potting today...after a load more rain overnight..

...and I've just checked the forecast...there's more rain overnight tonight...maybe shouldn't be surprised as it's February Fill Dyke....but it's already full..

....Treated Skoda to some new wipers from the autoparts shop in the town on the way home...

C.
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