Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Back Garden Nursery Part 3

New month new page for the nursery...and were busy,busy,busy!!!
It's been a lovely quite warm day so far so I've spent most of the afternoon outside on the nursery as I could see there were lots of little jobs to be done...

I've made a frame and covered it with protection fleece to warm up the soil a bit so I can get a few seedlings planted  at the end of the week ...

 I've had to pot up another batch of bolotto beans as they've out grown there pots again...They do grow so quick....

I've also sown some more stripped courgette seeds and pumpkin seeds as well as some gypsophylla seeds for the summer for cutting flowers...

I've also planted my potato's in the 2nd vegetable patch so I will have to keep a look out for there shoots so I can kept them covered with soil until May when they the leaves can then grow above the ground...as before the end of may we may just get a few more frosts which might not do them to good....

There are so many seedlings that need planting out, there all quite hardy now as the greenhouse that they are growing now is un-heated so they get used to our climate quite quickerly....once out in that greenhouse.....

Hopefully I'll be able to get back out there tomorrow afternoon as I'm at the unit all morning....

And I know I still have a few summer bulbs to pot up and I'm sure there will be more things to pot on...
But hopefully not the bolotto beans again tomorrow (joking).......

Lady Sarah.

7 comments:

  1. Thursday 3rd March.

    Well I didn't get any time yesterday to go in to the nursery very busy all day at the unit from 9 am until 6pm we did go out for lunch which was very nice....

    Anyway there wasn't alot of potting up to do today so I tidied up a few of the large potted plants and made a nice display with them...

    I know that in the next few days I have loads more seeds to plant,I have some carrot seeds to sow they'll be going in a large pot as I find it easier to grow them in a pot...I am going toput a round i one of the vegetable beds too...I also have some beetroot seeds to sow as well...I pickle those in late summer and they a great with stews in the winter and if there are any left there always good with a salad....

    I have prune some of the conifers that I've grown from cuttings earlier today as they were supposed to grow in a ball shape but decided to grow upright instead...they are all now ball shaped and I'm very pleased with the way that they now look....

    I collect plants from many different places many garden centres I always have a look in there sale beds as you never just know what your going to find there..I nearly always come out with a couple of good plants that I've found, I bring them back to the nursery take some cuttings from them then plant them in to one of the main borders...
    One thing that really does anoy me is the sakes areas of plants in supermarkets and diy stores over here..They do not seem to have any idea of how to look after there plants I often come home with one or two sorry looking plants from there too and pot them up and feed them then after a few weeks if they're doing ok I will take cutting fro them too...

    Next week John is taking me to one of cheshires best garden nurseries it called Bridgemere garden world...it's a good place to visit they have lots of nice plants and a big sale area mainly with out of season plants init I get lots of bargins from there, again I bringthem back to the nursery if they are herbaceous plants i didvide them straight away and usually end up with 5 or 6 new plants,I then grow them on and after a few months I put them out for sale on the nursery I keep one piece for growing on so that after a couple of years I can divide them again and get more plants from them...

    Anyway I have my new "Kitchen Garden" magazine to take a look at this afternoon,it has lots of interesting tips for growing your own vegetables and fruit in it...and lots of usefull ideas for re-cycling... Lady Sarah.

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  2. Friday 4th March.

    Well yet again it's another overcast and cold day, it might brighten up later, but I'm sorting paperwork for the nursery today... I will need to go out later as I need to update the plant list of stock that we have in at the moment...

    I haven't got a lot to do out on the nursery today so it's a good day to stay inside and get on with in doors...

    There are still lots of seedlings starting to germinate in the propagator but they are not big enough to transplant this week...

    Lady Sarah.

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  3. Saturday 5th March.

    I'm having a quiet day again...not doing much out on the nursery today...I've had a quick look at everything the plants all look well and are growing daily...

    I've had a new bulb catalogue through the post this morning and have decided to order a few things out of it....

    It's another dull and overcast day here in this part of cheshire but it's a little warmer than yesterday...when the sun eventually came out at 5pm...to late to do anything out side...

    I'll be sowing the carrot and beetroot seeds today and I've also found some calendula seeds which make good companion plants for growing with lettuce and salad crops...

    I try to use companion plants where I can as I prefare to use them to help control pests instead of pesticedes and chemicals...I do not use chemicals anywhere out on the nursery or inside the greenhouses...They make the vegetable beds look nice too...

    I'm starting to plan what I will have ready forsale for the Help for Heros event I will be attending in June, there will be vegetable plants and some shrubs and conifers and hopefully I'll have a few hanging baskets to take with me...I'm going to pick up some hanging basket plants next week...I need some petunias and geraniums and a few green trailing plants too...I really like fuchsias but I'll end up keep them if I do buy some next week...
    I'll probably get a few more unusual bedding plants too...Lady Sarah.

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  4. Sunday 6th March.

    I've had a busy afternon on the nursery...
    I've started to sow somw vegetable seeds outside today, I sowed peas, carrots and beetroot and I add a few rows of calendula for companion plants...I also re-potted loads of plants including some conifers which had out grown there first pots so there all in bigger pots for the next growing season....I also potted up some more tubs ready for the help 4 heros event in June I will add more about this later on this year....
    I've also swap growing seeds in the propagotor to striking cuttings in it now there are eucalyptus, skimmia japonica which are taken from a plant which is over 80 yrs old which belonged to my great grand father and some buddleia and conifer cuttings of a chameacyparis aurea...a hedging conifer ...
    Tomorrow I might treat myself to another small greenhouse to grow seeds and cuttings in during the summer...It's only 4 ft wide and 6 ft high and has a 2 ft depth it will go against the house at the top of the nursery you can walk in and out of it and it has 4 shelves it will be really handy for me as I'm now graduly running out of space in the main greenhouse...
    So I'm really happy today I got loads done on the nursery it was loveky and sunny and quite warm too...but it was only 46oF on the thermometer in the greenhouse. I think it will freeze again tonight. Lady Sarah.

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  5. Monday 7th March.

    Well I've just spent a very pleasent hour outside while Edward had a quick snooze...It's amazing what you can get done in such a short time.

    I've found and re-potted 20 small aquilieia which I will grown on for about 6-8 weeks then they will go out for sale on the nursery and as there all seedlings from one of my parent plants and I do not have any idea what colour they'll be I've decided to name the "Townfields Mix" after a local road near to where we live...
    Lady Sarah.

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  6. Monday 7th March.

    Just had to sort a dvd out for Edward we're now watching Bob the Builder again....But it keeps him quiet and I can get on with what I need to do.

    I'm going back out in the sunshine shortly as I've noticed quite a few seedlings around the nursery that I can pot on, let grow for a few weeks then they'll be big enough then to sell...

    I do try to use what I can from around the nursery and shrub beds for cuttings and seeds, as I have alot of what I call parent plants growing around the nursery and in one big bed at the end of the nursery which I use for cuttings and seed collection throughout the year...

    The idea behind parent plants is that you grow them on for a couple of years, then you take cutiing of divisions from that plant usually on the 3rd year then you let in grow for another year so that it gets a rest from propagation...I've used this method for many years and it seems to work very well...

    I've decided to use my nursery site for giving out gardening information as well as using it as a diary of what is happening daily on the nursery.. I have to say I know alot about growing and propagating plants and I do love to share my knowledge with other gardeners and people in general...I'm very proud of what I know about gardening and it has taken over 30 years experience to get this far...so I'm glad I can share what I know with everyone else out there...

    Very soon I am going to be helping out at the local allotment society as they have many novices who all need a bit of helpful advice on what and where to grow them..etc...I'm off to speak to them later on this evening as they have an exhibition on at the local cricket club...So I should get to meet a few of there members tonight...
    I hope that I will be able to help out as much as I can as I will have quite a few vegetables for them to grow on if they which to perchase any from the nursery...and later on thi year I hope to get the chance to use one of there plots for growing my extra vegetables and flowers..... Lady Sarah.

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  7. Monday 7th March...
    Just thought I'd let you know that the nursery now has it's own blog...http://Thebackgardennursery.blogspot.com
    I've only just started it tonight But I'm going to do all my dairy records of the nursery on there....
    Lady Sarah.

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