December In The Gardens 2004

December In The Gardens 2004

Week 1

General
Cleaning permanent garden structures, paving, greenhouses, furniture, etc using a pressure washer.

Mulching beds and borders with shredded woody garden waste to act as a weed suppressant.

Planted a variety of spring flowering bulbs.

Started to winter prune trees removing all crossing and diseased branches and dead wood.

Carefully watering tender perennial cuttings taken during autumn.

Allotment
Dug trench and stored some LEEKS and PARSNIPS in it in case of very frosty weather when the crops in the ground cannot be lifted.

Digging in BROAD BEAN grown as green manure which had tops cut 2 weeks ago.
General winter digging.

Made conical compost bins using reclaimed bricks.

Greenhouse
Sown PEA 'Douce Provence' into a length of gutter.

Week 2

General
Checking stored fruit and veg and removing any that show the first signs of deterioration.

Re-turfed any bare patches of grass around the gardens.

Allotment
Gave cold frame final coat of paint.

Dug over ground to be used for 2005 crop of cut flowers.

Greenhouse
Set out all POTATO tubers in trays to chit.

Sowed BROAD BEAN 'The Sutton' into 9cm (3.5") pots.

Sowed ONION 'Ailsa Craig' and 'Mammoth' into modules.

Week 3

General
Pruned GRAPE vines by cutting back all shoots coming from the main framework back to two buds.

Continuing to work through borders cutting back, weeding, pruning, dividing, planting and mulching.

Week 4

All staff take a well earned break until the new year. Nick and Sue Hamilton are on hand to look after all the visitors over the Christmas and New Year period.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

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