January In The Gardens

January In The Gardens 2004

Week 1

General
Moving badly placed shrubs.

Cutting back scruffy looking perennials.

Cleaned out stream completely, washed stones and then replaced.

Allotment
Planted out SHALLOT 'Hative de Noirt'.

Greenhouse
Sown into tubes SWEET PEA 'Showbench Collection', 'Extra Fragrant Collection', 'Dreamy Sunset', 'Fragrant Skies', 'Sweety Purple', 'Heirloom Mixed', 'Lilac Ripple', 'Mollie Rilestone' and 'Wiltshire Ripple'.

Sown into modules LETTUCE ''Kelly's' and Fristina' and ONION 'Lancastrian'.

Sown into trays CAULIFLOWER 'Mayflower'; TOMATO 'Ailsa Craig, 'Big Beef' and 'Cossack' and ONIONS 'Unwin's Exhibition', 'Red Baron', Rijinsburger 5 Jumbo', 'Ailsa Craig Prizewinner' and Beacon'.

Multi-sown into modules ONION 'Mammoth Improved' and Mammoth Red'.

Sown into large pots RADISH 'Jolly Sparkler 3' and 'White Breakfast'.

Sown into 7cm pots GARLIC 'Purple Wight' and Solent Wight'.

Week 2

General
Trimming any climbers that need it.

Forking compost into border when not too wet.

Checked over fruit and veg in the cold store and removed any showing signs of rot.

Allotment
Repaired compost bins.

Spread mulch around GRAPE VINES.

Digging empty areas.

Parterre
Digging over beds.

Greenhouse
Sown KOHL RABI 'Lanro' and CAULIFLOWER 'Rapido' into trays.

Sown CARROT 'Amsterdam Forcing' into a deep pot.

Week 3

General
Sprayed all indoor plants with soft soap.

Pruning deciduous trees, including APPLES and PEARS.

Repairing and treating wooden garden furniture.

Nursery
Taking cuttings of VIOLAS and PENSTEMON that are still shooting in the mild weather.

Turned on sodium lights in one of the show tunnels to begin forcing on plants in case we get in at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Allotment
Filled hotbox with fresh horse manure, capped it with a 10cm (4") layer of soil and erected a polythene and alkathene water pipe cloche over it. It has been left to heat up.

Built a mild hot bed by piling 45cm (18") of fresh manure into a flat heap, capping it with 10cm of soil and then put a cold frame on top.

Greenhouse
Pricked out CAULIFLOWER 'Mayflower' into modules.

Potted TOMATO 'Cossack' into 7cm (3") pots.

Sown CABBAGE 'Derby Day' and TOMATO 'Nimbus' into trays.

Sown LETTUCE 'Lollo Rossa' and BASIL 'Neapolitana' into modules.

Pricked out TOMATO 'Tumbler into 7cm (3") pots.

Week 4

General
Due to the bad weather everybody has spent the week painting the interior of the coffee shop.

Allotment
Planted POTATO 'Swift' in the hotbox.

Nursery
Removed all the glass from an old wooden greenhouse and covered it with 50% shade netting to be used for shade loving plants.

Recovered PENSTEMON tunnel with new polythene.

Greenhouse
Planted POTATO 'Swift' and Rocket' into two large containers.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

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