THINNING & PLANTING Now seedlings are popping up in the veg patch the next job is called ‘thinning out’ and involves removing a proportion of the tiny plants. We do this so the remainder have enough room to stretch their leaves and roots without competing with their neighbours. Advice about how much space to afford [...]
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Posts Tagged ‘frost’
DIRTY NAILS BLOG by Joe Hashman THINNING & PLANTING
Friday, May 21st, 20104 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman JUBILEE STEPS AT TEN IN THE MORNING, (LACK OF) VISION
Monday, January 4th, 2010JUBILEE STEPS AT TEN IN THE MORNING 10am: a dozen or so blackbirds stripping berries from Jubilee Steps cotoneasters. With ground hoar-frosted and hard as iron, it’s a mercy for our feathered friends that such a heavy bounty is to be had. They scorn the scarlet berry clusters during autumn, as if saving themselves for [...]
Read More »2 January 2010 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman WHILST SITTING ON THE FLATTENED BUTT OF AN ANCIENT POLLARD OAK
Saturday, January 2nd, 2010WHILST SITTING ON THE FLATTENED BUTT OF AN ANCIENT POLLARD OAK… … a country robin flitted between nine tanalised fence posts which bordered the bottom of an uncut thorny hedge, one-by-one. It surveyed the frozen pasture from the flattened top of each in turn. Jenny wren emerged from a tangle of dead brambles, looked left [...]
Read More »21 December 2009 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman THE IRON GRIP OF WINTER
Monday, December 21st, 2009THE IRON GRIP OF WINTER Ground is like iron out on the plot. We’ll not be lifting roots for a while yet, save pot-grown carrots which are in the greenhouse to keep off the worst of the frost. I walked down the allotment field to the tinker-chime of feeding goldfinches in charming flocks. They love [...]
Read More »16 December 2009 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman BATTLE COMMENCES
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009BATTLE COMMENCES Pigeons have made a start on my brassicas. On this steely morning, with the promice of snow in the air, they sit a-plump and ever watchful in the lime above the veg patch. They, I’m sure, are eye-balling me and my spring cabbages in a line below. The hearts have been almost pecked out [...]
Read More »1 December 2009 DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman FIRST FROST, COMPANY
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009FIRST FROST Here in North Dorset we’ve had our first proper frost. It was down by ten o’clock last evening. I noticed a crystalline rind on a car roof when popping out the front for something. Then someone phoned me to remind to check a holidaying neighbours heating, boost it slightly and save his pipes. Minus [...]
Read More »18 June 2009: DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman THUNDERWORM, THINNING PLUMS
Thursday, June 18th, 200918 June 2009 THUNDERWORMS There used to be an advert on the telly for an anti-aging product where one grey hair was highlighted on a woman’s head. While the rest of her bonnet sat beautifully, the one offending strand stuck out, waved about, and generally behaved unusually. I saw something similar first thing this morning [...]
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