11 June 2009 CABBAGES & CAULIFLOWERS Great excitement at Orchard Park today: the first round of harvesting occurred. The demo garden donated four of the best Hispi F1 cabbages I’ve grown – ever! – plus two beautiful and blemish free Andes cauliflowers as big as my splayed hand. Shona in the kitchen was very pleased [...]
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Posts Tagged ‘orchard park’
30 May 2009: DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman PUDDLES AT ORCHARD PARK, FIRST MULLIEN MOTHS OF THE SEASON
Sunday, May 31st, 200930 May 2009 PUDDLES AT ORCHARD PARK Noon plus twenty at Orchard Park. The sun is high. Apart from a genie-like wisp of cloud it is as clear as the Mediterranean waters I remember seeing off Greece ten years ago. Out the back, on a dirt track which affords forklift access and deliveries, a dozen [...]
Read More »28 May 2009: DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman A MORNING AFTER RAIN, PAINTED LADY SUMMER
Thursday, May 28th, 200928 May 2009 A MORNING AFTER RAIN What a lovely change from recent weeks to rise and shine on the morning after a day of rain. Plants are looking better for it; greener, lusher, more full of the sap that flows and translocates the stuff of life. The air feels fresher. Activity on the plot [...]
Read More »26 May 2009: DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman RUNNER BEAN TRIALS
Tuesday, May 26th, 200926 May 2009 RUNNER BEAN TRIALS The runner beans are in position at Orchard Park. Back along I lashed together a scaffold of hazel poles for them to twist, curl and scramble over. The clayey ground was so unworkable that I plunged them in to crowbar-made holes and reckon they’ll snap in the wind before [...]
Read More »24 May 2009: DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman ‘BUZZBY’ THE BLUE TIT, SWARM IN THE COMPOST, HOUSE MARTIN NEWS
Sunday, May 24th, 200924 May 2009 ‘BUZZBY’ THE BLUE TIT More amazing things have happened today… The blue tits that nested just over the wall in the apple tree fork amongst swings, ladders, buckets on strings and children’s dens, fledged. We had a tense and involved evening of fledgling watching yesterday. The still slightly fluffy youngster couldn’t yet [...]
Read More »20 May 2009: DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman SLUG PELLETS
Wednesday, May 20th, 200920 May 2009 SLUG PELLETS I’ve done something radical and different to anything I’ve done before in my gardening life – used slug pellets. I’m not pleased or proud, but at least I am maintaining my honesty. It must be stressed that the ones I have scattered sparingly on Bed 4 of the demo garden [...]
Read More »12 May 2009: DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman DISTRACTED BY THE WATERING
Tuesday, May 12th, 200912 May 2009 DISTRACTED BY THE WATERING It’s been a busy morning. In between dealing with emails, writing my weekly article for the Western Gazette and updating the Orchard Park Demo Garden blog, I’ve had the hose unreeled and on in the garden. Both water butts had completely run out of water. One was dry, [...]
Read More »10 April 2009: DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman ORCHARD PARK DIARY – AT LAST! SOMETHING GETS PLANTED…
Friday, April 10th, 200910 April 2009 ORCHARD PARK DIARY – AT LAST! SOMETHING GETS PLANTED… In defiance of the forecast rain stayed away. Well, it was raining according to Mrs Nails but I begged to differ. As I remember it, rain made you wet and came down in droplets. What we had today was a fine mist in [...]
Read More »26 March 2009: DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman NOT CAUSING OFFENCE, ORCHARD PARK DIARY
Thursday, March 26th, 200926 March 2009 NOT CAUSING OFFENCE Sometimes what happens to me when I’m on the plot is that I become deeply engrossed in whatever I’m doing and my mind focuses on that task or another random or related subject. I guess some might describe it as a meditative headspace or Zen-like zone. I’m not sure [...]
Read More »25 March 2009: DIRTY NAILS’ BLOG by Joe Hashman DEMONSTRATION BEDS AT ORCHARD PARK GARDEN CENTRE – WORK BEGINS
Wednesday, March 25th, 200925 March 2009 DEMONSTRATION BEDS AT ORCHARD PARK GARDEN CENTRE – WORK BEGINS The first steps towards creating a set of demonstration vegetable beds at Orchard Park Garden Centre in Gillingham were taken today. I had a nine o’clock meet with Richard the Managing Director and Deputy Manager Andy. We chatted first, then twenty minutes [...]
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