Monday 30 March 2015

Hairy Take Off

Morning all,

Looks like a good weekend coming up for the turbines, every cloud and all that.
Not quite enough spring warmth for huge gardening excitement but the pressure is definitely building. We've had a really busy week sending out plenty of stock as the build up to Easter gets under way. I always get a bit anxious as we approach Easter, the idea of two four day working weeks is pretty daunting when it is traditionally such a busy plant selling time and a good time for potting too. I've been doing this thing so long that unfortunately the idea of the Easter break just conjures up thoughts of mega overtime and trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot, not always the most relaxing of times. Having said that we do usually get most of the Sunday off and the chance of getting stuck into another roast lunch, so that is definitely something to look forward to (and the company of family too of course!).
Need to press on this morning, we've got a big gang in to get some more orders processed and get the weeks potting started and they will need a bit of looking after. More cake please and chocolate next week.
Please don’t forget to get your orders in ASAP for this coming week so we can get the transport all organised and then collect up all our lovely plants. Although Friday is a bank holiday and we will be trying to clear orders as early as we can, we are quite likely to still be delivering a few orders on that day. Quart and pint pot scenario again.
It’s a good job we sell the plants at some point and we are very pleased to do it really! It certainly helps pay our way. Keep up those plant sales and let’s hope the spring sunshine makes a stronger appearance soon.

Availability
Fritillaria (snakes head lily) are the best we’ve ever had, loads of shoots buds beginning to open. We don’t have a huge number so don’t hang about on these beauties. Bergenia Bressingham White and Sunningdale are presenting bud now and the odd splash of colour but again this is a quickly disappearing crop and won’t be available very long.
I don’t particularly want to push our lovely pot-full’s of Tulips as we have very limited numbers of this trial crop, but the earliest varieties are showing bud already so if they are your type of thing be quick. Erysimum Bowles Mauve is showing well and is always such a favourite and a great long lasting garden performer. New batches of Apricot Twist and Pastel Patchwork are back on the list with nice tight buds appearing.
Polemonium Heaven Scent is looking great and the first flower shoots are being held above the lovely verdant bronzed foliage, be quick they won’t hang around long, not a huge number left.
Those spring markers Primula denticulata and Pulsatlla vulgaris are beginning to come to life. Both are showing early signs of bud appearance but not quite extended vertically yet to show much colour at this stage, but it won’t be long. I haven’t marked all of them as in bud/flower as it is early and I don’t want everyone to get over excited!
The Lupins are putting on their first flush of fresh, bushy, early growth, they are monster plants. We always have to sell this batch fairly smartly as they will outgrow the pot too quickly if left until the warmer weather. They are all looking fantastically strong and chunky and selling through quickly. The Digitalis range is looking great, strong pot full’s of monster plants. Doronicum Little Leo is a good early performer, lots of fresh green foliage with buds to follow shortly, I’ve seen the odd one or two already. The Pyrethrum (Tanacetum) varieties are bushy and strong, the fresh ferny foliage provides a nice pot full.
The overwintered Phlox varieties are beginning to show their first strong shoots as spring draws close, more varieties are appearing as they emerge from winter slumber. Dicentra spectabilis and alba has just burst through and there are a few early buds showing.
The first few herbs are now available as spring growth begins. It is still early days for mega growth, we want to keep them tough and not too soft to put up with the last of the winter cold.
It must be spring some of the Hostas are showing their first shoots through the compost surface.

Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries


Monday 23 March 2015

Meaty and Hairy

Morning all,

Not a bad day, nice bit of spring sunshine this morning although a bit dull and cool this afternoon. It’s great to feel some spring warmth when the sun breaks through although we haven’t seen much of it over the last few days. A shame we missed out on the eclipse too, a really grey, cold and dull morning we couldn’t even tell where the sun was in the sky. I even missed it on the i-player live coverage, at the critical point the pictures were buffered and we missed it. I was glad the day passed well, we had no mishaps here, but the omens weren’t good with the eclipse, a super moon and the spring equinox all on one day, good job I ran three times round the May tree with my vest on inside out.
The cool weather so far is holding back some of the stock a bit but most things are showing lovely spring shoots. The lupins look stonking with chunky strong overwintered shoot filling up the pots really well. The early potting is rooting through already and the overtime is well underway as we get everything set for bumper sales.
We are just about to try out our plant tonic treatment as temperatures rise. A happy cocktail of biological leaf stimulants/protectors to knock back any early pest and disease and a bit of seaweed extract for an extra boost. A mix recommended to us to try out through the irrigation system, boosting plant health and reduce the application of other sprays. We will be applying it regularly through the growing season to improve the levels of bio-protection and hopefully improve overall plant health and grade out levels. It’s the improvement in grade outs that pays for it all so we need to see a difference. The first of the predator release is drawing close, just need a degree or two on the temperatures to get them active and effective.
Storming my way through my mixed grill selections from last week’s birthday present and a full roast on Mother’s Day I’m not sure if my body knows what has hit it. The staff are wondering if I may have overdosed such is my excitement, I was repeatedly describing the lemon tart dessert as lamb tart and on Saturday I managed a sausage intake for three meals on the trot! I may have to lay off it for a bit and go cold turkey, mmmm delicious, might get one for Easter. Must go and check out the rugby, it looks like it’s building up to a big final game for England. Need to sow some seeds too so the excellent radio coverage will have to cover that.

Availability
Erysimum Bowles Mauve is showing well and is always such a favourite and a great long lasting garden performer. New batches of Apricot Twist and Pastel Patchwork are back on the list with nice tight buds appearing.
Polemonium Heaven Scent is looking great and the first flower shoots are being held above the lovely verdant bronzed foliage, be quick they won’t hang around long.
Those spring markers Primula denticulata and Pulsatlla vulgaris are beginning to come to life. Both are showing early signs of bud appearance but not quite extended vertically yet to show much colour at this stage, but it won’t be long. The Lupins are putting on their first flush of fresh, bushy, early growth, they are monster plants. We always have to sell this batch fairly smartly as they will outgrow the pot too quickly if left until the warmer weather. They are all looking fantastically strong and chunky. The Digitalis range is looking great, strong pot full’s of monster plants.Doronicum Little Leo is a good early performer, lots of fresh green foliage with buds to follow shortly. The Pyrethrum (Tanacetum) varieties are bushy and strong, the fresh ferny foliage provides a nice pot full.
The overwintered Phlox varieties are beginning to show their first strong shoots as spring draws close, more varieties are appearing as they emerge from winter slumber. We seem to have an ever expanding range of Aquilegia as the sales of stock in bud have been very strong over the last couple of seasons. At the moment they are bulking up nicely as they prepare for their early summer show, don’t miss out on this perennial classic. Dicentra spectabilis and alba has just burst through and there are a few early buds showing.
The first few herbs are now available as spring growth begins. It is still early days for mega growth, we want to keep them tough and not too soft to put up with the last of the winter cold.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries

Monday 16 March 2015

Hairy Hunter

Morning all,

Spring has definitely sprung, madly busy preparing orders and potting again. I noticed this week that the sand martins have started appearing in Cornwall and yesterday a swallow was reported so summer is not far away! I still get a buzz from the chattering of the first swallows when they arrive here. They always pick the same bit of overhead wire just above the lab door to announce their arrival and it is usually that calling that gives away their presence rather than seeing them in flight.
Cake this week with birthday celebrations in full swing. Got a lovely present from Caroline’s Mum and Dad, perfect for a vegetarian's other half. Two packs of a mixed grill selection from John Robinson’s our local mega butcher. More meat than I usually see in a year, mouth watering stuff. Had the delicious lump of bloody rump steak last night with a pint and tonight was due to be sausages and black pudding although I’ve now had a better offer of a meal out. Not been this excited for a long time, perfect for building me up for the season to come. Mothering Sunday this weekend so roast on Sunday too, will this heaven ever end?
Things are ramping up now and we have started a couple of extra staff over the last week, one returnee and one chap from a recently shut down nursery, so both had a nice bit of experience under their belts to hit the floor running. It’s always a bit of a shock for everyone seeing new faces on the nursery and it can be a bit of an anxious time seeing how they settle in, on the other hand when we can all see things getting much busier it’s a relief to feel we are not getting swamped and still retain some feeling of control. So far anyway!
Availability
Definate spring flush visible now and it’s not just the change. All stock is kept cold and well ventilated so is pretty tough. The ace-conker new look labelling and a bit of half decent weather creates a great display to kick off 2015. As a few of the earlier lines fall away they are being quickly replaced by the later emergers.
The Erysimums are budding up well, looking chunky and even showing the odd flash of colour, Bowles Mauve is showing well and is always such a favourite and a great long lasting garden performer. The range has shortened a bit but there are more to come back on line in one or two weeks. Polemonium Heaven Scent is looking great and the first flower shoots are emerging from the lovely verdant bronzed foliage, be quick they won’t hang around long.
Those spring markers Primula denticulata and Pulsatlla vulgaris are beginning to come to life. Both are showing early signs of bud appearance but not quite extended vertically yet to show much colour at this stage, but it won’t be long. Our overwintered Delphiniums are shooting strongly through now. I am always a bit anxious about how they will come through the winter as they can be a bit sensitive to being cut back at the wrong time or being attacked by a range of foes (botrytis, mice, rabbits etc) but they are looking strong and I’m hopeful for a nice early crop before the spring potted crops become available.
The Lupins are putting on their first flush of fresh, bushy, early growth, they will make monster plants. We always have to sell this batch fairly smartly as they will outgrow the pot too quickly if left until the warmer weather. My Castle (brick red) looking particularly strong and chunky, although they are all pretty stunning.
The overwintered Phlox varieties are beginning to show their first strong shoots as spring draws close, more varieties are appearing as they emerge from winter slumber. The Digitalis range is looking great, strong pot full’s of monster plants.
We seem to have an ever expanding range of Aquilegia as the sales of stock in bud have been very strong over the last couple of seasons. At the moment they are bulking up nicely as they prepare for their early summer show, don’t miss out on this perennial classic.
Dicentra spectabilis has just burst through and it won’t be long before those early buds show.
The first few herbs are now available as spring growth begins. It is still early days for mega growth, we want to keep them tough and not too soft to put up with the last of the winter cold.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries

Monday 9 March 2015

Hairy Moves

Morning all,

Spring has sprung, madly busy preparing orders and potting, it’s nice to get to the weekend and relax with a bit more potting, packing microprop plants, watering in the potting and releasing our first batch of nematodes to combat any stray vine weevils. With a bit of luck I might get a few labels printed after dark all ready for starting the new week afresh. It’s a lifestyle choice apparently, what a lucky chap. This is the exciting bit really, all that potential sitting out there just waiting for that perfect season which always eventually arrives of course.
There is life off the nursery too, Bankers bonuses, the election build up, fundamentalist tensions and to cap it all off we lost our penultimate hockey game. On the positive side there have been some high points, we got into the semi- finals of a local skittles cup beating the top team, saw a really good country/folk band (The Mountain Firework Company) at the local village hall (not really my scene but hey, they were very talented, put on a great show and Caroline won a signed CD in the raffle) and we spent an evening learning modern jive in the Winchester Guildhall. We did a bit of jive about 15 years ago and have been threatening to go back for ages, it blows the brain apart especially for the chaps who are supposed to be leading their partner if they are allowed, but it is a laugh and great exercise. It’s always a bonus to burn calories without thinking about it.
Birthday week coming up, perhaps a day off. Perhaps not, cake all round will have to suffice for the moment. Must get on with my relaxing weekend, hope to hear from you soon.
Availability
Definite spring flush visible now and it’s not just the change. All stock is kept cold and well ventilated so is pretty tough. The ace-conker new look labelling and a bit of half decent weather creates a great display to kick off 2015.
The Erysimums are budding up well, looking chunky and even showing the odd flash of colour, Bowles Mauve is showing well and is always such a favourite and a great long lasting garden performer. The range has shortened a bit but there are more to come back on line in two or three weeks.
Polemonium Heaven Scent is looking great and the first flower shoots are emerging from the lovely verdant bronzed foliage, be quick they won’t hang around long.
Those spring markers Primula denticulata and Pulsatlla vulgaris are beginning to come to life. I am holding off on the Pulsatilla until they emerge a little further but the prim dents are there now and will very quickly throw up their spring drumstick flowers.
Our overwintered Delphiniums are shooting strongly through now. I am always a bit anxious about how they will come through the winter as they can be a bit sensitive to being cut back at the wrong time or being attacked by a range of foes (botrytis, mice, rabbits etc) but they are looking strong and I’m hopeful for a nice early crop before the spring potted crops become available.
The Lupins are putting on their first flush of fresh, bushy, early growth, they will make monster plants. We always have to sell this batch fairly smartly as they will outgrow the pot too quickly if left until the warmer weather.
The overwintered Phlox varieties are beginning to show their first strong shoots as spring draws close, more varieties will be available as they emerge from winter slumber. The Digitalis range is looking great, strong pot full’s of monster plants.
We seem to have an ever expanding range of Aquilegia as the sales of stock in bud have been very strong over the last couple of seasons. At the moment they are bulking up nicely as they prepare for their early summer show, don’t miss out on this perennial classic.
The first few herbs are now available as spring growth begins. It is still early days for mega growth, we want to keep them tough and not too soft to put up with the last of the winter cold.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries

Monday 2 March 2015

50 Shades of Hairy

Morning all,

A lovely morning down here a real spring feel to the sunshine although the breeze is taking a little of the edge off the temperature. The plants are definitely looking springier with that lovely early spring flush on many, almost enough to make growing plants a pleasure.
Potting really got going big time this week which is quite exciting although the hours seem to run out more quickly as the number of things to get done grow. I still managed to get a few hours off yesterday to take part in a vital hockey league victory (bottom half of the table 6 pointer), I got moved back to centre back from centre forward and we got 5 goals, there might be a message there somewhere. Got home to tea and hot cross buns in front of the wood burner, who needs money? Topped off a jolly Saturday with a couple of hours of watering-in the potting by moonlight listening to some of our record collection on shuffle over my Bluetooth head phones, I hope no-one was listening.
It seems to be everyone’s 50th recently which is a constant reminder of times passing, I slipped round the milestone a little while ago, no I can’t believe it either, but I seem to be seeing quite a few older looking familiar faces in all the photos which makes me wonder if we are getting close to being grownups.
One thing that has changed hugely over the years is the technology, we can get so much info and achieve so much more with so much less effort. We used to hand write all the paperwork in the first few years before we got stiffed by a local farmer who was upgrading his old Amstrad computer and felt the secondhand value should be at least ¾ of the amount he had originally paid! This was before we realised how quickly this stuff becomes obsolete and of sod all value. Green screen font was the norm, printing was black and white with no pictures and the memory was short. Now we do so much on all this clever kit, take any of it away and life becomes really tough, I’m trying not to think too much about last Sunday when I had a day full of expectation to get lots of label printing done and ended up spending the day and evening overcoming the BSOD (blue screen of death) that greeted me when I turned on the old label computer. Setting up the spare computer to take over the role was the usual adventure of one hiccup after another. We had back-ups of the label info but getting all the right drivers for the printers and security dongles etc was fun. Even the physics of the operation had it in for me, the computer box was 2cm taller than the gap so I had to rebuild the office too. So today it’s back to the printing and perhaps a little light potting while listening to the football and rugby, a nice relaxing day before the week kicks off again.
Frogspawn has appeared in the main pond this week, As mass of writhing adults dive for a hiding place every time you walk by. Anyone seen 50 Shades yet?

Availability
Here comes the spring. Still a nip in the air won’t hold it back long. All stock is kept cold and well ventilated so is pretty tough. As the days lengthen the first strong flush of growth comes along quickly, so do keep an eye out to see the range develop and the spring buds appear.. With the ace-conker new look labelling and a bit of half decent weather we are ready to put together a great display to kick off 2015.
The Erysimums are budding up well, looking chunky and even showing the odd flash of colour, Bowles Mauve in particular is always such a favourite and a great long lasting garden performer. Apricot Twist is well budded with the peach flowered variegated plants close behind.
The Amemone blanda blue shades are very close to making their big spring show, the odd flower is already showing as the plants thicken up. The white form has yet to show its face but I’ve had a poke and they are not far away.
The Lupins are putting on their first flush of fresh, bushy, early growth, they will make monster plants. We always have to sell this batch fairly smartly as they will outgrow the pot too quickly if left until the warmer weather.
The overwintered Phlox varieties are beginning to show their first strong shoots as spring draws close, more varieties will be available as they emerge from winter slumber.
The first few herbs are now available as spring growth begins. It is still early days for mega growth, we want to keep them tough and not too soft to put up with the last of the winter cold.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries