Hairy Autumn

 Hi Everyone,

That was a fun packed week. The weather went from high summer to the depths of autumn in a few days, the sales were huge (for the time of year) and the nursery chores bowled along, all at the same time. I can't believe we got so much done in just one week.

I could see on the forecast that we had just a day and a half to try and get the tunnel sheets replaced in good conditions. Due to being surprisingly organised and prepared, we got 3 fixed on Monday and two on Tuesday morning, before the wind really got up. It was a bit of a gamble taking off the sheets in advance last week, but it paid off to everyone's relief, we made it by about an hour. We have just one to go now and that one needs a lot more preparation with replacement rotten wood, wind-up side curtain and a double sheeted cover to fit. It is the first time we will have our frost protected tunnel double skinned. The long life of the sheets and long term heat savings should cover the extra initial, cost fingers crossed. We are going to keep it inflated by fitting a tube to the next door tunnel skin (properly warm and led lit, propagation tunnel) which already has an inflated double skin. The same fan can then keep both inflated, as long as we have a good enough seal along all the sheet edges. Needing to make it a good fit, adds to the pressure on all sides!

The main potting season for the spring crops is drawing to a close, although not without its own drama. With about two days work to do the machine died again. The variable speed drive belt gave up, very worn and stretched it has had a good run, just a shame it wouldn't last another few days. Ordered up another one and got it fitted quick smart. Restarted the machine and a bar on the old stretched and slack conveyor lift chain caught, there was a big bang and a different drive chain snapped. Ace. That left us three chains to replace, the snapped little one and the two big lift chains. Spent all day with two of us in the machine, removing all the lift bars, cutting off the old chains and replacing with new. Frustrating at the time but a good job done in the end. Better to complete it all now rather than in the busy spring. Running like a new machine now, with everything tight and greased up it has lost all the clanking and wheezing of the past few months, that is unless I'm working on the team. Lots of planning going on at the moment, trying to organise a few winter projects to get the nursery running super smoothly in preparation for a hopefully very busy spring and summer 2021. Every year we seem to find another set of improvements to make to try and add even more efficiency to the production cycle. We have to try and squeeze that little bit extra out of the process each year. With labour rates up by over 7% since last winter, it is vital that we try to absorb as much of the extra cost as we can, especially as last year nearly the entire price rise we put in place, was spent on implementing the updated plant passport scheme. Good job this season has been such plain sailing!

Availability list highlights

Sorry if we are a bit short on colour, we would love to have had more available but sales over the last few weeks have been so much higher than usual at this time of year, that we have been slightly caught out!

Salvia nemerosa varieties are showing colour nicely. Particularly good this week are fresh plants showing colour of Blue Marvel and Compact Caradonna. Fresh batch of Scabious Butterfly Blue looking good with buds appearing. Ajuga's are still looking great, bold fresh foliage. Strong batch of Nepeta Walkers Low back on the list. As the time moves on we shift into Aster season. Only a few varieties left now. Healthy chunky stock most with buds showing. A new crop of Verbena Lollipop are ready, plenty of colour but not too big.

The ever popular Erigeron Stallone with bud on show but no colour showing just yet. In our garden they will often still be showing colour at Christmas. Fresh Helleborous are now on the list, ready to plant out now for a flower show this winter. We have niger and orientalis on the list now as well as a few of the larger argutifolius. Some bud showing on the niger already. Attractive foliage colour on our range of Heuchera. Young and fresh. Sedum Autumn Joy are in bud. Classic late summer flowering and so good for the bees, trimmed back earlier to produce nice short plants. Munstead Dark Red are nearly there too

A few Tiarella have pushed out another flush of flower, but very few plants in stock. More in the spring. The sharp sighted among you might spot the Cyclamen hederifolium on the list this week. We had trouble getting the young plants this summer so we only have very limited numbers available so please don't order too many, we will probably have to restrict supply to make it fair for all. We have the longer flowering little Cyclamen coum very soon, which flowers all winter and into the spring, although only available this year in a mixed colour range and again in limited numbers.

Take care out there, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries