Be selective and hairy.

Morning all,

Another cold week with a frost most mornings, but hopefully this morning's (Friday) will be the last for a while or even for the year. I always have Tim, one of my ex college friends, on my mind when it is frosty at this time of year, it is a pain for us but he is a top fruit farmer and his crops can get wiped out if the blossom gets caught at the wrong moment. He has had two bad years on the trot for apples and I daren't ask how it looks for this year. It may be too early to tell and there is the possibility that the consistency of the low temperatures will have both held things back and toughened them up a bit. There are definite signs here in the hedgerows that things are slower into growth and don't seem to knocked about. My fingers are crossed for all those fruit farmers hoping to see a good harvest in the autumn, but especially Tim.

Our mad spring continues with a rise in sales again despite not being able to put a proper list together. The weather this weekend doesn't look to clever, although Sunday shows some promise down here. Hopefully consumer demand will hold off another week or two until we all get back on our feet again and the weather then properly warms up. Then I suspect the fan will get hit with plenty of the smelly stuff, in a positive and groovy way of course.

Our longer distance customers may have to be a bit flexible on delivery timings as I have heard that already the carriers are struggling to keep up with demand to get stock delivered before the weekend. When we use a carrier we are not told when the plants will be delivered, we simply book the space on the lorry and they pick up the trolleys from us on either a Tuesday or Wednesday. After that it is out of our hands and we trust they get it all done in a timely manner. I know they try very hard to get things done as quickly and efficiently as possible but when demand gets hectic it must be a nightmare to organise especially when you add in traffic issues and breakdowns etc. We do like to keep our customers as local as we can so we can control the delivery service with our own vehicles and drivers, it is still a huge challenge at times but at least we have a bit more control over timings and box returns. I am hoping that with an extra van this spring we will be able to keep up the 'before the weekend' service but I daren't promise anything as these times are pretty bizarre and a little scary. 

Another great production week with lots more potting done and boxes made. The new van goes to the garage on Monday for its extended mirrors to be fitted and back door handle to be mended (don't ask). It's still all go despite the frustrations of not having enough plants for sale. Still turning away customers daily, from garden shops to garden centre chains it's just crazy. I'm still getting plenty of emails offering advice and webinars on getting our business up and going again after Covid, which reminds me how lucky we really are and the pressures we are all under, although difficult to handle sometimes, are a positive thing really. There was a nice piece in Garden Trade News this week by the HTA president highlighting the pressures we are all under and how we could snap if we are not careful. It has been 14 months of extremes from despair to flat out production and sales with little time for a rest. It was great to see that situation recognised as sometimes you do wonder if it's just you. It's only seven days a week for March to August, so not too far to go now.

There is still a Very Urgent Box return appeal

Please do send back any empty wooden trays you may have accumulated, we are REALLY, REALLY, desperate for them at the moment, otherwise we won't have anything to send the plants out in. We now have the parts in for 2,000 new boxes but at close to £10 a box this year, by the time we have printed and constructed them ourselves, it is not a cheap or easy option to simply increase box stock levels. We are spending £40,000 on new box stock over this spring and summer but that is not helping us yet. I know they are an investment on our part, and over many years of multiple use they are still great value, but they only earn their keep if they are in proper repetitive use. Thanks.

Availability list highlights

We can do a selection of our own choice of the herb range again for this coming week and can take a little guidance on any lines you don't need. We may have to restrict total volumes again on orders to a trolley or possibly two of herbs, to ensure everyone who wants something will hopefully get some. We have a few more herbs than recent weeks with a few strawberries coming on line after recovering from earlier rabbit grazing, but still not huge numbers. There is lots more on the way. 

Another week of frosty nights is continuing to delay growth all round, but particularly in the perennials. Growth is there but just painfully slow in bulking up the plants. With a fair (and wet) wind we are hoping for a sudden spurt of growth in the perennial tunnels so we can add to the selection available next week to send out. We should be able to put together a trolley or possibly two, if you don't mind some repeats. There will definitely be very little colour or bud so please avoid making me more stressed by asking for a trolley of colourful perennials, that is going to be a little way off yet! There should be a couple of Delphs appearing as well as some Lupins and Digitalis as well as a few other fresh lines. There is still not enough to list in either herbs or perennials but I have my fingers crossed that the warmer week ahead will bring back at least the herb list and maybe the perennials, but don't hold your breath. At some point we are going to be overrun with plants when I look at what has been potted, I just hope we can all cope with the volumes from everyone when that happens! 

Take care out there, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries