Hairy Jive

Hi

Weather is still a bit up and down, but after a damp start, this evening is looking gloriously autumnal as the sun dips romantically behind the poly tunnels. I know it's not always very accurate but the forecast for next week looks ok, we might get to see quite a bit more of this brightness over the coming few days.

We've had another good week with a few novelty jobs and a big thrash at getting the spring bulbs potted. The bulb potting is nearly done, just the awkward smaller ones to do, lots of counting and juggling and not many pots to show for the effort. However they look fab when they burst into flower in the spring so it's worth the trouble. All the ones that are too big to eat or carry off, are on the tunnel floor, already mulched and watered in and the smaller ones potted then stacked on trolleys out of harm's way for all but the most acrobatic of rodents or squirrels.

Adam the asbestos man came and took off our old asbestos roof from our old block built meter shed on Tuesday, as planned and all went really well, it was all done in no time. He also took away a few spare old sheets that had been stacked behind the barn for donkeys years, so we have had a good tidy up at the same time. He did a great job, it was all nicely wrapped up before being taken to the appropriate disposal site, the paperwork came back straight away, it was all very satisfying.

The plan to slip the new roof straight back on the shed again didn't quite go as well, as it tipped down with rain and reroofing a shed full of electric kit wasn't the sensible option so we covered up the risky stuff and waited. Two of us spent all of Wednesday fitting the roof and even if I do say so myself we did a very tidy job, it looks very smart for a shed. I bought the pre-cut insulated panels, edge flashings and fitting kit in advance and assumed it would just slide on, screw down and we would be done, but I had forgotten that I built the block shed back in 1984 when we started the nursery so it wasn't actually very square. It took quite a bit of juggling to get the roof panels positioned sensibly and know I can see how useful edge flashing is for covering up a character filled wall build. Anyway it's all done now and inside is beautifully dry and draft free, it's a joy to go in there and marvel at the luxury,

We are having the acid storage tank, which acidifies our hard irrigation water, replaced this winter as a precautionary measure. It is 8 years old and the maker had said that this was its minimum lifespan and obviously we wouldn't want to risk a leak. The fabricator who is making the replacement tank popped in to check his design and the site where it was to be installed and was pleasantly surprised at the condition of ours, he was more used to visiting sites with 20+ year old tanks that had started leaking. It was a really valuable site meeting as he did pick up some design features from our old tank that he will incorporate into his. It will be made easier for us to operate by adding a drainage valve to the water bath that neutralises any acid vapours needing to leave the tank, and reduce the risk of a joint leak by moving the acid outlet point from the base of the tank to the top. A practical two way conversation that benefitted both parties, that's the sort of meeting I like. He is going to be recommending a longer lifespan for his tank so hopefully this might see me out and we won't have to go through all this fun of getting it empty, disposed of and replaced before the irrigation water can be acidified again.

Big night coming up on Tuesday with the reopening of Winchester Guildhall for weekly Modern Jive lessons for the first time since Covid stopped everything in March 2020. We had to scrap quite hard to get it back at an affordable price, but it's a stunning venue and used to attract well over 100 dancers most weeks with 300+ at the big Balls. Danny who runs the dances and lessons has been keeping several smaller venues running each week, but getting this one back is a big feather in his cap and it has such potential for good times. There is nothing like a good dance, I love it and have my fingers crossed that it gets the support it deserves.

End of season wooden Box returns

We have already collected over 80% of our empty wooden boxes from many sites and will continue to do so over the next couple of weeks. If you have empty boxes ready to go please do drop us a line and we will pop in when next in the area. 

Availability list.

The herb range is still looking surprisingly perky in the autumn sunshine. We should have a reasonable range looking nice for a few weeks yet.

Unfortunately after a poor seed harvest we only have one Cyclamen coum variety this winter (Silver Leaved) but they are just beginning to produce the very occasional flower and loads of buds. They will go on right through until April so no rush!

The other winter star is the Helleborus range, a few varieties already showing the occasional signs of flowering but it's a bit early for most. Good strong plants with plenty of potential.

Erigeron Stallone are still doing their thing, flower and bud will keep coming until they are battered too much by winter frosts. We have had them in flower at Christmas before now, although it does depend on the weather and anything could happen there,!

Best wishes from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries.