Hairy Entertaining

Morning all,

Sorry, another slightly late list. We had a surprisingly busy week on the sales front and it put us behind on everything else especially with some holidays and several off sick. We had the added excitement this week of a few tours to cope with. One on Tuesday with a group from the local farmers club, a student group visit from Sparsholt College followed by 6 trailer loads from the county farmers group in 3 batches on Friday. It was a chaotic day while trying to juggle potting and tunnel clearing at the same time. Didn't finish the last presentation until gone 20.00 and then we had to socialise at the post tour barbeque back at the farm. With nearly 200 people it turned into a late night.

Now I'm taking a quick break from the potting team to get this away before it gets too late, but I need to get back in there so Caroline can get on with her micro-prop orders that are going out first thing on Monday. There was a time many years ago when our season would be over by now and we could think about a day or two of but no more. The cash-flow benefits as does our fitness which is great, but it would be nice to have a sit down and enjoy the sunshine,

Thankfully it looks like the season overall will be ok, despite the scary cost rises, it's been steady on the sales front which after the previous couple of years is quite a relief and I don't think I've over egged the potting during the spring so no plant give-aways this year! We had our quarterly NBIS meeting last week and it looks like tings are settling back to more pre- covid patterns for most nurseries but those cost and wage increases are going to have an impact on next year's prices, so be warned there is virtually no room any more to absorb these increases, they are just too big. We are going to stick to this year's prices as usual, until January, and we will do our best to keep the increase then, to as little as possible. We only increased this year by about 7% which was pretty modest in the circumstances and when compared to other nurseries price increases. I am ever hopeful that some costs will fall back again in time, but there doesn't look like much hope of that in the short term.

Must go, Caroline is calling for assistance on the radio and I've spent too long doing what I said was a ten minute job!

Availability list highlights

As sales step back from manic levels and spring really gets warmed up we are gaining ground on having a bit more in bud and flower, plus the herbs are becoming more available too.

Fresh crops of Dianthus in a good range of colours, bushy, lots of bud and well scented once the flowers open. Most of the Echinacea are running up their first flower stems with bud showing. Only a little way off showing colour but definite signs of action. Run out of some varieties now but purples of tall Magnus and Purple Splendour are still there.

Large white daisy flowers of our Leucathemum range are ready to shine. All are compact varieties. Summer flowering hardy Fuchsia looking good with buds on show for most. The tiny white flowered Hawkshead is always popular as are the garden favourite Mrs Popple.

Fresh batches of the Dreameria series of Armeria are bulking up on flower numbers. Selected for their very long flowering period and large flower size they promise to be a great new garden addition. Summer must be on its way with the appearance of the Oxalis. Both forms are now in flower with lots of follow on bud. Summer favourite the hardy Osteospermum Tresco Purple looks strong and bushy and swelling buds are visible, Gaura are producing buds now as are the Rhodanthemum both good selling summer favourites.

Penstemons are coming online now with buds now showing on the Garnet. Short buds are appearing on many of the Lupin varieties. They will romp away and produce another flush later when cut back. Fresh batches again of Digitalis and Delphinium but catch them quick before they get too big.

Have fun, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries

Hairy heat

Morning all,

Apologies for the slightly late arrive of this week's update, but yesterdays heat and events resulted in a failure on my part to update the lists. It was a hectic week as usual, a slightly quieter week on the sales front but still busy, lots of tunnel clearing and potting and introducing three staff onto the team. We had our biggest module delivery of the summer, mostly stock for 2023 but it still needs dealing with and getting into a pot asap if we can squeeze them in somewhere. A sleepless night after their delivery as I had a bit of a panic that I might have over done on the volumes but on reflection I'm sure it will be fine, I can always adjust numbers for next time!

Hoping that the introduction of some new helpers will take off some of the pressure this summer, one full timer, one part and one returning summer casual. All seemed to settle in ok although it was a bit of a scorcher of a week to start them on, fingers crossed they return next week as we are going to need them for all the holiday cover coming up.

Next week may be a bit of a challenge on the delivery front, Phil our big van driver is away for a week as is his van for servicing and check-ups. On top of this our 1 year old Fiat is still in the garage having it's gearbox repaired. It's been away for at least two weeks already and although they have some of the necessary parts in stock, delivery of one part won't be until June 29th and the last part they can't even get a delivery date on. All reliant on Fiat supplies from Europe. It was suggested by the garage (a commercial Fiat franchise/dealer) that we contact Fiat directly ourselves to try and get it rushed over quicker, but the help line won't answer and the email sent hasn't been replied to yet. On top of this, how come it is our job to chase up spares? We are trying to produce, sell plants and save the planet, so don't have time to chase van parts!

So we are down to 2 vans this week but we can use Bleach of Lavant as back up for some trips and we may have to bite the bullet and hire something. I'm never keen hiring a van as they never fit the trolleys and payloads are usually very poor, but if needs must.

Other than the blistering heat yesterday and running short of potting compost I managed to put my back into spasm while shovelling up the last of the compost. Too much trying to help out! It's the first time it's been this bad since before covid and a bit of a shock. I added insult to injury while trying to rescue my back situation. I retired to the house for a big dose of painkillers and anti inflammatories followed by a spasm-breaking lie down on top of a carefully positioned tennis ball. In my effort to relax my back muscles into the ball I thought a little relaxing music might help so fished out the phone to find something suitable. My grip was compromised in the situation and I managed to drop it, which would normally be ok, but being on my back looking up at it at that moment it resulted in a direct facial hit with the corner of a surprisingly heavy device! Still sore but luckily no black eye to have to try and explain away.

Availability list highlights

As sales step back from manic levels and spring really gets warmed up we are gaining ground on having a bit more in bud and flower, plus the herbs are becoming more available too. 

The hardy Gerbera Garvinea series are back this year and in bud or flower already. They are very vigorous so could out grow the pots quite quickly so just a short sales window for us on this one. Fresh crops of Dianthus in a good range of colours, bushy, lots of bud and well scented once the flowers open.

Most of the Echinacea are running up their first flower stems with bud showing. Only a little way off showing colour but definite signs of action. Run out of some varieties now but the ever popular purples of Magnus and Purple Splendour are still there. Large white daisy flowers of our Leucathemum range are ready to shine. All are compact varieties.

Summer flowering hardy Fuchsia looking good with buds on show for most. The tiny white flowered Hawkshead is always popular as are the garden favourite Mrs Popple. Fresh batches of the Dreameria series of Armeria are bulking up on flower numbers. Selected for their very long flowering period and large flower size they promise to be a great new garden addition.

Summer must be on its way with the appearance of the Oxalis. Both forms are now in flower with lots of follow on bud. Summer favourite the hardy Osteospermum Tresco Purple looks strong and bushy and swelling buds are visible, Gaura are producing buds now as are the Rhodanthemum both good selling summer favourites.

Penstemons are coming online now with buds now showing on the Garnet. Short buds are appearing on many of the Lupin varieties. They will romp away and produce another flush later when cut back. Fresh batches again of Digitalis and Delphinium but catch them quick before they get too big.

Have fun, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries

Hairy juggling

Morning all,

A full working week was a welcome occasion, well for me anyway. I would like to say we have done a lot of catching up, but now the holiday season is kicking in and not everyone made it in. Hey ho.

Sales continue to bowl along, which is just as well as we still have a good dollop of plants growing away out there. The season is certainly sliding by as stocks of young plants and propagation material are already being delivered to the nursery for next year's sales. I can easily get a bit overcome by the continuous needs to juggle the ongoing current sales, trying to clear up after those sales and preparing crops for the next season, it is quite a challenge and there are never quite enough people to get it all done at the perfect moment. After doing this thing for 38 years I always try to remind myself that we will get there in the end, even if we can't actually stop on the production front until October. At that point I can relax, well I say relax, perhaps it's just a change (as good as a rest) as we move into a period of very little income! Can't have everything. Three new folk starting next week, one full time and the other casual or part time. All very exciting and hopefully productive. Still probably need more but let's see how it goes. With the costs going the way they are we are still trying to add to labour efficiencies to try and compensate a bit, but it always seems that to do something better and in a timely manner we need more labour not less. The idea is that the changes to practices and techniques now, will save us time further down the road, it's always jam tomorrow!

Hope you all enjoyed your jubilee festivities last weekend, even if like us you spent most of it at work! Although we didn't do a lot, a family BBQ and a fab alfresco lunch with friends, it was all jolly and very positive, a pleasant change to all the rubbish that has happened over the last couple of years. Loved the Queen and Paddington skit and great to see so many people out on the streets having a good time. Played 'God Save The Queen' quite a bit (Pistols version) just to keep my feet on the ground and moaned a bit about the establishment 'concert' line up, but overall a fun time.

Availability list highlights

As sales step back from manic levels and spring really gets warmed up we are gaining ground on having a bit more in bud and flower, plus the herbs are becoming more available too.

The hardy Gerbera Garvinea series are back this year and in bud or flower already. I don't have a large number in stock as they are so expensive we have to sell almost every one to break even, so we can't afford any wastage. They are very vigorous so could out grow the pots quite quickly so just a short sales window for us on this one.

Large white daisy flowers of our Leucathemum range are ready to shine. All are compact varieties with their own flower variation. Papery blue flowers of Catananche aren't far away with flower shoots in evidence. Summer flowering hardy Fuchsia looking good with buds on show for most. The tiny white flowered Hawkshead is always popular as are the garden favourite Mrs Popple.

Fresh batches of the Dreameria series of Armeria are bulking up on flower numbers nicely. Selected for their very long flowering period and large flower size they promise to be a great new garden addition. Feathery foliage of Coreopsis Zagreb is supporting plenty of tight bud, Nice and short. Only a few left.

Most of the Echinacea are running up their first flower stems with bud showing. Only a little way off showing colour but definite signs of action. Run out of some varieties now but the ever popular purples of Magnus and Purple Splendour are still there. Fresh crops of Dianthus in a good range of colours, bushy, lots of bud and well scented once the flowers open.

Summer must be on its way with the appearance of the Oxalis. Both forms are now in flower with lots of follow on bud. Summer favourite the hardy Osteospermum Tresco Purple looks strong and bushy and swelling buds are visible, Gaura are producing buds now as are the Rhodanthemum both good selling summer favourites. Penstemons are coming online too although flower may be a little way off yet.

We have nice fresh batches of the near black flowered Viola Molly Sanderson, plus the Irish Molly flowers are looking good. The next batch of Scabious are now back in bud. More to follow. Helenium Salud Embers are strong, short and budding well. Proved the most popular strain last year with its mottled yellow and orange/red petals and compact habit. The yellow form are not too far behind with the odd bud on show.

Short buds are appearing on many of the Lupin varieties. They will romp away and produce another flush later when cut back. Fresh batches again of Digitalis and Delphinium but catch them quick before they get too big.

Have fun, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries

Hairy Jubilation

Morning all, 

'Normal' service resumed today with a little bit of time today to gather my thoughts, random though they may be. A bizarre week with overall sales being healthy but all crammed into the early part of the week to try and accommodate the Thursday/Friday Jubilee break as much as we could. It was a manic three days when I made myself mildly unpopular by pulling all the micro-prop lab staff out on Monday to help out in despatch. It worked out ok, we did make a few deliveries on Thursday but managed to tie everything up before today (Friday), so our staff could take part in the celebrations or at least have a break. We had a reasonable turn out for work on Thursday so managed to get a bit of tunnel clearing and potting done and the Saturday crew are in again tomorrow for another go. Looking forward to next week when we get back to 5 days and back under some sort of normality.

We are having a catch up today, sorting out some irrigation stuff, weed spraying, accounts and a couple of customer collections so we don't get bored. Managed to fit in my 10,000 steps by 9.30 (carrying a knapsack) so pleased to get my gym work out of the way so early. One or the highlights on my walk round was disturbing a partridge and her chicks in one of the tunnels. Tiny bundles of fluff bobbing about, they must have only just hatched in the last day or two. There are young birds all over the place at the moment, wagtails, blackbirds, robins, blue tits, spotted woodpeckers, the bird feeders are being topped up twice a day to try and keep up.

No sign of the deer recently thankfully, but we are keeping our pest controller busy with a stubborn small population of rabbits intent on eating all the choicest plants! Luckily over the last year or so a lot of them have been dealt with otherwise we wouldn't have any plants left to sell. The local Red Kites now have us on their radar as they keep an eye open for any carcasses left out for them. What a sight they are as they glide over the nursery. It's difficult to believe that just a few years ago we never used to see them here.

We are managing a bit of socialising over the weekend with a couple of meals out with sympathetic family and friends. The end to my socialising due to severe trouser shortage has been put off after the discovery of an old but unworn pair in the bottom of the wardrobe. They are a bit 'Rupert Bear' in styling for my liking but they cover a multitude of sins and I can get in them which is the priority at the moment. Fashion and cool are fading in favour of practicality and comfort, yes I'm that old!

Availability list highlights

As sales step back from manic levels and spring really gets warmed up we are gaining ground on having a bit more in bud and flower, plus the herbs are becoming more available too. It will be another week before we see any Basils on the list but it shouldn't be long. We don't have the heated facilities to risk growing them any earlier.

Fresh batches of the Dreameria series of Armeria are bulking up on flower numbers nicely. Selected for their very long flowering period and large flower size they promise to be a great new garden addition.

Feathery foliage of Coreopsis Zagreb is supporting plenty of tight bud, Nice and short. Only a few left. Papery blue flowers of Catananche aren't far away with flower shoots in evidence.

Most of the Echinacea are running up their first flower stems with bud showing. Only a little way off showing colour but definite signs of action. Run out of some varieties now but the ever popular purples of Magnus and Purple Splendour are still there. Fresh crops of Dianthus in a good range of colours, bushy, in bud and well scented when the flowers open.

Not a huge number left but the Liatris spicata are showing bud now if you are quick. Last few now.

Summer must be on its way with the appearance of the Oxalis. Both forms are now in bud and showing the odd flash of colour. Summer favourite the hardy Osteospermum Tresco Purple looks strong and bushy and swelling buds are visible. Penstemons are coming online too although flower may be a little way off yet.

We have nice fresh batches of the near black flowered Viola Molly Sanderson and the metallic sheen of Irish Molly flowers are looking good. The very summery sunshine yellow Viola Etain is in flower now too. The next batch of Scabious are now back in bud. More to come.

Helenium Salud Embers are strong, short and budding well. Proved the most popular strain last year with it's mottled yellow and orange/red petals and compact habit. Short buds are appearing on many of the Lupin varieties. They will romp away and produce another flush later when cut back.

Have fun, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries

Short and Hairy

Morning all,

A very quick one today as I am out of time and wanted to get this out a bit earlier bearing in mind the odd bank holiday week coming up. In theory we are on a three day week but in reality, assuming a reasonable level of despatching, we are unlikely to get round everyone in three days. We will definitely be working and delivering on Thursday and possibly delivering Friday too if we can't clear the decks before then. We will only have the odd driver (not saying which) on Friday as we are hoping to give everyone a break on at least one of the days.

We will do our best to get everything out as early as we can and the earlier orders are in the easier it will be to plan or panic! Bear with us we will be doing our best as always.

Availability list highlights

As sales step back from manic levels and spring really gets warmed up we are gaining ground on having a bit more in bud and flower, plus the herbs are becoming more available too. It will be another week before we see any Basils on the list but it shouldn't be long. We don't have the heated facilities to risk growing them any earlier.

Lovely crop of Aquilegia's at the moment in 4 colours. Flower stems and buds are now on show so don't miss out. Fresh batches of the Dreameria series of Armeria are on stream now. Selected for their very long flowering period and large flower size they promise to be a great new garden addition.

Feathery foliage of Coreopsis Zagreb is supporting plenty of tight bud, Nice and short. Most of the Echinacea are running up their first flower stems with the odd bud showing. Only a little way off showing colour but definite signs of action.

Fresh crops of Dianthus in a good range of colours, bushy, in bud and well scented when the flowers open. Not a huge number left but the Liatris spicata are showing bud now if you are quick. We have fresh crops of Digitalis, Lupins and Delphiniums on the list this week. Limited numbers of these popular and fast growing lines so don't hang back.

Summer must be on its way with the appearance of the Oxalis. Both forms are now in bud and showing the odd flash of colour. Summer favourite the hardy Osteospermum Tresco Purple looks strong and bushy and tight bud visible if you look hard, Penstemons are coming online too although flower may be a little way off yet. We have nice fresh batches of the metallic sheen of Irish Molly flowers which are looking good. The very summery sunshine yellow Viola Etain is in flower now too.

Have fun, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries

Hairy Jive

Morning all, 

Despite a slightly quieter week on the sales front we still seem to be struggling to get through a mountain of jobs. There is just never enough time in the growing season. We managed to catch up on our wooden marketing box repairs, which had been piling up over the last few weeks. I always start off with good intentions to keep up with that sort of job as we go along, but time is so precious it easily gets put on the back burner. We were going to do heaps of potting but struggled to clear enough space and came close to running out of potting compost, so had to scale back a bit. Not the end of the world and it did mean we got some other stuff done instead. Compost delivery arrived late today so all ready for the Saturday crew to get stuck into and maybe next week we will get a good run at it.

At one point this week I did wonder if I had done something to offend the transport gods. Firstly the garage phoned about the electric car we have had on order since last summer, to let us know that the deferred delivery time of May, was to be moved again to late August or early September. What is going on out there? At the end of last week we had the windscreen replaced on one of the vans which had been cracked in one corner for a little while. Did a great job but all to no avail as on the first trip out it got walloped by a big stone and we are back to square one. Monday saw another van in for a service and check over, it passed with flying colours only to burst a tyre on the next day. Hopefully that's our three.

It's quite tough at this time of year, when you get a bit over tired, not to just see the mistakes and missed opportunities that litter the nursery after such a hugely busy spring. The crops that didn't quite sell through, or didn't get cut back or spaced at the right time, the odd corner where the weed has got on top of us and those modules that never got potted. I have to be careful to try and remember that it's all the things that aren't there and I can't see, that will make the year a success. All those sales and deliveries rushed out at short notice which make the numbers add up so we can try and do it even better next time! I've already got a few little ideas for improvements to our overwintering jobs to speed things up and make us that little bit more efficient and properly ready for this spring madness. I like to think that one day we would get it all right, but I'm running out of years now and I suspect just doing it better will have to do.

I usually put my weekly Jive dance evenings on hold at this time of year due to obvious time pressures, but I fear I will now have to give up completely. My best (only) work trousers have been getting very thin and last weekend I managed to put my toe through the front of them, ripping the one leg wide open, making them un-wearable. That means my best trousers are now relegated to work-wear which means nothing to go out in unless I resort to black-tie or similar. Generally that would be considered over-kill on the dress front, although I suppose I could give it a go. Nothing wrong with raising the standards! 

Availability list highlights

As sales step back from manic levels and spring really gets warmed up we are gaining ground on having a bit more in bud and flower, plus the herbs are becoming more available too. It will be another week before we see any Basils on the list but it shouldn't be long. We don't have the heated facilities to risk growing them any earlier.

Lovely crop of Aquilegia's at the moment in 5 colours. Flower stems and buds are now on show so don't miss out. Fresh batches of the Dreameria series of Armeria are coming on stream now. Selected for their very long flowering period and large flower size they promise to be a great new garden addition.

Feathery foliage of Coreopsis Zagreb is supporting plenty of tight bud, Nice and short. Most of the Echinacea are running up their first flower stems with the odd bud showing. A little way off showing colour but definite signs of action. Fresh crops of Dianthus in a good range of colours, bushy, in bud and well scented when the flowers open. Not many left but the Liatris spicata are showing bud now if you are quick.

We have fresh crops of Digitalis, Lupins and Delphiniums on the list this week. Limited numbers of these popular and fast growing lines so don't hang back. Summer must be on its way with the appearance of the Oxalis. Both forms are now in bud and showing the odd flash of colour. Summer favourite the hardy Osteospermum Tresco Purple looks strong and bushy,

Salvia Hot Lips and Cherry Lips are romping away with the buds appearing already. Penstemons are coming online too although flower may be a little way off yet. We have nice fresh batches of the black flowered Viola Molly Sanderson in flower and the metallic sheen from Irish Molly flowers are looking good too. The very summery sunshine yellow Viola Etain is in flower now too. 

Have fun, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries 

Hairy Hedgehog

Morning all,

Nice drop of steady rain on Wednesday, not enough but a start and quite a relief. Might get some heavy showers on Saturday night to add to the tally, so hoping that the very dry spell we have had down here may have come to an end. Just wondering how frustrated we would have been if we had managed to get our rain water harvesting system up and running before now? Perhaps not as frustrated as not being able to get the job underway in the first place due to groundwork delays. Just paid the invoices for the water storage tank, the pump and control gear which was quite a lump, and they are currently sitting on pallets locked away in the barn rather than potentially earning their keep. Worse things happen, so not too cross really and too busy to focus on it at this moment.

Despatch and production is all we can do at this time and cope with all the extra challenges that pop up along the way. Took delivery of another very expensive container of pots this week so we are nicely stocked up ready for a summer of potting, the barn is full and the bank balance empty, but they are 'mission critical' to the entire business so a nice banker to have in stock. With the unrest around the world and in Sri Lanka itself, we hope that our village pot production team are all safe and well. Back in the autumn we asked them to increase the pot price for this year, before we realised the massive increase in container costs, a decision I was kicking myself for, but on reflection it was definitely the right thing to do. The higher fuel and food prices we are all paying affect disadvantaged communities the hardest so we have to support them where we can. Just hoping that their production costs aren't going to soar and instantly wipe out the rise we agreed. We will have to wait and see what happens, like with a lot of things at the moment.

Lots of nature activity with a pair of swallows inspecting the barn over the last couple of days, skylarks singing away over the field and one of our tawny owls still calling in the middle of the day. Good weather most evenings to take a moment and drink it all in on my stagger back up to the house. Hedgehogs have started their nightly visits to Caroline's feeding site (for feeding hedgehogs, not Caroline, she is allowed in the house to eat!) in the back garden, spotted on the very useful infrared CCTV cameras. Caroline got taken out tonight to go and see Downton Abbey at the local flicks, not my cup of tea, it would just be like watching life at home.

Recruited a new member of the team last week to help cover the couple of losses we have had over the last few weeks and cope with the ever expanding demand for plants. With several years nursery experience we should get off to a flying start once he arrives in a few weeks. Probably still need another, but you never know what will land in your inbox, so we will see what happens.

Availability list highlights

After record sales again this spring stock is flying although the overall stock levels for the perennials is changing but still ok, just a bit short on flower action. Herb stocks are recovering despite huge demand this year.

Fresh batches of the Dreameria series of Armeria are coming on stream now. Selected for their very long flowering period and large flower size they promise to be a great new garden addition. Some of the Echinacea are running up their first flower stems with the odd bud showing. A little way off showing colour but definite signs of action.

Lovely crop of Aquilegia's at the moment in 5 colours. It won't be long before the flower stems appear. We have fresh crops of Digitalis, Lupins and Delphiniums on the list this week. Limited numbers of these popular and fast growing lines so don't hang back. Summer must be on its way with the appearance of the Oxalis. The purple leaved O. triangularis is up and running with bud already on show and the bicolour leaved Iron Cross is just a week or two behind.

Summer favourites are making a show now too and bud can't be far away for many. the hardy Osteospermum Tresco Purple looks strong and bushy, Salvia Hot Lips and Cherry Lips are romping away with the odd bud appearing already. Penstemons are coming online too although flower may be a little way off yet.

We have a nice fresh batch of the black flowered Viola Molly Sanderson ready to go and the metallic sheen of Irish Molly is looking good too. We don't have many in the first batches, but the compact Achillea Milly Rock series are mostly in bud now. More to come. Nice range of Hosta's this year, propagated in our own little microprop lab, they won't hang around long.

Have fun, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries