Festive Wind Down
At this
time of year my thoughts should be relaxing and getting into the festive spirit
as the days are very short and outside it is cold and either frosty or wet so
gardening activities are very limited. The trouble is I can always find a wee
job no matter what the weather, so I still find myself up at the allotment or
in the garden or greenhouse.
Now my three art classes have finished till January, I have a bit more time to work on my next painting project of large flowers on big canvases painted bold and loose, but I keep finding these wee gardening jobs to do.
Now my three art classes have finished till January, I have a bit more time to work on my next painting project of large flowers on big canvases painted bold and loose, but I keep finding these wee gardening jobs to do.
Outdoor work
I
continue to barrow out my well rotted compost onto the ground for digging in as
soon as the surface dries out or we get a light frost. I managed to acquire
plenty of organic matter for my compost heap so the ground will benefit from a good
feeding. However I won’t compost those areas where root crops are planned for
2013, otherwise I will end up with split roots on Swedes and parsnips. I will
also have to hold back some compost for the ground occupied with this years
Swedes, cabbages, sprouts, kale and leeks which should last till the end of
winter.
Harvesting
of these crops continues in all weathers.
My fig
Brown Turkey was getting a bit too wide and beginning to block access along the
path, so the loppers came out and any shoots growing away from my fan shaped
bush were cut back. It is growing against a south facing wall for warmth and
protection to assist fruit ripening as there does not seem to be much sign of
global warming.
My Goji
berry bush also got a haircut as several shoots really took to the skies. It
can certainly grow just fine but where are those superfood berries. I need them
to keep me in good health for the next twenty years or so. This is its last
chance, but thankfully I still have plenty saskatoons and chokeberries to keep
me in good form.
The
battle with peach leaf curl on my peach tree continues. Shoots growing outwards
from the fan shaped bush were removed as well as some old wood and young
laterals tied in to the framework. I removed all the old leaves lying on the
ground then gave the bush a drench of Bordeaux mixture. It will get another two
sprays at the end of the winter.
Indoor work
Geranium cuttings taken two months ago are now well
rooted so they are getting potted up into small pots for over wintering on
windowsills. I potted up a few mature plants which I keep as house plants as
they continue to flower all winter in a light warm room.
Zygocactus, the Christmas cactus is now finished flowering and is
getting too old so I took six shoots as cuttings and potted them up into one
pot. They grow very easy and these will produce a small flowering pot plant for
next December.
Fuchsia cuttings also taken two months ago are
well rooted and growing slowly, so I will let them keep growing for a few more
weeks then slowly withhold water to let them go dormant over winter. Once
fairly dry I will keep them in a cool but frost free place.
Grape vines under glass can now be pruned by cutting all
growths back to a couple of buds on each main rod. In my six by ten foot
greenhouse I grow three grape varieties on five upright rods spaced about 18
inches apart. This framework of single upright rods is permanent and fills one
side of the greenhouse allowing tomatoes to be grown on the other side.
Prunings
can be used for propagating by cutting them into pieces with a single bud at
the top of a few inches of stem and placed in pots in a warm room where they
root very easily.
Surplus saskatoons were brewed into a lovely deep
red wine 18 months ago, so a demijohn will now be bottled up for the festive
season, and my blackcurrant cassis liqueur started last August
will also
be ready. Christmas should be good this year as long as I don’t find another
gardening job.
Plant of the week
Yew trees have always had a fascinating history, most
likely as they can last a very long time, and although they are a very
attractive evergreen tree, every part of it is highly toxic. Only the red
fleshy aril is not only non toxic, it is also edible. The yew tree at
Fortingall is said to be 3000 years old and is the oldest tree in Europe. It
was the dominant tree all over Europe in the Middle Ages but met a rapid
decline as its wood was perfect for the long bows used in battles and its
poisonous sap was used to tip the arrows.
Painting of the month
Mist over the Tay was the perfect setting for a
winter landscape painting. I always had this idea, but needed a combination of
some decent snow cover, an evening sunset and a bit of hazy mist. I had to move
fast to capture the image with my camera a couple of years ago, then an acrylic
on canvas painting emerged. It proved very popular as it combined the Tay rail
bridge with the Bandstand on Magdalen Green, so I published it as a print.
END