Morning all,
Marginally chilly wind out there today, nice when the sun comes out and you’re in some shelter. Can’t say I’m looking forward to stripping off and running around the hockey pitch this afternoon, not when I could be tucked up in the relative warm here printing labels ready for the coming weeks. Pre season tension is rising, spring madness is imminent and there are still too many winter jobs to finish. After 32 years I should know that we always get to the end of the day, the end of the week and the end of the season without too many unsolvable problems. There is always a hot meal, warm bed and moral support at the end of each day which makes it all manageable and even at times fun.
The glorious new mess room shed is not quite finished but is operational and with a bit of a push this weekend I may just about get it complete. Electrics, plumbing and drainage are up and running without a leak in sight (famous last words). Must order in a little gravel to tidy up around it and make room for the outside beverage consumption during warmer times. We won’t want to get back to work at this rate.
Started the ‘spring’ potting this week so hoping for a little warmer weather to get the new things growing. The winter cutting back and pot tidying is beginning to tail off with just a few tunnels to finish, just about perfect timing. Not really quite enough time in the week after a day out on a pest and disease control conference, a funeral and our quarterly NBIS meeting. Although it can be frustrating to miss out on all that production time each of the distractions had a positive influence which helps immensely in the longer term. I managed to squeeze in tea at our favourite archaeologist on the way back from the P and D conference. I was keen to hear the latest on his trip to the British Museum with his latest local flint discoveries. One hour of intense flint examination, guidance and a nice cuppa certainly made for a different break before the long drive home, beats Starbucks that’s for sure. In a nutshell he has identified a site where our ancestors visited on and off for over 10’s of thousands of years, a hill site overlooking the convergence of three valleys, great for watching out for migrating herds. Flints from Neanderthals (possibly 60,000 years old) through modern humans up to more resent Neolithic times with examples of flints from many different periods. Complications arise because the finds are on the surface and not stratified in discernible layers so actually proving the age is far more difficult but the exciting bit is that you can still see the basic landscape the people were exploiting. Looking forward to publication of the finds in Lithics Monthly in a few months time! Nice to touch base, tea with a mate and distant contact with the lives of the relatives. Better get back in that shed.
Availability highlights
Still early days yet, but there are a lot of early signs of plant activity, many not quite ready for the list but it won’t be long if the weather doesn’t take a dive.Pulmonaria’s looking good showing bud and some colour.
The ever popular Erysimum’s are doing really well. Two of the most popular varieties, Red Jep and Bowles Mauve, are looking great, dark green foliage, bushy with bud showing. The Bowles Mauve are showing a little colour as the first buds open, this variety just goes on & on flowering until the frosts. Pulsatilla’s are now coming through nicely with a few buds developing nicely. The overwintered Lupin’s, Digitalis and Delph’s are all looking full of promise and vigour. Doronicum Little Leo has just got going on its bud and flower production, not many left but a nice splash of early yellow bloom none the less.
The Tulips, Alliums and Camassia are bursting through with roots ripping through the pot sides, if anyone needs a few bulbs, Fritillarias are nicely showing now and there is already the odd nodding bud appearing too.
Evergreen Liriope muscari looking verdant, definitely the best crop of these we have ever grow, always a tricky one to get leaf and roots both doing well at the same time! We have changed the production process completely and although a bit longer and more effort the results are really satisfying.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Monday 29 February 2016
Monday 22 February 2016
Hairy Drips
Morning all,
Another week rushes by. Not only a shed load of jobs (literally) but plenty of orders, plants and bulbs to pot all squeezed in around a difficult week or so. We sadly lost one of our elderly neighbours earlier in the week after a quick decline at the end of a long period of being looked after in a local home. Thankfully she slipped away peacefully in the company of friends and relatives and you can’t ask much more than that really. The funeral is later this week so forgive us if we are slightly less available than usual, there will be a few commitments to be fulfilled from this end through the week.
The mess room shed is progressing slowly, we are now more or less water tight after battling with the elements for the last couple of weeks. Every time we started a critical job it took twice as long and started raining halfway through. The last piece of felt went on the roof on Thursday after we abandoned finishing it the day before, when a combination of wet, wind and cold stopped us in our tracks. The sun was out when we started! I’m pretty sure we haven’t sealed in too much moisture, the inside is certainly dry and cosy at the moment. Quite a bit of the plumbing and electrics are done, so hoping to be in their later in the week for the first brew. Even more frustrating than shed building is anything associated with water and irrigation systems. We had to fit a new water meter this week. Got off to a good start in that I actually ordered the right size in the first place which makes a change. We were fitting it in the same position as the old meter in a line of fittings next to the super efficient variable speed water pumps so it could have been a simple job of undoing a couple of big nuts and slipping in the new unit. However we have always have a couple of niggly little leaks from the fittings since they were originally installed, just a litre or two a day into a bucket, just enough to keep the floor damp when the bucket overflowed. The perfect occasion to mend these leaks we thought. Well two days later after a repeating dismantle and rebuild marathon we thought we had cured it only to step outside the pump shed door to find the main tank feed to the pumps pissistantly leaking having never leaked before. Oh dear. Another battle ensued and only after replacing the flexible pipe and gunging each end up with Pufty tape and sealant did we succeed in a drip free zone. Great sense of relief and satisfaction in the end as long as I don’t think of the value of our time!
Record day yesterday for our turbine output, not particularly strong winds but good and steady. February will be another above prediction month which will hopefully help the teetering cash-flow over the next couple of months with the extra income and reduced bills. It’s not been a very nice winter on the wet and flooding front but it has kept those blades turning.
Availability highlights
Still early days yet, but there are a lot of early signs of plant activity, many not quite ready for the list but it won’t be long if the weather doesn’t take a dive. The relatively mild winter, so far, has encouraged the Pulmonaria’s and Erysimums into bud and some are even showing some colour too. Pulsatilla’s are now coming through nicely with a few buds developing nicely. Doronicum Little Leo has just got going on its bud and flower production, not many left but a nice splash of early yellow bloom none the less.
The Tulips and Alliums are bursting through with roots ripping through the pot sides, if anyone needs a few bulbs, Fritillarias are nicely showing now and there is already the odd nodding bud appearing too.
Evergreen Liriope muscari looking verdant, definitely the best crop of these we have ever grow, always a tricky one to get leaf and roots both doing well at the same time! We have changed the production process completely and although a bit longer and more effort the results are really satisfying.
Minimum delivery reduction for the winter.
During the winter our range of available stock is limited by the lack of enthusiasm of a lot of stock to show their face in the cold, but we still have a few evergreen hardy sorts doing their thing and a few early season show offs too. I know it can be tricky putting together a minimum order of a full trolley (21 trays) at this time of year so if you fancy a few trays but can’t get to 21 we are happy to reduce the minimum to 12 trays for local drops and 15 trays for a bit further afield. Just a week or two for this offer to run then we hit Spring proper!
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Another week rushes by. Not only a shed load of jobs (literally) but plenty of orders, plants and bulbs to pot all squeezed in around a difficult week or so. We sadly lost one of our elderly neighbours earlier in the week after a quick decline at the end of a long period of being looked after in a local home. Thankfully she slipped away peacefully in the company of friends and relatives and you can’t ask much more than that really. The funeral is later this week so forgive us if we are slightly less available than usual, there will be a few commitments to be fulfilled from this end through the week.
The mess room shed is progressing slowly, we are now more or less water tight after battling with the elements for the last couple of weeks. Every time we started a critical job it took twice as long and started raining halfway through. The last piece of felt went on the roof on Thursday after we abandoned finishing it the day before, when a combination of wet, wind and cold stopped us in our tracks. The sun was out when we started! I’m pretty sure we haven’t sealed in too much moisture, the inside is certainly dry and cosy at the moment. Quite a bit of the plumbing and electrics are done, so hoping to be in their later in the week for the first brew. Even more frustrating than shed building is anything associated with water and irrigation systems. We had to fit a new water meter this week. Got off to a good start in that I actually ordered the right size in the first place which makes a change. We were fitting it in the same position as the old meter in a line of fittings next to the super efficient variable speed water pumps so it could have been a simple job of undoing a couple of big nuts and slipping in the new unit. However we have always have a couple of niggly little leaks from the fittings since they were originally installed, just a litre or two a day into a bucket, just enough to keep the floor damp when the bucket overflowed. The perfect occasion to mend these leaks we thought. Well two days later after a repeating dismantle and rebuild marathon we thought we had cured it only to step outside the pump shed door to find the main tank feed to the pumps pissistantly leaking having never leaked before. Oh dear. Another battle ensued and only after replacing the flexible pipe and gunging each end up with Pufty tape and sealant did we succeed in a drip free zone. Great sense of relief and satisfaction in the end as long as I don’t think of the value of our time!
Record day yesterday for our turbine output, not particularly strong winds but good and steady. February will be another above prediction month which will hopefully help the teetering cash-flow over the next couple of months with the extra income and reduced bills. It’s not been a very nice winter on the wet and flooding front but it has kept those blades turning.
Availability highlights
Still early days yet, but there are a lot of early signs of plant activity, many not quite ready for the list but it won’t be long if the weather doesn’t take a dive. The relatively mild winter, so far, has encouraged the Pulmonaria’s and Erysimums into bud and some are even showing some colour too. Pulsatilla’s are now coming through nicely with a few buds developing nicely. Doronicum Little Leo has just got going on its bud and flower production, not many left but a nice splash of early yellow bloom none the less.
The Tulips and Alliums are bursting through with roots ripping through the pot sides, if anyone needs a few bulbs, Fritillarias are nicely showing now and there is already the odd nodding bud appearing too.
Evergreen Liriope muscari looking verdant, definitely the best crop of these we have ever grow, always a tricky one to get leaf and roots both doing well at the same time! We have changed the production process completely and although a bit longer and more effort the results are really satisfying.
Minimum delivery reduction for the winter.
During the winter our range of available stock is limited by the lack of enthusiasm of a lot of stock to show their face in the cold, but we still have a few evergreen hardy sorts doing their thing and a few early season show offs too. I know it can be tricky putting together a minimum order of a full trolley (21 trays) at this time of year so if you fancy a few trays but can’t get to 21 we are happy to reduce the minimum to 12 trays for local drops and 15 trays for a bit further afield. Just a week or two for this offer to run then we hit Spring proper!
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Tuesday 16 February 2016
Hairy Love
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.
About the usual level of romance for the big day here on the nursery. Nice and quiet as it’s Sunday but mostly on my lonesome as Caroline has been away most of the last few days sitting with an old family friend who sadly is slipping away. All is quiet and comfortable with friends and family around which is all you could wish for really.
At least this time there is an excuse not to fall for all the hype around this date. Lots of interesting messages flying about for me in the various advertising campaigns, a dozen roses for £5 at Asda I think it was, there is nothing like expressing your undying love by splashing out on a bargain! ‘Darling you are so cheap these days.’ I suppose it is useful to have a reminder not to take what we have for granted but we are both so bad at doing what we are supposed to, going with the flow never seems quite challenging enough. Just need to remember at some point later in the year to spring a surprise or two before finding it’s suddenly Valentine’s day again! Personally I find a bunch in the washing machine or similar can work well or perhaps some creative hanging up of the washing on the line might produce a smile (especially if stumbled across by an unintended target). After nearly 32 years together even the unpredicatable becomes not, but there is some comforting reassurance in that.
Anyway back on the nursery we have been busy sending out quite a few orders and seeing the sun out today makes me think Spring isn’t too far away. We are still manically trying to be all prepared and ready to roll but I can feel time running out. The new mess room shed is mostly up, despite the pretty horrible weather for construction last week. The double glazed window and doors are in so we are nearly water tight. Roof insulation went on Thursday but it got too wet to get the final felt covering on, hence the ‘nearly watertight’. Dried out the inside easily and got all the plumbing and electric holes cut, floor lined with thin ply yesterday and hoping to cut and fit the vinyl floor covering later today. New little insulated eco- water heater is here, for fitting over the reused sink from the old mess room which we remounted in a second-hand kitchen unit. I’m thinking of moving in next week and renting out the house.
Looks like a bright and frosty couple of days coming up, north winds will add an extra chill but it looks like mild weather again later in the week. So I will need to blow out the irrigation lines again later today to keep them in one piece before recharging them again later. Bit of a pain but worth it when I look at the lovely fresh spring growth coming on a lot of stock. We have a load of young plants we over wintered in really big modules this year, after I got a bit over excited with summer plant purchasing. They are looking great and any minute now we are going to have to hit the potting hard. Never quite sure of the right moment to start, too early and they sit about waiting to get away and the compost bill comes too early, too late and we struggle to find the time to keep up with the workload. Whenever we start it will be a joy potting such good looking stock.
Availability highlights
Still early days yet, but there are a lot of early signs of plant activity, many not quite ready for the list but it won’t be long if the weather doesn’t take a dive. The relatively mild winter, so far, has encouraged the Pulmonaria’s and Erysimums into bud and some are even showing some colour too.
The Tulips and Alliums are bursting through with roots ripping through the pot sides, if anyone needs a few bulbs, Fritillarias are nicely showing now, it will be a little while before many buds show but looking full of promise.
Evergreen Liriope muscari looking verdant, definitely the best crop of these we have ever grow, always a tricky one to get leaf and roots both doing well at the same time! We have changed the production process completely and although a bit longer and more effort the results are really satisfying.
Minimum delivery reduction for the winter.
During the winter our range of available stock is limited by the lack of enthusiasm of a lot of stock to show their face in the cold, but we still have a few evergreen hardy sorts doing their thing and a few early season show offs too. I know it can be tricky putting together a minimum order of a full trolley (21 trays) at this time of year so if you fancy a few trays but can’t get to 21 we are happy to reduce the minimum to 12 trays for local drops and 15 trays for a bit further afield. Just a week or two for this offer to run then we hit Spring proper!
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
About the usual level of romance for the big day here on the nursery. Nice and quiet as it’s Sunday but mostly on my lonesome as Caroline has been away most of the last few days sitting with an old family friend who sadly is slipping away. All is quiet and comfortable with friends and family around which is all you could wish for really.
At least this time there is an excuse not to fall for all the hype around this date. Lots of interesting messages flying about for me in the various advertising campaigns, a dozen roses for £5 at Asda I think it was, there is nothing like expressing your undying love by splashing out on a bargain! ‘Darling you are so cheap these days.’ I suppose it is useful to have a reminder not to take what we have for granted but we are both so bad at doing what we are supposed to, going with the flow never seems quite challenging enough. Just need to remember at some point later in the year to spring a surprise or two before finding it’s suddenly Valentine’s day again! Personally I find a bunch in the washing machine or similar can work well or perhaps some creative hanging up of the washing on the line might produce a smile (especially if stumbled across by an unintended target). After nearly 32 years together even the unpredicatable becomes not, but there is some comforting reassurance in that.
Anyway back on the nursery we have been busy sending out quite a few orders and seeing the sun out today makes me think Spring isn’t too far away. We are still manically trying to be all prepared and ready to roll but I can feel time running out. The new mess room shed is mostly up, despite the pretty horrible weather for construction last week. The double glazed window and doors are in so we are nearly water tight. Roof insulation went on Thursday but it got too wet to get the final felt covering on, hence the ‘nearly watertight’. Dried out the inside easily and got all the plumbing and electric holes cut, floor lined with thin ply yesterday and hoping to cut and fit the vinyl floor covering later today. New little insulated eco- water heater is here, for fitting over the reused sink from the old mess room which we remounted in a second-hand kitchen unit. I’m thinking of moving in next week and renting out the house.
Looks like a bright and frosty couple of days coming up, north winds will add an extra chill but it looks like mild weather again later in the week. So I will need to blow out the irrigation lines again later today to keep them in one piece before recharging them again later. Bit of a pain but worth it when I look at the lovely fresh spring growth coming on a lot of stock. We have a load of young plants we over wintered in really big modules this year, after I got a bit over excited with summer plant purchasing. They are looking great and any minute now we are going to have to hit the potting hard. Never quite sure of the right moment to start, too early and they sit about waiting to get away and the compost bill comes too early, too late and we struggle to find the time to keep up with the workload. Whenever we start it will be a joy potting such good looking stock.
Availability highlights
Still early days yet, but there are a lot of early signs of plant activity, many not quite ready for the list but it won’t be long if the weather doesn’t take a dive. The relatively mild winter, so far, has encouraged the Pulmonaria’s and Erysimums into bud and some are even showing some colour too.
The Tulips and Alliums are bursting through with roots ripping through the pot sides, if anyone needs a few bulbs, Fritillarias are nicely showing now, it will be a little while before many buds show but looking full of promise.
Evergreen Liriope muscari looking verdant, definitely the best crop of these we have ever grow, always a tricky one to get leaf and roots both doing well at the same time! We have changed the production process completely and although a bit longer and more effort the results are really satisfying.
Minimum delivery reduction for the winter.
During the winter our range of available stock is limited by the lack of enthusiasm of a lot of stock to show their face in the cold, but we still have a few evergreen hardy sorts doing their thing and a few early season show offs too. I know it can be tricky putting together a minimum order of a full trolley (21 trays) at this time of year so if you fancy a few trays but can’t get to 21 we are happy to reduce the minimum to 12 trays for local drops and 15 trays for a bit further afield. Just a week or two for this offer to run then we hit Spring proper!
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Monday 8 February 2016
Hairy Weather
Morning all,
Not a nice day to be on the nursery. The wet I can cope with but when I can feel the office moving in the wind it all gets a bit tense. Luckily for me I can retreat to the sanctuary of the house later and listen to the football on the radio. Work on the new mess room cabin has been rained off, we’ve got the floor and walls up and the whole thing sheeted over but the roof will have to wait for some calmer conditions. Pre-treating the timbers worked brilliantly as I got the rain timings all wrong and ended up finishing the wall construction in rather wet conditions but all the water shed off nicely. Quite pleased with the results although it isn’t quite as spacious as I had imagined. It will be very cosy with twin walls and loads of insulation and not much space to heat! Looks like tomorrow is going to be better building weather, but still too windy for the roofing insulation sheets, but should get the last of the wall insulation fitted and some of the roof parts in place all ready for a last sprint to finish it off.
Struck down with stinker of cold which has completely shut down my brain. A nice lie down this afternoon is just what I need to recover a bit. No hockey this week so might have the time, although the chimney is demanding attention. Had to let the fire out this morning when the house filled with smoke. Something is stopping a decent draw so the brushes are ready for action. Hope it clears ok otherwise the heating is going to have to come on again.
Availability highlights
Still early days yet, but there are a lot of early signs of plant activity, many not quite ready for the list but it won’t be long if the weather doesn’t take a dive. The relatively mild winter, so far, has encouraged the Pulmonaria’s and Erysimums into bud and some are even showing some colour too. They are nice chunky plants with lots of potential and if the weather doesn’t go drastically cold there will be more to follow.
The Tulips and Alliums are poking through nicely with roots bursting through the pot sides, if anyone needs a few bulbs, Fritillarias are nicely showing now, it will be a little while before buds show but looking full of promise. Evergreen Liriope muscari looking verdant, definitely the best crop of these we have ever grow, always a tricky one to get leaf and roots both doing well at the same time! We have changed the production process completely and although a bit longer and more effort the results are really satisfying.
Minimum delivery reduction for the winter.
During the winter our range of available stock is limited by the lack of enthusiasm of a lot of stock to show their face in the cold, but we still have a few evergreen hardy sorts doing their thing and a few early season show offs too. I know it can be tricky putting together a minimum order of a full trolley (21 trays) at this time of year so if you fancy a few trays but can’t get to 21 we are happy to reduce the minimum to 12 trays for local drops and 15 trays for a bit further afield.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Not a nice day to be on the nursery. The wet I can cope with but when I can feel the office moving in the wind it all gets a bit tense. Luckily for me I can retreat to the sanctuary of the house later and listen to the football on the radio. Work on the new mess room cabin has been rained off, we’ve got the floor and walls up and the whole thing sheeted over but the roof will have to wait for some calmer conditions. Pre-treating the timbers worked brilliantly as I got the rain timings all wrong and ended up finishing the wall construction in rather wet conditions but all the water shed off nicely. Quite pleased with the results although it isn’t quite as spacious as I had imagined. It will be very cosy with twin walls and loads of insulation and not much space to heat! Looks like tomorrow is going to be better building weather, but still too windy for the roofing insulation sheets, but should get the last of the wall insulation fitted and some of the roof parts in place all ready for a last sprint to finish it off.
Struck down with stinker of cold which has completely shut down my brain. A nice lie down this afternoon is just what I need to recover a bit. No hockey this week so might have the time, although the chimney is demanding attention. Had to let the fire out this morning when the house filled with smoke. Something is stopping a decent draw so the brushes are ready for action. Hope it clears ok otherwise the heating is going to have to come on again.
Availability highlights
Still early days yet, but there are a lot of early signs of plant activity, many not quite ready for the list but it won’t be long if the weather doesn’t take a dive. The relatively mild winter, so far, has encouraged the Pulmonaria’s and Erysimums into bud and some are even showing some colour too. They are nice chunky plants with lots of potential and if the weather doesn’t go drastically cold there will be more to follow.
The Tulips and Alliums are poking through nicely with roots bursting through the pot sides, if anyone needs a few bulbs, Fritillarias are nicely showing now, it will be a little while before buds show but looking full of promise. Evergreen Liriope muscari looking verdant, definitely the best crop of these we have ever grow, always a tricky one to get leaf and roots both doing well at the same time! We have changed the production process completely and although a bit longer and more effort the results are really satisfying.
Minimum delivery reduction for the winter.
During the winter our range of available stock is limited by the lack of enthusiasm of a lot of stock to show their face in the cold, but we still have a few evergreen hardy sorts doing their thing and a few early season show offs too. I know it can be tricky putting together a minimum order of a full trolley (21 trays) at this time of year so if you fancy a few trays but can’t get to 21 we are happy to reduce the minimum to 12 trays for local drops and 15 trays for a bit further afield.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
Tuesday 2 February 2016
Hairy Demolition
Morning all
January gone already and still not got all my jobs done. The days are filling up with quite a few orders going out and all the cutting back and plant tidying well under way. We managed to give our despatch area a spring clean, getting all the work stations back in there right place all kitted up with the right tools all ready to hand. I lashed out on a few new wheelbarrows to replace those beyond further repair, so hopefully no more ‘discussions’ over who pinched who’s and we can get back to ultra materials handling efficiency!
Big job this week was clearing the old mess room porta-cabin in preparation for the arrival of the new wooden cabin replacement. Unfortunately we were unable to avoid send quite a bit of the wreckage to landfill, it was in a dreadful state. We stripped out a load of the chunkier wood for the wood burner and the majority of the metal for the scrap man, all of the lighting and electrics was separated and broken down for suitable recycling/disposal, but the rest will end up in a hole.
The new building will be so much more sustainable, with virtually all of it being recyclable, reusable or used as a carbon neutral fuel. I am hoping it will outlast us anyway but at least the following generation will not have the waste disposal guilt that we have. The dismantling went really well, far less dirty and difficult than I had imagined. With us all kitted out in full PPE garb it probably looked a bit OTT but you never know with these things. After removing the windows the vertical metal legs, that in theory held everything up, simply pulled away from the structure with the smallest of wiggles. The gentle persuasion of a sledgehammer to remove the end walls was all that was needed for a very controlled folding of the remaining shell. Luckily I had checked the clearance for the fall, as option one looked ok, but actually could have ‘nicked’ the base of the despatch tunnel. A little push in the opposite direction ensured a gentle plop by the loos and all the excitement was over.
The new cabin is here and being treated before erection to ensure maximum life from those bits which we hope not to see again after construction. Just a bit more to treat later today and we should be ready to roll on the construction side. Just need a bit of time and the right weather. It does look massively complicated with so many pieces but the instructions look comprehensive and we have some very practical bodies on site so I’m sure it will be a breeze. Insulation levels look great with solid insulation board all round including 70mm between the twin walls and double glazing, so hoping for a cosy place for tea with a much lower energy input. The main plus point though will be a whole new level of comfort, hygiene and convenience for all the hard working crew who really deserve a little bit of luxury after a really challenging few years. You wouldn’t think it was too much to ask to be able to make a cup of coffee in a clean and comfy place these days, but to us I think it could be quite a big psychological step on the road to more positive outlook for plant production. We have many challenges still ahead of us with the Living Wage introduction adding a lot of pressure and the gambles we take on production levels with the vagaries of the weather etc, but it will be good to start the season on the front foot.
Availability highlights
Still early days yet, but there are a lot of early signs of plant activity, many not quite ready for the list but it won’t be long if the weather doesn’t take a dive. The relatively mild winter, so far, has encouraged the Pulmonaria’s and Erysimums into bud and some are even showing some colour too. They are nice chunky plants with lots of potential and if the weather doesn’t go drastically cold there will be more to follow.
The Tulips and Alliums are poking through nicely with roots bursting through the pot sides, if anyone needs a few bulbs, Fritillarias are nicely showing now, it will be a little while before buds show but looking full of promise.
Evergreen Liriope muscari looking verdant, definitely the best crop of these we have ever grown, always a tricky one to get leaf and roots both doing well at the same time! We have changed the production process completely and although a bit longer and more effort the results are really satisfying.
Minimum delivery reduction for the winter.
During the winter our range of available stock is limited by the lack of enthusiasm of a lot of stock to show their face in the cold, but we still have a few evergreen hardy sorts doing their thing and a few early season show offs too. I know it can be tricky putting together a minimum order of a full trolley (21 trays) at this time of year so if you fancy a few trays but can’t get to 21 we are happy to reduce the minimum to 12 trays for local drops and 15 trays for a bit further afield.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
January gone already and still not got all my jobs done. The days are filling up with quite a few orders going out and all the cutting back and plant tidying well under way. We managed to give our despatch area a spring clean, getting all the work stations back in there right place all kitted up with the right tools all ready to hand. I lashed out on a few new wheelbarrows to replace those beyond further repair, so hopefully no more ‘discussions’ over who pinched who’s and we can get back to ultra materials handling efficiency!
Big job this week was clearing the old mess room porta-cabin in preparation for the arrival of the new wooden cabin replacement. Unfortunately we were unable to avoid send quite a bit of the wreckage to landfill, it was in a dreadful state. We stripped out a load of the chunkier wood for the wood burner and the majority of the metal for the scrap man, all of the lighting and electrics was separated and broken down for suitable recycling/disposal, but the rest will end up in a hole.
The new building will be so much more sustainable, with virtually all of it being recyclable, reusable or used as a carbon neutral fuel. I am hoping it will outlast us anyway but at least the following generation will not have the waste disposal guilt that we have. The dismantling went really well, far less dirty and difficult than I had imagined. With us all kitted out in full PPE garb it probably looked a bit OTT but you never know with these things. After removing the windows the vertical metal legs, that in theory held everything up, simply pulled away from the structure with the smallest of wiggles. The gentle persuasion of a sledgehammer to remove the end walls was all that was needed for a very controlled folding of the remaining shell. Luckily I had checked the clearance for the fall, as option one looked ok, but actually could have ‘nicked’ the base of the despatch tunnel. A little push in the opposite direction ensured a gentle plop by the loos and all the excitement was over.
The new cabin is here and being treated before erection to ensure maximum life from those bits which we hope not to see again after construction. Just a bit more to treat later today and we should be ready to roll on the construction side. Just need a bit of time and the right weather. It does look massively complicated with so many pieces but the instructions look comprehensive and we have some very practical bodies on site so I’m sure it will be a breeze. Insulation levels look great with solid insulation board all round including 70mm between the twin walls and double glazing, so hoping for a cosy place for tea with a much lower energy input. The main plus point though will be a whole new level of comfort, hygiene and convenience for all the hard working crew who really deserve a little bit of luxury after a really challenging few years. You wouldn’t think it was too much to ask to be able to make a cup of coffee in a clean and comfy place these days, but to us I think it could be quite a big psychological step on the road to more positive outlook for plant production. We have many challenges still ahead of us with the Living Wage introduction adding a lot of pressure and the gambles we take on production levels with the vagaries of the weather etc, but it will be good to start the season on the front foot.
Availability highlights
Still early days yet, but there are a lot of early signs of plant activity, many not quite ready for the list but it won’t be long if the weather doesn’t take a dive. The relatively mild winter, so far, has encouraged the Pulmonaria’s and Erysimums into bud and some are even showing some colour too. They are nice chunky plants with lots of potential and if the weather doesn’t go drastically cold there will be more to follow.
The Tulips and Alliums are poking through nicely with roots bursting through the pot sides, if anyone needs a few bulbs, Fritillarias are nicely showing now, it will be a little while before buds show but looking full of promise.
Evergreen Liriope muscari looking verdant, definitely the best crop of these we have ever grown, always a tricky one to get leaf and roots both doing well at the same time! We have changed the production process completely and although a bit longer and more effort the results are really satisfying.
Minimum delivery reduction for the winter.
During the winter our range of available stock is limited by the lack of enthusiasm of a lot of stock to show their face in the cold, but we still have a few evergreen hardy sorts doing their thing and a few early season show offs too. I know it can be tricky putting together a minimum order of a full trolley (21 trays) at this time of year so if you fancy a few trays but can’t get to 21 we are happy to reduce the minimum to 12 trays for local drops and 15 trays for a bit further afield.
Have a good one, from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries
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