Weather woe

Forecasts on the television and the press were predicting snowfall each day last week but alas as we all woke up expecting four or five inches of snow, we only witnessed a small covering with ice underneath making walking quite treacherous.

Although main roads were well gritted side roads and pavements were quite slippery and quite a number of commuters fell and injured themselves.

This caused many people to change their plans and stay indoors with many opting to work from home. Some days motorists reported slush and ice and black ice on side roads and pavements.

Accident and emergency departments were kept busy with injuries and even in the gardens rock salt was in big demand.

Now the snow ice is gone and the gales and rain have arrived although yours truly suffered a power cut, morning causing a change of plans for the day!

Let’s celebrate the birth of the Bard

It was the twenty-fifth of January that Robert Burns was born in a thatched cottage in Alloway in Ayrshire, the first born son of William Burnes and his wife Agnes. The family lived in the living accommodation of the kitchen while the animals were kept in the adjoining room. 

When his father went off to work as head gardener at the nearby estate of Doonholm, young Robert was strapped on to his mother’s back and taken to work in the kale yard. They leased six and a half acres of land at the cottage and ran it as a croft to launch a market gardening business which he called new gardens. Robert helped his mother gather eggs and aid her milking the cows.

Eighteen months later Burns' brother Gilbert was born and soon he was helping Robert and his mother working in the croft looking after crops and the animals. Let’s all remember him and enjoy your haggis and and dram tomorrow tonight.

Gardening talks resume

Gourock Horticultural Society's series is returning. The green-fingered enthusiasts begin their latest series of talks on Tuesday February 7 in Cardwell Garden Centre when they will be dealing with getting ready for growing for the coming springtime.

The meeting commences at 2pm and new members are welcome to join the group. Garden-minded people attending will be able to meet with like-minded friends and talk, and hopefully find an answer to subjects which are often common problems that are troubling them.

The group meets fortnightly and talks generally lasts about an hour. So do come along and feel free to bring a friend with you. I look forward to meeting you on February 7. For further information in the meantime telephone 633422.

Getting ready for spring

Begin by looking out and cleaning your seed trays and give them a good wash in warm water , alternatively choose to use cell trays or other pots. It is also time to consider what you want to grow, whether that be flowers or vegetables.

Seeds can be bought in your local garden centre and sown indoors on a window sill or in an electric propagator.

It is also important to buy bags of peat-free or peat reduced compost and I might suggest that you keep these in the greenhouse or a shed.

Try and keep the water you intend to use for propagation in the greenhouse so that the water becomes the same temperature as the seeds and plants.

Keep a close watch on weather forecasts and if a cold night is predicted then cover the seed trays with garden fleece or newspaper. Frost is generally thought to be above 42 degrees fahrenheit so a thermometer is very handy to have to hand.

Soil temperature is important and one can benefit by purchasing a special soil thermometer  from your local garden centre.

Let wet soil dry out before you dig

Do not think about digging anything in the garden while the soil is soaking wet.

Doing this will compact the soil and damage the structure of the ground.