Thanks for blog update. Chris and I enjoyed Andys visit it was very interesting. We enjoyed your photos from the outing to Cambridge.

See you soon Mary and Chris.

CLUB NIGHT WITH SPEAKER ANDY GARLAND

 Everybody is very busy, Peter is speaking to Andy Garland, the guest speaker (he works for the BBC, as a producer of the Kent gardening programme). Jeanette is sorting out a query on the subs & Kathy & Suzy are busy taking money for the outings. .

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Some of the audience  Iris,in the turquoise jumper Gina speaks to Peter, & here she is again, with her friend.

Here are the last 2, of Andy again, answering a question & helping Gina pick a winner for the raffle.

thank you hilda for the photos

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CAMBRIDGE OUTING BY HILDA GOOBY

We had a lovely trip to the Cambridge University Botanic gardens on Saturday. The weather was kind, with the odd burst of sun throughout the day. The gardens were superb, there were snowdrops, daffodils, Helibores & crocus popping up through the lawns & beds. The scented & winter beds were especially nice and there was a lot of variety in the garden as a whole, with a pond, streams, a limestone rock garden,
extensive lawns and large greenhouses with different climates to house exotic plants. My personal favourite was the huge Betula tree. There were no leaves or flowers on it, but the bark was magnificent, in different shades of red & cream, different textures, in some places smooth & shiny, in others dry & peeling. It was a very tactile tree, almost asking you to stroke it.  Hilda.

In the afternoon we went to the garden centre,

 where we had some "retail therapy". We stocked up on baby plants, slow release fertiliser, bird feeders & various sundry items. Most of us visited the restaurant too, to fill our tums. 

 

PHOTO SENT IN BY GEMMA TOWE

THIS BRILLIANT PHOTO WAS SENT IN BY GEMMA,THANK YOU, NOW ALL WE NEED IS A SUITABLE CAPTION, ANY IDEAS????? PLEASE TELL PETER, THE BEST ONE WILL BE POSTED HERE
THANK YOU AND THANKS TO GEMMA

NEXT EPISODE FROM HILDA GOOBY

 here is the reply from T&M re the potato tubers. I had to chase them up to get the discount, though. When I placed a quite large order for plug plants, etc, the website wouldn't recognise the e-voucher. I rang customer services & spoke to a lady who said to continue with the internet order & she would refund the £10 on Monday. I waited about 10 days, but no refund. I then e-mailed them & waited & waited. I was just on the point of doing it again, when a message came saying they had refunded it to my debit card that I had used to pay with. It just shows you need to PERSEVERE

Our Ref: TM556341X Dear Hilda Gooby Thank you for your recent email. The key for increased success is moisture, feeding and daylight levels. Moisture content requires the compost to be moist at all times, but not too wet to avoid problems with the crop below soil level. Over-watering during the early stages of growth reduces the number of tubers to form on the root as oxygen levels are reduced. Once the shoots/leaves start to grow then feed a high nitrogen fertiliser (grow more or miracle grow) to get growth underway once a week. Keep topping up the compost gradually to the top of the planter. Once the foliage reaches the top of the planter then feed with high potash feed (tomato feed, seaweed extract, and comfrey) as potatoes love higher potash. Feed weekly, still do not let compost be too wet unless on really hot, sunny days. Daylight quality is vital for regular growth. Often the earliest plantings before mid-march can perform to a lower standard as the day-length and light quality (cloud cover, cold nights etc) will slow down growth. We appreciate the disappointment and hope you will accept the below £10.00 e-voucher as a good will gesture; PR180DV7D43FFNB If there is anything further I can do to be of assistance, please get in touch. I'll be happy to help. With best regards, Abby Mills Customer Service Team