Tuesday 4 August 2009

Apple Thinning.

MY HADDON HALL PICTURE FOR TODAY

TODAYS WEATHER READINGS
So that I can post the readings on the same day as the blog post they are of the previous 24 hours up to 6 pm today.
Temp Low: 16C
Temp High: 22C
Rainfall: 1mm
Cont. Days Without Rain:0
Dry Days This Month: 2
Wind Level For The Day 36
Pressure: 996.1
Weather: Overcast and damp.
2009 Highs & Lows
Min for the year: -5 C (4th February)
Max for the year: 35 C (1st July)
Most rain in 24 hours: 39mm (5th June)

MY WORK BOOK

Check the mole trap
Misc
Tue 04/08/2009 08:00
Tue 04/08/2009 08:10
10 minutes
The trap was empty and no sign of fresh activity.

Check the sheep
Field
Misc
Tue 04/08/2009 08:10
Tue 04/08/2009 08:35
25 minutes
Checked the sheep, couldn't count them as they were all in among thistles and nettles.

See to the greenhouse
Glasshouses,
Greenhouses
Tue 04/08/2009 08:35
Tue 04/08/2009 08:45
10 minutes
Had a quick look round.

Hedge cutting
Herb Garden
Walled Garden
Tue 04/08/2009 08:45
Tue 04/08/2009 10:30
1.75 hours
Finished off the box hedging around the herb garden.


Break for tea
Home
Misc
Tue 04/08/2009 10:30
Tue 04/08/2009 10:50
20 minutes

Hedge cutting
Herb Garden Walled Garden
Tue 04/08/2009 10:50
Tue 04/08/2009 11:20
30 minutes
Finished off trimming the box hedging.

Tidying the rose garden
Rose garden
Walled Garden
Tue 04/08/2009 11:20
Tue 04/08/2009 12:45
85 minutes
Made a start on dead heading and weeding the rose garden.

Break for lunch
Home
Misc
Tue 04/08/2009 12:45
Tue 04/08/2009 13:30
45 minutes

Tidying the rose garden
Rose garden
Walled Garden
Tue 04/08/2009 13:30
Tue 04/08/2009 16:55
205 minutes
Continued work in the rose garden.

Cleaned and put away the tools
Potting Shed
Tue 04/08/2009 16:55
Tue 04/08/2009 17:05
10 minutes

Plant the savoys
Vegetable Garden
Walled Garden
Tue 04/08/2009 17:05
Tue 04/08/2009 17:15
10 minutes
Planted 4 Savoy plants.

Updated the to-do list
Walled Garden
Tue 04/08/2009 17:20
Tue 04/08/2009 17:30
10 minutes
Had a walk round and updated the walled garden to-do list for next week.

NOTES
No doubt some of you will have apple trees in your garden and if you’re lucky you will have a good crop on them. If so it pays to thin out the fruit, it may seem a waste but you will benefit in the end by harvesting large apples. I start by taking off all the smaller or damaged fruit and then take off any fruit that it crowded together and on average try to finish up with apples that are roughly 10 centimetres apart. Below are a couple of examples of what I mean.

Before thinning


After thinning


COMMENTS FROM THE POTTING SHED
Sara Yes that is right, I grew up on the Haddon Estate, Haddon Hall being just over a mile away and on leaving school at 15 I started work on Chatsworth Estate as a gardener at Chatsworth House which is 3 miles from where my parents still live in the village of Rowsley.
Dirt Princess the cord is the one drawback with electric. I've never used a gas cutter so can't really compare one agaisnt the other.
Jeanette it won't be long now before you can enjoy that heat Jeanette then the boot will be on the other foot and we will be the ones shivering.

3 comments:

Matron said...

Thinning apples worked really well for me last year. It was a bumper bramley crop and I had to be ruthless. I had some whoppers!

Sara said...

Wow - you have a lot of hedge trimming to do! No wonder why you needed a new trimmer.

Thanks for sharing the link to the Chatsworth Estate. It looks like a wonderful place to visit and explore. I'm developing my own little, dream travel itinerary from your posts and photos.

Pennine Way, Haddon Hall, Chatsworth....

Bob said...

Matron
I remember your apples from last year. They don’t use many here so I may as well have a few good sized one than a lot of small ones. I didn’t do all the trees just a couple of the best ones that were easy to reach.

Sara
Those hedges are just a few of the ones that I have to do along with some privet and other shrubs. Haddon Hall isn’t so big neither the house or the gardens. Chatsworth is much bigger and needs a full day to explore the house and grounds properly.