We are well into spring now and sales are going very well. There are plenty of bargains to be had with perennials, particularly peonies which are selling for £6.50 each, and beautiful shades of Iris. These plants are half the price you would pay at a garden centre. I doubt we will be getting many more perennials in stock, as it has become almost impossible to get hold of them, all our suppliers are running out and do not seem able to get any more. Whether this is due to Brexit or the pandemic, no one seems to know.
However it is a different story with bedding plants. We have plenty of all the usual types including Geraniums, Cosmos and Begonias, the only trouble is because of the cold nights we are experiencing they are not growing on at the pace we require for us to sell on to you. I would guess that we will start selling them on Sunday 2nd May. It's a different story with tomatoes as we have already started selling them, with a warning, as it is not safe to plant them out in the garden until after the last frost and that could be as late as the second week of May. Our selection of tomato varieties is excellent, including Gardener's Delight, Black Opal and other small cherry types, Marmande, Black Russian and other large varieties, and the normal sized Alicante, Ailsa Craig, Golden Sunrise and Roma. All these are 80p each. Tumbling Toms, which are small tomatoes ideal for hanging baskets or large pots, are £1 each. We have peppers that we are selling already along with seed potatoes. Onion sets and some Brassicas, courgettes, cucumbers, beans and lettuce will soon be available. I should also mention that we have an excellent selection of herbs for sale.
All regulars will know we have a good selection of composts and manure, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to get hold of what we require, particularly at the price we want to pay. Everything is going up substantially but rest assured we will strive to hold prices at their current level. Our supplier of mushroom compost quoted us a price of almost double that we usually pay, but Peter has found a different source which should be available this weekend (25th April) at the usual price.
The current dry spell and cold nights are causing gardeners plenty of problems, and I would advise anyone who buys any type of plant to keep them well watered and sheltered at night.
You may have noticed a new member of staff serving on Sundays. We would like to welcome Amanda to our little group and hope she stays a long time. We still have plenty of room for anyone else who would like to be involved with us on Sunday mornings.
We are planning to hold our Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 25th May at 8pm, to be held in Hurst Community Centre. If anyone has 30 minutes to spare, please come along just to see how your society is run and keep us on our toes.
Finally, a plea to you all if you buy plants from us - any pots and trays that they were in and you do not require please return to us as this will help us to keep prices down in future years.
Any queries please call Bob on 07786 744477 or 0208 306 2202.
