I've got a new man with 4 paws, velvet coat and meeting blue eyes and the Cats love him!!! They were playing tag in the garden last night, and this morning found Tomo my ginger snuggled up in dog bed with puppy!! He is also going to be a good Gardener, nibbling tops off Clover and Dandelions in lawn. Not keen on Thistles and Nettles though. ABSOLUTELY thrilled!!. Lawn desperately needs mowing but now too wet!! Hoed the gravel..looks much better. Ate first of last batch of Spring Onions not as pencil thick as first crop but taste good. More like Chives.
He's a Whippet so will be about half the size of a greyhound ..Springer Spaniel size....same size as the cats at the moment. Have not told them!!! Water Butts filling nicely..hopefully more rain to come over week-end.
Just managed to get half of lawn mown before heavy showers kicked in. Tucking into Courgettes and Belle de Fontenay Potatoes with relish now. French Beans Niori starting to pod up. Resisting advice to pop in more for a later crop because I have plenty of Scarlet Emperor Runner Bean Plants beginning to flower, and I am keen on eating vegetables in Season, particularly as on my own now, and no demands for Mangetout or Beans in the Winter albeit 'for a changer. Somehow these just do not taste the same from the Freezer. I shall sow some Golden Turnips and more Beetroot. No need to pop in a Second Crop of Courgettes, because I find plenty on four plants last well into the Autumn. First Cucumber ready to cut...always a treat. I think that the Raspberries are coming to an end, but still plenty of Blackcurrants. 19/20/21st July sees the Moon descending in front of Leo🦁♌ so Fruit Days. Feed 🍅 Tomatoes/🍆 Aubergines/🍈 Melons and 🌶️ Peppers with a good dose of Comfrey & Nettle Tea. I have this fermenting in a dustbin all Summer and seems to boost everything. Ratio 1/10ltrs. Some like to do 5/10ltr but I find too much leaf growth results and not so much fruit. All thoughts welcome. Start grafting Fruit Trees..in particular 🍐 Pears and Plums. 22/23/24/25th July (Gosh that's a long stretch!) Moon descending in front of Virgo so Root Days. Sow Radish, hardy Carrots (nantaise ideal), Turnips and Swede. Protect the latter well from Cabbage White Butterfly as passionate about these young leaves of the Brassica Family) pop in some young Tansy plants next to both Carrots and Turnips and Swede as smell will put off Carrot Fly and slugs plus snails. Keep earthing up Potatoes. 26/27th July are Flower Days with a descending Moon in front of Libra. As an Air sign, prune fruit trees in the green to allow air to travel freely between ripening fruit. Clear weeds, especially grasses that may be strangling new perennials in particular. I know you would like to put weeds etc on the Compost Heap, but please think about lying them over bare patches in your Flower Beds (if not in seed) to act as a mulch in the event of another dry hot period. Also good housing for insects. Sow Biannuals and Perennials. Plant Brocoli. Take cuttings from Roses/Clematis/Azaleas/Jasmine and Camelias or better still try layering them. Next weekend sees me at Chateau Creuilly near Caen. Nice to be able to commute for a change. Not been there before. Should be some good buys as most nurserymen starting to sell off stock as end of Plant Fair Season. Made Rose & Strawberry 🍓 Jelly this morning and adding Peach & Lavender to range tomorrow. Decided to use the wild strawberries running all over the place in an unweeded flower bed. Might as well do something with them!!! Happy Gardening!
Despite dreadful weather at Garden Fair over the weekend, did really well and treated myself to some plants for the new water 'bassin' as at last we have had enough rain to fill it . Puppy great attraction on Saturday but left him at home with cats babysitting yesterday, as just too awful to keep him on Stand outside. Lawn needs mowing again with all this warmth. Loads of French Beans to eat, plus Cucumbers coming thick and fast. So glad you had nice holiday GWRS, always daunting to see work to be done in garden on one's return! Had nice invite to do Garden Fair end of October, dithering a bit as weather could be dreadful or blissful then.
Hi Everyone Went on a biodynamic course on Saturday and this being the ideal weather for bugs and mildew, I felt it apt to refresh you with Biodynamic methods of control some of which I did not know before. To treat Mildew: Add a soup spoon of Bicarbonate of Soda to 1 litre of water and add 1 soup spoon of Black Soap or Rapeseed Oil(not sure if Savon Noir is available in UK..Obelixx perhaps you can suggest an alternative?) An excellent Pesticide particularly against Blackfly is a Purin of Fern Leaves or take 10 heads of Garlic and boil them..then add the Garlic Liquid on a ration of 5/10 and spray. To avoid Flea Beetles and particularly on poor soil sow Black Wheat on a ratio of 30g to each Square Metre as a Green Manure. It will make an excellent job of cleaning the soil. Don't weed out Ground Ivy but let it grow on... It is a source of nourishment for hoverflies which are invaluable pollinators. Also, whilst you might not like voles..they rely on Ivy as a source of nourishment during the lean Winter Months. So what has the Lunar Weather Diary got to offer us in August? From 1st to 13th Building up to hot and dry with high winds around the 10th 14th to 21st Storms to be expected 22/23rd Very wet 24th to 31st more varied with hot sunny days notably towards the 28th. Humidity levels high throughout the month.
I've taken the polytunnel roof off altogether. 🍅 Tomatoes and Cucumbers 🥒 thoroughly enjoying this weather. My one Melon is growing on well and crossing fingers and toes, no sign of mildew on Courgettes which just died off on me last year. Have stopped weeding in order to maintain ground cover in flowerbeds and the insect life is amazing here. More ladybirds than ever. Have you changed your gardening habits ie.stopped weeding as much/left an area wild/left the lawn a little longer..and noticed an influx of insects?
Note interesting programme 9pm tonight and tomorrow on Channel 5..Wonders of the Moon. There will be a piece on agricultural methods apparently. All comments 🤗 welcome.
Posts
Met one of my nieces new puppy 🐶 a Labrapoddle , bit like a teddy bear 🧸
We have been bone dry for ages now but did get the scheduled .3mm of rain earlier this morning. Not even enough to lay the dust.
Resisting advice to pop in more for a later crop because I have plenty of Scarlet Emperor Runner Bean Plants beginning to flower, and I am keen on eating vegetables in Season, particularly as on my own now, and no demands for Mangetout or Beans in the Winter albeit 'for a changer. Somehow these just do not taste the same from the Freezer. I shall sow some Golden Turnips and more Beetroot. No need to pop in a Second Crop of Courgettes, because I find plenty on four plants last well into the Autumn. First Cucumber ready to cut...always a treat. I think that the Raspberries are coming to an end, but still plenty of Blackcurrants.
19/20/21st July sees the Moon descending in front of Leo🦁♌ so Fruit Days. Feed 🍅 Tomatoes/🍆 Aubergines/🍈 Melons and 🌶️ Peppers with a good dose of Comfrey & Nettle Tea. I have this fermenting in a dustbin all Summer and seems to boost everything. Ratio 1/10ltrs. Some like to do 5/10ltr but I find too much leaf growth results and not so much fruit. All thoughts welcome. Start grafting Fruit Trees..in particular 🍐 Pears and Plums.
22/23/24/25th July (Gosh that's a long stretch!) Moon descending in front of Virgo so Root Days. Sow Radish, hardy Carrots (nantaise ideal), Turnips and Swede. Protect the latter well from Cabbage White Butterfly as passionate about these young leaves of the Brassica Family) pop in some young Tansy plants next to both Carrots and Turnips and Swede as smell will put off Carrot Fly and slugs plus snails. Keep earthing up Potatoes.
26/27th July are Flower Days with a descending Moon in front of Libra. As an Air sign, prune fruit trees in the green to allow air to travel freely between ripening fruit. Clear weeds, especially grasses that may be strangling new perennials in particular. I know you would like to put weeds etc on the Compost Heap, but please think about lying them over bare patches in your Flower Beds (if not in seed) to act as a mulch in the event of another dry hot period. Also good housing for insects. Sow Biannuals and Perennials. Plant Brocoli. Take cuttings from Roses/Clematis/Azaleas/Jasmine and Camelias or better still try layering them.
Next weekend sees me at Chateau Creuilly near Caen. Nice to be able to commute for a change. Not been there before. Should be some good buys as most nurserymen starting to sell off stock as end of Plant Fair Season. Made Rose & Strawberry 🍓 Jelly this morning and adding Peach & Lavender to range tomorrow. Decided to use the wild strawberries running all over the place in an unweeded flower bed. Might as well do something with them!!! Happy Gardening!
Greenhouse at home - decided to grow smaller cucumbers and are doing really well , as is the 2 chilli plants . Tomatoes 🍅 not turning red yet
Having a day at allotment tomorrow , so that will be interesting ?
Cut front lawns this afternoon , recovering with a beer before dinner , back lawn needs doing but had enough
Happy gardening
Biofreak how’s new dog doing ?
Decorating so garden/allotment has had to be left
Went on a biodynamic course on Saturday and this being the ideal weather for bugs and mildew, I felt it apt to refresh you with Biodynamic methods of control some of which I did not know before.
To treat Mildew: Add a soup spoon of Bicarbonate of Soda to 1 litre of water and add 1 soup spoon of Black Soap or Rapeseed Oil(not sure if Savon Noir is available in UK..Obelixx perhaps you can suggest an alternative?)
An excellent Pesticide particularly against Blackfly is a Purin of Fern Leaves or take 10 heads of Garlic and boil them..then add the Garlic Liquid on a ration of 5/10 and spray.
To avoid Flea Beetles and particularly on poor soil sow Black Wheat on a ratio of 30g to each Square Metre as a Green Manure. It will make an excellent job of cleaning the soil.
Don't weed out Ground Ivy but let it grow on... It is a source of nourishment for hoverflies which are invaluable pollinators. Also, whilst you might not like voles..they rely on Ivy as a source of nourishment during the lean Winter Months.
So what has the Lunar Weather Diary got to offer us in August?
From 1st to 13th Building up to hot and dry with high winds around the 10th
14th to 21st Storms to be expected
22/23rd Very wet
24th to 31st more varied with hot sunny days notably towards the 28th. Humidity levels high throughout the month.
I've taken the polytunnel roof off altogether. 🍅 Tomatoes and Cucumbers 🥒 thoroughly enjoying this weather. My one Melon is growing on well and crossing fingers and toes, no sign of mildew on Courgettes which just died off on me last year. Have stopped weeding in order to maintain ground cover in flowerbeds and the insect life is amazing here. More ladybirds than ever. Have you changed your gardening habits ie.stopped weeding as much/left an area wild/left the lawn a little longer..and noticed an influx of insects?
Note interesting programme 9pm tonight and tomorrow on Channel 5..Wonders of the Moon. There will be a piece on agricultural methods apparently. All comments 🤗 welcome.