Picked first Spring Onions yesterday -1 each!! really tasty PLUS first Broad Beans ready, and as we prefer them in Salads -6 each went down well too. Always think the very first of any crop is the biggest reward for growing your own. No idea where the Beetroot has gone -Nothing has come up ate all BUT 2 Melons have from saved seed so skipping around with joy. Popping out to Garden Centre for 1st time tomorrow -Like you, if we have to queue will just come home. Need new Strimmer/Insect proof fleece for strawberries as nets useless against mice and birds/Cover that fits Polytunnel!!
Hello ,I do known what you mean about the first of any crop 👍 Been to plot this morning and got 2 beds ready for Cabbage 🥬 & Sweetcorn Another good harvesting of Aspargus
Will need to pop up later to water
This week I’ve decided to watch Virtual Chelsea Flower 💐 Show , only ever been once We where due to go to The RHS flower show at Chatsworth House Derbyshire , a lot closer than London , as with everything else cancelled
GWRS -How long have you had to wait for asparagus? -I was told 2yrs so have not bothered. Did have a bed once but not much to write home about and then we moved house so did not bother again. Sweetcorn never came up this year and whilst trip to Garden Centre a great success (Bought Battery Charged Strimmer for 59Euros (about £56) and it is super (and light) No veg plants at all. Too late now to sow. -I have put in mixed French Beans in assorted pack and 2 Runner Beans have appeared in the Potager so nurturing them (May get one or two beans each!) Heritage Tomatoes have taken well and I have planted out some of my own sown Toms in garden instead of greenhouse due to threat of hot Summer. Already collecting grey water for Flowers (Don't like using this on Veg. Highlight of week, joined The Biodynamic Association UK Gardening Club and received first email Newsletter -Looks really good and informative. Local BioD Club have now cancelled promised Meetings due to members still worried about mixing, despite lockdown generally finished here. Fishing Club had first meeting in next door field round Village pond size Lake (They call it a Lake) on Sunday. When I walked round there a pike leapt out of the water and grabbed a frog off the bank. Spectacular sight.
Anyway here is the Lunar Calender until 31 May
28/29/30th May Moon descending in Leo so Fruit and Seed Days. Plant out Aubergines/Chillies/Peppers and Tomatoes sown 17/18th March and Cucumbers & Melons sown 23/24th April. Thin out Apples and Pears (remove middle fruit of 3 in apples and 1 of a pair in pears.
31st May -Root Day. Plant out Celeriac sown 1-3rd March and start to lift new Potatoes.
Just to note we have 2 Eclipses in June (Eclipse of the Moon 5th June and Eclipse of the Sun 21st June) so likelihood of major changes in weather patterns.
Hi @biofreak. We have been offline for nearly 5 weeks thanks to a glitch with Orange which they finally fixed this morning. Now we have internet, a phone that thinks it's a fixed line (portables only get one bar of signal here) and even French TV now tho I don't know which channels yet.
GCs have been open for a few weeks here with restricted numbers at first but then larger numbers allowed tho not a free for all. More importantly, DIY stores are open now so I can get bits I need for upcoming projects. My newest toy is an angle grinder which I shall use to cut metal posts our future chicken run and some indestructible rusty trellis.
Tomatoes, cucumbers etc all doing well but chillies a total no-show. New rose beds are going well but I need more. I've moved the herbs to a new bed nearer the kitchen and they're doing well. the houseplants have gone outside to the terrace for their summer hols - north facing so lots of light but not direct sun which would fry my ficus elastica and benjamina.
Not growing potatoes and too dry here for sweetcorn or celery or celeriac tho we do get good beets and brassicas. I am trying oak leaf lettuce and spring onions in window boxes on the terrace where I can better control watering, sunlight and snails!
OH has been strimming back the wilderness but has obeyed a request to leave a big 25m square patch alone and it is now full of the usual wildflowers and weeds and 3 orchid pyramidalis. Thrilled with those.
Loads of swallows and a few swifts swooping about and all sorts of birds nesting in the ruins, the barn, the old donkey shed/new hen house and the hedges round the garden. Very noisy here with day and night birds and the frogs and crickets.
We've got lots done during lockdown but it will slow a bit now that OH can go and play golf again. On the other hand, no group meetings allowed before 11/7 so no patchwork or mosaic for me till September which means OH is feeling guilty that he can get out but I can't. He can have a guilt trip all the way to the rust and wood shop!
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Hi Everyone in particular Obelixx (So glad to hear from you -a bit worried) -between us we all seem to have got loads of things done in the gardens and allotments -We are so lucky to have these to escape to. Anyaway here is the Lunar Weather Report for June and joy of joys some RAIN!! My water butts are nearly empty already but BioD Tip -if you have to use tap water let it rest outside in the sunshine for 24hrs to settle and build up energy.
1-4th June Sunny hot days with stormy scattered showers.
5th temperature drop but no fear of frost.
6-15th Heavy dews and wetter periods
16-24th Variable temperatures with drier weather.
25th until end of month progressively hotter I'm afraid with sunny days until end of month.
So collect all the water you can, cover gaps between veg with dry lawn mownings, flax or better still chopped spent herbs (BioD Tip) to mask smell of Carrots/Onions/and Cabbage Family to confuse pests and for those who don't like pussycats -to stop them scratching up dry earth for toilets!
Make sure you prick out plants on a Descending Moon to add strength to roots.
1-2nd June Moon Descending in Virgo so Root Days. Plant out Leeks sown 29-30th March. Thin out Beetroot (Mine never sprouted except those whom seed I soaked but not many)
3-4th June No gardening recomended on 3rd before 9.45am as Moon perigée (closest point to Earth) Flower Days. Transplant Broccoli and Cauliflower sown 15-16th May and make sure you cover them with earth up to 1st leaves to secure roots.
5th June Eclipse of the Moon so no gardening recommended until after 3.15pm and on 6th No gardening after 2pm Noeud descending.
It seems we have water restrictions already here so some rain will be welcome and I shall have to be discreet with the sprinkler. Not letting my new rose beds or my nursery of plants in pots dry to a crisp!
OH's strimmer is at the doc's so no progress on my new tree and shrub bed for 10 days but we did have that outing to buy rust and wood which will be delivered on the 8th. Meanwhile we have been harvesting fresh young curly kale, courgettes, strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants and rhubarb. The squash plants are looking good now and the tomatoes and chillies in the PT are all in flower. I put a seep hose in there this spring and it's working a treat.
Lots of wild apple mint about the place and my pot of ginger mint is very healthy so I'll be buying some granny Smiths to make jelly. Onions, garlic and leeks not yet ready for harvesting but we should soon get pickings form the oak leaf lettuce in their window box.
Oh got very excited about flowers on "his" kiwi but can't see any fruit setting. Inherited so no idea what variety it is. Our new pear trees have cross pollinated and we have fruit!
I have had no luck sowing beetroot for several years now so buy plug plants. The latest batch are doing well so maybe time to buy some more.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Posts
Been to plot this morning and got 2 beds ready for Cabbage 🥬 & Sweetcorn
Another good harvesting of Aspargus
This week I’ve decided to watch Virtual Chelsea Flower 💐 Show , only ever been once
We where due to go to The RHS flower show at Chatsworth House Derbyshire , a lot closer than London , as with everything else cancelled
Stay safe and keep gardening
GCs have been open for a few weeks here with restricted numbers at first but then larger numbers allowed tho not a free for all. More importantly, DIY stores are open now so I can get bits I need for upcoming projects. My newest toy is an angle grinder which I shall use to cut metal posts our future chicken run and some indestructible rusty trellis.
Tomatoes, cucumbers etc all doing well but chillies a total no-show. New rose beds are going well but I need more. I've moved the herbs to a new bed nearer the kitchen and they're doing well. the houseplants have gone outside to the terrace for their summer hols - north facing so lots of light but not direct sun which would fry my ficus elastica and benjamina.
Not growing potatoes and too dry here for sweetcorn or celery or celeriac tho we do get good beets and brassicas. I am trying oak leaf lettuce and spring onions in window boxes on the terrace where I can better control watering, sunlight and snails!
OH has been strimming back the wilderness but has obeyed a request to leave a big 25m square patch alone and it is now full of the usual wildflowers and weeds and 3 orchid pyramidalis. Thrilled with those.
Loads of swallows and a few swifts swooping about and all sorts of birds nesting in the ruins, the barn, the old donkey shed/new hen house and the hedges round the garden. Very noisy here with day and night birds and the frogs and crickets.
We've got lots done during lockdown but it will slow a bit now that OH can go and play golf again. On the other hand, no group meetings allowed before 11/7 so no patchwork or mosaic for me till September which means OH is feeling guilty that he can get out but I can't. He can have a guilt trip all the way to the rust and wood shop!
OH's strimmer is at the doc's so no progress on my new tree and shrub bed for 10 days but we did have that outing to buy rust and wood which will be delivered on the 8th. Meanwhile we have been harvesting fresh young curly kale, courgettes, strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants and rhubarb. The squash plants are looking good now and the tomatoes and chillies in the PT are all in flower. I put a seep hose in there this spring and it's working a treat.
Lots of wild apple mint about the place and my pot of ginger mint is very healthy so I'll be buying some granny Smiths to make jelly. Onions, garlic and leeks not yet ready for harvesting but we should soon get pickings form the oak leaf lettuce in their window box.
Oh got very excited about flowers on "his" kiwi but can't see any fruit setting. Inherited so no idea what variety it is. Our new pear trees have cross pollinated and we have fruit!
I have had no luck sowing beetroot for several years now so buy plug plants. The latest batch are doing well so maybe time to buy some more.
Raining today , pleased to say , water butts at home empty as of yesterday
Allotment we filled up our 3 water cubes last Thursday
Yesterday dug up garlic 🧄 for drying , it’s about a month early
Picked first small tray of strawberries 🍓
Harvesting Aspargus , spring onions , raddish Lettuce and Rhubard
Bio thanks for update
Stay safe everybody
Hopefully next 2 doors at allotment