Hi everyone. Nothing like a hurricane to focus the mind on Garden Design!! (OR redesign!)Thank goodness no damage but 2 days no electrics (,came back on this morning) and no Internet...Just got portable phone backon and there you all are! Had wonderful time 2hrs south of Toronto (8 days only in the end as had to miss first flight as Air Canada did not tell me that I needed Visa until the morning of departure!!..neither did anyone else who had been there) Anyway went for nice long walks through Oak Forests with cousins dogs daily...had no idea that there were so many varieties of Oak Tree. Sumac which we buy as an ornamental shrub and Golden Rod were everywhere. Both deemed to be invasive. Cannabis growing in Park Gardens mixed with Cannas came as quite a shock!! Legal in Canada. Shops selling it everywhere! I Even had some in a speciality Pudding!! Niagara was stunning as was Lake Eyrie. Only surprise was the colours which everyone was ooing and aahing at. I think our Autumn colours in UK are actually just as good. The Red Maple and Golden Plane leaves were remarkable but otherwise just the same as us. If I had à shock at all. It was that all animal farming is on an industrial sale, with mammoth barns costing upwards of 3.5 million dollars each. All intensive. All Battery. No movement towards free range or organic at all. There are small protests. But not enough to sway the Farmer. The most interesting thing were the strips in fields of Ginseng grown for the Chinese market. Under Black netting to avoid direct sunlight this plant cannot be grown in the same place for 50yrs due to a nematode, that will kill any new Ginseng seed. Cost of seed 50 dollars a lb. Retail value crop 400 dollars a lb!! This crop is grown in strips so that other crops can be sown in between (primarily soya or alfalfa) as Ginseng takes a long time from sowing to harvest . Quite an education! So there we are..home again. Put polytunnel cover back on and see it is inside out! Not turning it in this weather! Came home to huge crop of raspberries 'Autumn Bliss' so have made Jam. Hope you are all well and no major damage after storms. Weather Report etc coming Happy Gardening. Came home with flu bug and jetlag but had super memorable time.
Hi @biofreak. Glad you're home in one piece and everything is safe tho I suspect you could have done without the power cut. I think one main problem with Canada and farming is that most of it is under snow for long periods so animals have to spend long months indoors which means they can't be free range but could be organic given enough individual space and good feed but they'd still need antibiotics and stuff to keep disease away which makes organic status really hard and too expensive I should think.
It's blowing a hooly again here and we're set to get to 110kp around 1am but, frankly, the gusts we're aleady having since 6pm have felt and sounded stronger and louder. For the first time in the 7 years we've been here we have visible water lying in some parts of our plot. If it's calmed down as predicted tomorrow I shall go and see how full the pond is and get some Swiss chard sown but in trays in the polytunnel so it doesn't get drowned in the next few days.
Another big storm due on the 11th.
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 Still waiting for Phone and bbox to be reinstated after storms , so writing this on my mobile as just got signal back this morning ! Some People are still without power here opposite Jersey, as they experienced the tornado too. Luckily I am far enough inland to have only had gale force winds. Lucky I had those Lylandii Trees cut down after all! Balance of weather for November 11-19th Not too cold but globally wet with stormy period again on 13th 20-25th windy and variable dry and wet periods 26-30th Colder with strong winds, rain and snow on high ground. Well that's cheerful isn"t it?!! Things to do. Not alot really. 12/13th are Flower Days so lift and store Dahlias and Gladioli plus other bulbs and tubers sensitive to frost (I don't bother anymore with these mild Winters. I just mulch well) Only one thought..Cannas new to me this year...would you lift them or store away if in pots? Keep planting Bulbs. Cut remaining Marigold/Nasturtium /Borage and other edible flowers for Salads. 14/15th Leaf Days. Plant hedges and sow asiatique salads under cover. Hoe between remaining vegetable rows to aerate soil. 16/17th Fruit Days with Moon in front of Sagittairius. Earth up Artichokes and dig holes for new Fruit Trees/Trees. 18/19th Moon ascending..Root Days Break up Clay soils but don’t dig too deep and don't turn over sods. Breaking up is enough to improve soil structure. 20/21st Flower Days again. Gather balance of Flower Seed in garden and dry it for storage. Start à New Compost Heap with fresh manure and cleared foliage from veg and flowerbeds. At this point you can incorporate your biodynamic préparations. I do hope that none of you have suffered too much damage from the storms. Stay warm. Stay safe and Happy Gardening.
@biofreak , hello sorry to hear not fully connected to Internet , it’s amazing how we now rely on it Your weather forecasters , well we have strong winds due tomorrow as you predicted Temperature definitely dropping , slight frost this morning , greenhouse went down to 0-8 last night Cut 2 small beds of asparagus down at home today , turned a lovely shade of golden/yellow and pruned an apple tree Was planning to go to allotment but thick fog this morning
Hi Everyone Still no Internet or fixed phones working in village. All now receiving free top ups on our mobile phones, but only valid in 2 week chunks. I am waiting for technician to arrive beginning next week, so can only apologise for brief 🔕 Far too wet to do anything outside, just glad I managed to mow half of lawn..the rest will have to wait until a good dry spell. Dogs missing their walks down the old railway tracks. Signs up everywhere re too dangerous with trees still falling due to sodden ground and wind damage. Still picking raspberries !!! Bit watery tasting now so leaving the rest for the birds, and not cutting canes until fruit gone. So what is the Lunar Weather Prédiction for December.? 1-4th Snow on high ground particularly on the 3rd. Otherwise wet and breezy. 5-10th windy. Cold & damp 11-12th Warmer and Calm. 13 -22nd Strong possibility of snow in all areas on the 15th Otherwise wet and windy. 23 -25th Dec colder but drier. 26 -31st Colder and strong likelyhood of snow. Well that's cheerful !! Sounds like wrap up warm and perhaps a traditional Xmas and New Year for some of us who remember such things !! If you haven"t already. A good time to cut firewood is on a Descending Moon between now and the 13th or after the 27th. Other jobs are limited thank goodness! 5th December is à Fruit Day.. Pick Rosehips and late Apples and Pears to make Juice/Jellies or Jams. Don"t forget Medlars if you can find them. Now is idéal for harvesting. 6 - 9th keep harvesting Root Crops and check Stores regularly for sprouting and mould. 10th December is à Flower Day. Weather willing clear remaining flower beds and spread compost. 11th -13th Leaf Days under cover Sow Cress and Asian Salads. 14th -15th Fruit Days. If ground not frozen plant trees and Fruit trees. Despite the weather Cats are still catching voles between indoor snoozing periods. Birds are now tucking into Fat Balls despite still finding insects, and yesterday I watched à bumblebee snuggling his way into the woodpile. Happy Gardening.
Thanks @biofreak. I hope you get everything restored soon.
We've had a couple of dry days in the last 10 days but otherwise still some rain every day for over 6 weeks now so everything is very soggy. We have whole branches ripped off the multi-stemmed mimosa and even a huge laurel that need clearing but, otherwise, no gardening. Too wet to plant or weed and too cold now to prune anything as we've started getting frosts.
A question - do you have a favourite apple for making your jellies? The choice in my usual SM is a bit limited so I'm off to try a specialist fruit and veg store.
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)."
Thanks from me too @biofreak. Yes it was far too wet, do do anything on the soil, & now it's frozen solid🥶 As reported elsewhere I am consolidating onto one plot, so I had a shed moved onto my main one. I am still grappling with sorting that out. I have a small amount of winter salad in the plot greenhouse border, hope it survives this cold snap. This winter I need to work out the maximum use of the reduced space I have.
Hello , we had flooding in middle of village a few weeks ago , pleased to say not effected other than sewage coming under fence from next door dug a small trench to take it to stream at side of garden , Anglia Water cleaned it up School in middle of village will not be fully sorted out until September next year .
Since then , been dryish days so a few jobs done in garden and allotment The last few days really cold and hard frosts eg. yesterday it never went above Zero
Tomorrow , it the Christmas Market in Village , as we are both helping going to be busy
Hi Obelixx...don't use Apples at all just 3 sachets of agar agar per litre of juice/pulp. The packet says 1 sachet does 500ml...wrong!! I definately need 3 for a litre to guarantee the set. Allotment Boy...yes I'm changing my Raised Bed Strategy next season, moving some further into shade and others out of direct sun as frazzled during the last 2yrs. Also planning to fence plot from dogs..digging has become a passion, and I have visions of all my seedlings etc being ripped up. GWRS...Good luck at the Christmas Market. Not doing any this year. Too wet and cold to stand outside for hours whilst the French raid the Supermarkets for Made in China goodies, or judt arrive in time for Father Xmas. Hunting dogs in garden yesterday, mended broken fencing this morning ..cats 👌 OK thank goodness.
Hello , Christmas Market - woke up Saturday morning to a thick layer of Snow so market called off , last time we had a snow like this , was 2010
A tea room and both Pubs offered there car parks to any stall holder that wanted to come on a first come basis . The WI still opened the Village Hall for tea/coffee and cakes 🍰, so we both helped the WI I was surprised at the number of people that turned up
The 2 boys next door had already Built 2 snowmen by the time we got up Have to say it did look nice Saturday night we had heavy rain so by Sunday morning the snow had gone , everything is very wet
Temperature due to start dropping again , Sunny but very cold tomorrow so going to do lots of pruning in garden
Glad to hear the Cats 🐈 are ok , do they have a particular Hunting Dog ? Or is it like the Hounds the various Hunts use in this country ?
Posts
Had wonderful time 2hrs south of Toronto (8 days only in the end as had to miss first flight as Air Canada did not tell me that I needed Visa until the morning of departure!!..neither did anyone else who had been there) Anyway went for nice long walks through Oak Forests with cousins dogs daily...had no idea that there were so many varieties of Oak Tree. Sumac which we buy as an ornamental shrub and Golden Rod were everywhere. Both deemed to be invasive. Cannabis growing in Park Gardens mixed with Cannas came as quite a shock!! Legal in Canada. Shops selling it everywhere!
I Even had some in a speciality Pudding!! Niagara was stunning as was Lake Eyrie. Only surprise was the colours which everyone was ooing and aahing at. I think our Autumn colours in UK are actually just as good. The Red Maple and Golden Plane leaves were remarkable but otherwise just the same as us.
If I had à shock at all. It was that all animal farming is on an industrial sale, with mammoth barns costing upwards of 3.5 million dollars each. All intensive. All Battery. No movement towards free range or organic at all. There are small protests. But not enough to sway the Farmer. The most interesting thing were the strips in fields of Ginseng grown for the Chinese market. Under Black netting to avoid direct sunlight this plant cannot be grown in the same place for 50yrs due to a nematode, that will kill any new Ginseng seed. Cost of seed 50 dollars a lb. Retail value crop 400
dollars a lb!! This crop is grown in strips so that other crops can be sown in between (primarily soya or alfalfa) as Ginseng takes a long time from sowing to harvest . Quite an education!
So there we are..home again. Put polytunnel cover back on and see it is inside out! Not turning it in this weather! Came home to huge crop of raspberries 'Autumn Bliss' so have made Jam. Hope you are all well and no major damage after storms. Weather Report etc coming
Happy Gardening.
Came home with flu bug and jetlag but had super memorable time.
It's blowing a hooly again here and we're set to get to 110kp around 1am but, frankly, the gusts we're aleady having since 6pm have felt and sounded stronger and louder. For the first time in the 7 years we've been here we have visible water lying in some parts of our plot. If it's calmed down as predicted tomorrow I shall go and see how full the pond is and get some Swiss chard sown but in trays in the polytunnel so it doesn't get drowned in the next few days.
Another big storm due on the 11th.
Still waiting for Phone and bbox to be reinstated after storms , so writing this on my mobile as just got signal back this morning ! Some People are still without power here opposite Jersey, as they experienced the tornado too. Luckily I am far enough inland to have only had gale force winds. Lucky I had those Lylandii Trees cut down after all!
Balance of weather for November
11-19th Not too cold but globally wet with stormy period again on 13th
20-25th windy and variable dry and wet periods
26-30th Colder with strong winds, rain and snow on high ground.
Well that's cheerful isn"t it?!!
Things to do. Not alot really.
12/13th are Flower Days so lift and store Dahlias and Gladioli plus other bulbs and tubers sensitive to frost (I don't bother anymore with these mild Winters. I just mulch well) Only one thought..Cannas new to me this year...would you lift them or store away if in pots?
Keep planting Bulbs. Cut remaining Marigold/Nasturtium /Borage and other edible flowers for Salads.
14/15th Leaf Days. Plant hedges and sow asiatique salads under cover. Hoe between remaining vegetable rows to aerate soil.
16/17th Fruit Days with Moon in front of Sagittairius. Earth up Artichokes and dig holes for new Fruit Trees/Trees.
18/19th Moon ascending..Root Days Break up Clay soils but don’t dig too deep and don't turn over sods. Breaking up is enough to improve soil structure.
20/21st Flower Days again. Gather balance of Flower Seed in garden and dry it for storage. Start à New Compost Heap with fresh manure and cleared foliage from veg and flowerbeds. At this point you can incorporate your biodynamic préparations.
I do hope that none of you have suffered too much damage from the storms. Stay warm. Stay safe and Happy Gardening.
Your weather forecasters , well we have strong winds due tomorrow as you predicted
Temperature definitely dropping , slight frost this morning , greenhouse went down to 0-8 last night
Cut 2 small beds of asparagus down at home today , turned a lovely shade of golden/yellow and pruned an apple tree
Was planning to go to allotment but thick fog this morning
I trust you and various animals are keeping well
Still no Internet or fixed phones working in village. All now receiving free top ups on our mobile phones, but only valid in 2 week chunks. I am waiting for technician to arrive beginning next week, so can only apologise for brief 🔕
Far too wet to do anything outside, just glad I managed to mow half of lawn..the rest will have to wait until a good dry spell. Dogs missing their walks down the old railway tracks. Signs up everywhere re too dangerous with trees still falling due to sodden ground and wind damage.
Still picking raspberries !!! Bit watery tasting now so leaving the rest for the birds, and not cutting canes until fruit gone.
So what is the Lunar Weather Prédiction for December.?
1-4th Snow on high ground particularly on the 3rd. Otherwise wet and breezy.
5-10th windy. Cold & damp
11-12th Warmer and Calm.
13 -22nd Strong possibility of snow in all areas on the 15th Otherwise wet and windy.
23 -25th Dec colder but drier.
26 -31st Colder and strong likelyhood of snow.
Well that's cheerful !! Sounds like wrap up warm and perhaps a traditional Xmas and New Year for some of us who remember such things !!
If you haven"t already. A good time to cut firewood is on a Descending Moon between now and the 13th or after the 27th.
Other jobs are limited thank goodness!
5th December is à Fruit Day.. Pick Rosehips and late Apples and Pears to make Juice/Jellies or Jams. Don"t forget Medlars if you can find them. Now is idéal for harvesting.
6 - 9th keep harvesting Root Crops and check Stores regularly for sprouting and mould.
10th December is à Flower Day. Weather willing clear remaining flower beds and spread compost.
11th -13th Leaf Days under cover Sow Cress and Asian Salads.
14th -15th Fruit Days. If ground not frozen plant trees and Fruit trees.
Despite the weather Cats are still catching voles between indoor snoozing periods. Birds are now tucking into Fat Balls despite still finding insects, and yesterday I watched à bumblebee snuggling his way into the woodpile.
Happy Gardening.
.
We've had a couple of dry days in the last 10 days but otherwise still some rain every day for over 6 weeks now so everything is very soggy. We have whole branches ripped off the multi-stemmed mimosa and even a huge laurel that need clearing but, otherwise, no gardening. Too wet to plant or weed and too cold now to prune anything as we've started getting frosts.
A question - do you have a favourite apple for making your jellies? The choice in my usual SM is a bit limited so I'm off to try a specialist fruit and veg store.
As reported elsewhere I am consolidating onto one plot, so I had a shed moved onto my main one. I am still grappling with sorting that out. I have a small amount of winter salad in the plot greenhouse border, hope it survives this cold snap.
This winter I need to work out the maximum use of the reduced space I have.
School in middle of village will not be fully sorted out until September next year .
Since then , been dryish days so a few jobs done in garden and allotment
The last few days really cold and hard frosts eg. yesterday it never went above Zero
Tomorrow , it the Christmas Market in Village , as we are both helping going to be busy
Bio , hope you get your internet sorted out
Allotment Boy...yes I'm changing my Raised Bed Strategy next season, moving some further into shade and others out of direct sun as frazzled during the last 2yrs. Also planning to fence plot from dogs..digging has become a passion, and I have visions of all my seedlings etc being ripped up.
GWRS...Good luck at the Christmas Market. Not doing any this year. Too wet and cold to stand outside for hours whilst the French raid the Supermarkets for Made in China goodies, or judt arrive in time for Father Xmas.
Hunting dogs in garden yesterday, mended broken fencing this morning ..cats 👌 OK thank goodness.
A tea room and both Pubs offered there car parks to any stall holder that wanted to come on a first come basis . The WI still opened the Village Hall for tea/coffee and cakes 🍰, so we both helped the WI
I was surprised at the number of people that turned up
The 2 boys next door had already Built 2 snowmen by the time we got up
Have to say it did look nice
Saturday night we had heavy rain so by Sunday morning the snow had gone , everything is very wet
Temperature due to start dropping again , Sunny but very cold tomorrow so going to do lots of pruning in garden
Glad to hear the Cats 🐈 are ok , do they have a particular Hunting Dog ? Or is it like the Hounds the various Hunts use in this country ?