Coming back from La Rochelle this evening with a happy but tender doggy we saw lots of rain falling over to th esouth and east - log views as this is the northern end of the Marai Poitevin and very flat with drained arabale fields and pasture and lots of canals and just a few lines of trees for miles and miles.
Brain very busy with where to site Japanese maples and hostas in a permanent bed and whether or not to keep the raspberry bed plonked in the middle of what will be the island shrub and tree beds and moving the rhubarb to a shadier spot which will be easier to water.
We can get Heinz beans here normal and organic but we only eat a tin a month, if that. I make my own tomato soup with fresh ginger and orange juice for fending off colds. I have a recipe and some crumpet rings but haven't tried either yet. Drop scones are so much easier of we need a quick, sweet snack.
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)."
So glad dog OK. Raspberries are a constant source of anguish. Over the years I have battled with fruit nets/birds/dry areas/wet areas and in-between areas. I am moving the current batch because I only plonked them in when we moved and did not really bother with them again. Not sure if thriving wild bush which now has around 18 babies in middle of shrubbery was planted on purpose. very damp & shady area and obviously happy.
Cleared old broad beans out of raised bed and bought 24 Mache (Lambs Lettuce) plants this am to put in there for Winter Salad. Am also sowing some to plant out later. Kept us going right through last Winter into March. Still pulling Polish Carrots (Purple one's-sorry no name) and short chunky variety called Torchon which I can highly recommend. Sowed in February!!! and have not sowed since. -Needed them to make my Carrot Cakes plus raw in salads.
Rained a little this am at Farmers Market, sunny but chilly wind now. Off to plant out Mache!
Bio , interesting comment about lettuce going to seed , have a couple at allotment ,think I will leave them and see what happens
Autumn raspberries have gone over while I was on holiday Also never had this happen before , the rain has washed the soil off my main potatoes 🥔 and lots have gone green , started digging them up now Lots to do but that’s how I like it Getting some nice sunny days but getting colder and Autumn 🍂 definitely coming and nights drawing in
Off to UK this am so here is Lunar Calender for 10-14th Sept as can't get to grips with keyboard on I -phone!
10/11th Sept - Root Days Moon ascending in Capricorn In milder regions sow Onions for early Spring start. Plant Leeks. Don't know if you can get them in UK we buy them in bundles of 50 or 100 in France. Top and Tail them and then plant for stronger start -Only let tops show so that you already have a good shank forming.
12/13/14th Sept - Flower Days but no gardening on 13th until after 9.25am as Moon apogee. Sow annuals like Sweet Peas/Californian Poppy/Hollyhocks/Larkspur and Love in The Mist for early flowers next year.
Short and sweet I'm afraid -4hr drive up to Tunnel. Got Promo 30Euro Return!! Can't turn that down. Cupboards bare and need Christmas Cake ingredients!
Yes nights are drawing in but mornings really dark now. Still warm and all well in the garden. Bought new Clematis yesterday from pal at Gardening Boot Fair. Looking forward to Garden Fair this w/e up on cliff top overlooking the sea -Usually blown away but hey ho -Still plants to buy and end of season so always better than half price!!!
Have a good trip through the Tunnel and you get your Christmas cake 🍰 ingredients ok
Have already bought onion sets , garlic & Shallots for Autumn planting Lots to do at allotment, currently raining , hopefully the rest of the week is better weather This Year’s Shallots are ready for pickling , o/h has already pickled some cucumber 🥒 and French beans for me
O/H now Master Chef!! I got bitten by Cactus (Aloe vera) en route into house carrying tray of glasses last Thursday night, tripped over step -fell over and cut thumb on broken wine glass - Left it until Frid am. Went to pharmacie to get big bandage -They said 'no' -hospital -Off to Casualty 4 stitches across knuckle -not allowed to get it wet plus not to move it -So O/H baked cakes for w/e under strict instructions, and I pressed buttons on Mixer!! Garden Fair fabulous -Wonderful weather. Treated my injured self with some Tulip Bulbs and a new Shrub Paeony -So all well in the end. Out of cooking action for 10 days. O/H in charge which is NOT wise!! Anyway this week Lunar Calender all geared around further sowings of Winter Salads 14-16th as Leaf Days 17-19th Fruit Days Plant out new Strawberries and pot up Runners if you want to carry on with existing stock babies.
Runner Beans seem to be over which is odd. Still plenty of courgettes and tomatoes plus 1 aubergine!! - Did you see the Moon last night? Fabulous golden orange orb.
Forgive this short report -anti biotics making me feel a bit 'off the wall'!!
Bio , hope hands heals soon and the new master chef is enjoying the change 🍰
My runner beans went over , the 2 weeks I was in Tenby , most strange Eaten our first sweet corn 🌽 today , tried growing it again , not bothered for several years as rats 🐀 use to eat it but rat problem at Allotment seems under control Cucumber plants now finished and by next week so will the tomatoes 🍅
I do like Tulips had them in pots but didn’t doing so well now so I’m going to plant them in the ground at allotment I do like peonies , have 3 in garden
We had some amazing red sky’s lately, quiet stunning and yes moon looked good Hope cats 🐈 are playful as ever
Master Chef getting into the swing of things! Not sure I like him taking 'control'!!
Did some gentle weeding yesterday and dead headed Cosmos. Never seen them so tall -A good metre plus and stunning. Plenty of tomatoes left. Want to get new greenhouse cover on next week when stitches out as 2 man job. Can't expect O/H to do everything!! Cats and Dog driving me mad, won't leave me alone -Isn't it amazing that they know when we are 'off colour'. - Started buying in veg seed for next season. Want to make a Dahlia bed and split existing tubers as huge this year -Far too big for their pots and I could do with releasing pots for other projects. Took down 2 Raised Bed frames to store over Winter as want to move them into shade. Sun far too strong where one was and too much shade for much to grow in other as treese grew more this year and can't reach them to trim back. -So much to do -Hate being 'out of action'!
Bone dry here still so apart form picking dahlias and tomatoes and courgettes and beetroot for the kitchen, no gardening going on tho I did plant some brassica plugs on a leaf day a week or so ago. Doing OK under netting as I do go and water them. Potimarron squashes and butternuts now picked and ripening on a wire net in the sun so they have plenty of air.
meanwhile, lots of thinking and planning going on while I work out what to plant in the PT once the tomato plants are done, what else to plant outside in th epotager and exactly where to put new beds this autumn so I can get treasures out of pots and in the ground with seep hoses.
The new rose bed needs finishing but what's in there has done well apart from some perennial cornflowers which have gone crispy. We have two new wooden 2m x2m frames next to the terrace so I can move the herbs up near the kitchen and all sorts of other things on the "to do" list.
Just need some rain and time. Patchwork club has now started on Mondays and patch machine class starts again this pm and dance classes this evening and there's a lot of decorating and curtains to sew too.
Hope you're healing well BF.
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)."
Seeing Doctor later this afternoon, stitches supposed to come out today but still very tender. Weeded successfully with left hand yesterday as so much rain made weeds pull like butter. Obelixx -I thought I was busy, but you seem to fit in so many things in a week. Great admiration.
Here is the Lunar Calender 19 -30th Sept Festival de 1001 legumes at Chateau Beaumesnil this w/e -really looking forward to it.
19/20/21 Sept -Moon ascending in Taurus so Root Days. Sow some more radishes to get a 'catch crop' before weather breaks. Pop in some Carrots and fleece them well, pop some Onion sets between the rows to pull as Spring Onions and/or Garnish.
22/23 Sept. - Moon Descending 2.51 pm on 23rd so Noeud ascending so no gardening. Flower Days Plant Spring Bulbs (I bought some lovely pink and white Dutch Iris this am -New to me this colour)
24/25th Sept - Moon Descending In Cancer so Leaf Days Take cuttings from evergreen shrubs and conifers. Protect them over the Winter. Prick out brassicas sown 19-21st August (Cabbage white caterpillars rampant at the moment -losing battle)
26/27th Sept - Fruit Days -Plant out pot grown bush fruit and remember if bare rooted roll them in mud and manure then plant out. Place tiles under courgettes and pumpkins to stop them rotting and to attract last of Summer heat to ripen. (I've found a melon in the greenhouse!! Had given up hope -OK its little but still a great surprise)
28/29/30th Sept Moon perigee before 8.30am on 28th -No gardening. (Dark here now so wouldn't anyway!) Root Days. Plant out Onions sown 14/15th August remembering to trim a little off the roots so that they 'man up' and grow on better.
That's it -end of Month -Just don't know where time goes. -Off to Doctor! Happy Gardening.
Posts
Brain very busy with where to site Japanese maples and hostas in a permanent bed and whether or not to keep the raspberry bed plonked in the middle of what will be the island shrub and tree beds and moving the rhubarb to a shadier spot which will be easier to water.
We can get Heinz beans here normal and organic but we only eat a tin a month, if that. I make my own tomato soup with fresh ginger and orange juice for fending off colds. I have a recipe and some crumpet rings but haven't tried either yet. Drop scones are so much easier of we need a quick, sweet snack.
Oberlix glad dog 🐕 ok
Bio , interesting comment about lettuce going to seed , have a couple at allotment ,think I will leave them and see what happens
Autumn raspberries have gone over while I was on holiday
Also never had this happen before , the rain has washed the soil off my main potatoes 🥔 and lots have gone green , started digging them up now
Lots to do but that’s how I like it
Getting some nice sunny days but getting colder and Autumn 🍂 definitely coming and nights drawing in
Have already bought onion sets , garlic & Shallots for Autumn planting
Lots to do at allotment, currently raining , hopefully the rest of the week is better weather
This Year’s Shallots are ready for pickling , o/h has already pickled some cucumber 🥒 and French beans for me
My runner beans went over , the 2 weeks I was in Tenby , most strange
Eaten our first sweet corn 🌽 today , tried growing it again , not bothered for several years as rats 🐀 use to eat it but rat problem at Allotment seems under control
Cucumber plants now finished and by next week so will the tomatoes 🍅
I do like Tulips had them in pots but didn’t doing so well now so I’m going to plant them in the ground at allotment
I do like peonies , have 3 in garden
We had some amazing red sky’s lately, quiet stunning and yes moon looked good
Hope cats 🐈 are playful as ever
meanwhile, lots of thinking and planning going on while I work out what to plant in the PT once the tomato plants are done, what else to plant outside in th epotager and exactly where to put new beds this autumn so I can get treasures out of pots and in the ground with seep hoses.
The new rose bed needs finishing but what's in there has done well apart from some perennial cornflowers which have gone crispy. We have two new wooden 2m x2m frames next to the terrace so I can move the herbs up near the kitchen and all sorts of other things on the "to do" list.
Just need some rain and time. Patchwork club has now started on Mondays and patch machine class starts again this pm and dance classes this evening and there's a lot of decorating and curtains to sew too.
Hope you're healing well BF.