Hello , had to goggle Santolina , don’t think it would survive on my allotment O/H used the remaining parsnips into soup to day , nice and thick , she had made marmalade with Seville oranges 🍊 but really difficult to get them , your recipe sounds fab Hoping to get to allotment later in the week I ordered a steel Rat 🐀 trap , help to keep the numbers down a bit
Never seen Seville oranges here and we only seem to eat marmalade in bread and butter pudding so not too bothered. I made a good one with navel oranges and pomelos about 3 years ago and we still have a couple of jars left.
I don't like santolina but we cover our brassicas with netting on hoops anyway - keeps off the chooks as well as the usual pests. I sowed some PSB and cavolo nero a couple of months ago to replace the seedlings the chooks scoffed and have had them indoors up until Xmas but then moved them to the polytunnel. They are barely growing but not dying either so I've just given them a feed of nettle tea to see if that helps.
We have new flower shoots coming on the broccoli after finishing all the original heads over Xmas and we have started on the curly kale which is delicious. The gravadlax with fennel was very good so I won't bother trying to find enough dill again. I can't find fresh tarragon or chervil here either and coriander comes in teeny pots of bunches so I'll be sowing some of all those, tho I never usually have success with coriander.
It is persisting down now and a bit blowy and set to stay that way tomorrow. Hoping to get some flower jobs done on Wednesday when it should be sunny again.
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)."
I have had great success with coriander self seeding here, so shall let it carry on doing so as useless at growing it from seed myself. Usually buy it as a plant together with tarragon on the BIO vegetable stands in the supermarkets. They both take better as plants but prefer some shade and moisture. Chervil has self seeded all over one raised bed so have let it stay as a green manure, taking the odd snippet for egg dishes etc. Yes, using your own fennel fronds is much better than dill which I find too strong as neither of us is that keen on aniseed, but a little fennel leaf in green salads gives them a lift. We can get Seville Oranges in Normandy if we order them because they are not readily available..I think they come via the Trade Market at Rungis in Paris where you can buy anything to do with food. I pay around 160euros for fifty kilos and sell some to Brits on the Market. Not many Brits here now though, most of them have sold up and gone back to UK. Don't know if Dordogne is still nicknamed Dordogneshire..all our friends are French or Belgian and we belong to a strong French/German Twinning Group which is brilliant because we all love gardening and exchange plants. I have some super German shrub roses and went round a Blueberry Farm when we visited Hanover many years ago. We came away with cuttings which unfortunately failed with me but it was the thought that counted! We have a lot of Dutch Bulb Nurserymen in Normandy and Barnhaven Primroses are still going strong in Brittany. Emptied the veg bin on the compost heap this afternoon and noticed my bright orange tea rose which has moved house with us five times now, has thrown out a giant spur sporting three bright yellow roses..is this a throwback to its original graft I wonder? No name I'm afraid.
Lunar Weather Calender arrived today..wish I hadn't opened it!! ☹️ January will be wet, windy and cold with spells of snow in many areas (I think we've noticed that already!) From the 11th-15th we can expect more wind and rain as opposed to snow and a drier period with sunny spells in the South between 16-17th.F!olds could well come between 19-24th particularly in the north.But from the 25th we can look forward to a sunnier period but rain and wind are never far away. Told you I shouldn't have looked! The over all prediction for the year is for warmer weather from February but a very changeable Spring with plenty of rain.During second half of April running into May a heatwave is predicted but with many areas seeing high winds.The Summer promises to be hot but thunderstorms are always near at hand. Wet and windy weather returns in the Autumn. As ever it will be interesting to see how this lot. Doesn't sound too good. Certainly not gardening today. Hail.Wind.Rain and more Hail. Have just waded my way through seed packets checking dates etc. Not much to replace this year. Are you trying anything new?
Bio , thanks for update on weather After a very mild Christmas & New Year definitely turned colder and lots of rain Been to allotment today , burn all my prunings and there was a lot Dug up rest of carrots , a small green cabbage 🥬 and some leeks which have been very good this year but very pleased with autumn sewed broad beans Also set my new rat 🐀 trap The allotment committee had to do a Video of site for Cat Protection League as part of the registration of getting some feral kittens 🐈⬛ Hope your animal tribe is doing well
Bio thanks for the weather update. I am resisting looking at seeds, as my birthday is near the end of January and the family often give me seed vouchers. Don't want to jump the gun.
Delighted to find Scarlet Emperor Runner Beans now in France. Keep going back to these as a firm favourite. Emailed Thompson and Morgan to see if they were still functioning out here but sadly 'no'. Have resorted to marking up on internet eg. Haricot Rames Scarlet Emperor and there they were just as Moneymaker Tomatoes are and quite a few other favourites. So glad they got popular before the dreaded Brexit. Ground still sodden and polytunnel very damp inside (do not have heating as too far from house and when sun shines even in Winter here it is nice and strong.Our wild cat Bipsy Boo Has (known to his friends as Soldier)has decided Orange box in there too damp for him and coming into house at night now, for the first time ever he has let us stroke him, it's taken three years, such a reward! Normally he dashes in for a quick snack in the kitchen then off outside. You could argue that he is feral but his thick tail, stocky build, exact colouring and slightly flattened ears show otherwise. We occasionally see his father up in the woods..huge cat with torn ears after many fights!! We found Bipsy shot as a kitten under our trailer, despite much spitting and scratching we got him to the vet who removed shot from his head and we nursed him back to health. We call him Soldier on paper due to his bravery and courage under fire!! We thought he would return to the woods, but he stayed and has the freedom of choice which is as it should be. Nice to be slightly lighter at night now, but hate these dark mornings. Roll on Spring.
I just stay in bed asleep or reading till it's light enough to get up @biofreak. Our polytunnel is damp round the edges now but still has enough dry soil to let the chooks do their dustbathing.
Elsewhere the soil is far too wet to weed, plant or even just walk on as it will just get compacted so I've been busy sewing. Once this latest cold spell is over I shall start sowing.
We have occasional visits form a feral ginger tom. I tried adopting when he was just a kitty and put food out for him but he was definitely not keen on humans. Imagine my surprise a few weeks ago to find that the strange noises from upstairs were him, trying to find a way out. No idea how he got up there in the first place as we don't leave doors and windows open in cold weather and the stairs are a long way from the cat flap.
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)."
Joy of joys..seed potatoes and seeds arrived today from La Ferme Sainte Marthe, only ordered them last week! Packed beautifully and including a nice little freebie notebook on biodynamic gardening, plus a packet of Dwarf Sunflowers which go to seed for the birds. So pleased to restock with Early Purple Sprouting Chou Broccoli.have not found it before. Trying new Italien Cucumber Carosello Scopatizzo and Mangetout French Bean Anelinno Di Trento..Sounds very romantic 💖💖💖 Now of course itching to get outside but impossible as ground sodden. Perhaps this is the best time of year though..the anticipation 😊 Gardening 13/14 and part of 15th Jan not really recommended as noeud descending and Moon apogee. 16/17th Jan are Flower Days however and if it is sunny and dry, pull back covers or Ground cover protection like Straw or Bracken from Artichokes to let a little air and sunlight in. Remember to cover up again at night though to keep them cosy. Continue planting bare root flowering shrubs. 18/19th Jan Full Moon and Leaf Days..If you didn't do it in the Autumn start preparing your Asparagus Bed..Open trenches around 40cm wide or just over a foot in old money..fill with well rotted compost and sand for drainage then re cover. Start looking for Asparagus Plants now as you will be putting these in in March. 20/21st Jan Moon descending in front of Leo so Fruit and Seed Days. Finish planting out bare root Fruit Trees and Bush Fruit. A couple of handfuls of Bonemeal will go down a treat to give them a boost. Brush lichen and moss from tree trunks to dislodge unwanted insects/pupae etc for greedy birds. (I've never done this but it is a popular method of guarding against disease according to French Gardening Club ) 22/23/24th Jan Root Days. Thin Carrots sown 5/6th Jan and pop in some Garlic Cloves and Shallots where you have not recently manured.. don't water them in ..you should be able to harvest them in July, so bear in mind where you place them, so that they do not block space for other crops. I often infill in Flower Beds instead so that my Raised Beds stay free for Spring Planting as I already have beds of Garlic and Onions which I planted before Christmas. Sprinkle twigs over Shallots in particular as birds just adore yanking them out when your back's turned. If you have Silver Birch these twigs are ideal as light and spindly. Turning into a lovely afternoon..could of sworn birds gearing up for Dawn Chorus already this morning...Very noisy!! Happy Gardening!
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O/H used the remaining parsnips into soup to day , nice and thick , she had made marmalade with Seville oranges 🍊 but really difficult to get them , your recipe sounds fab
Hoping to get to allotment later in the week
I ordered a steel Rat 🐀 trap , help to keep the numbers down a bit
Weather due to start turning colder
I don't like santolina but we cover our brassicas with netting on hoops anyway - keeps off the chooks as well as the usual pests. I sowed some PSB and cavolo nero a couple of months ago to replace the seedlings the chooks scoffed and have had them indoors up until Xmas but then moved them to the polytunnel. They are barely growing but not dying either so I've just given them a feed of nettle tea to see if that helps.
We have new flower shoots coming on the broccoli after finishing all the original heads over Xmas and we have started on the curly kale which is delicious. The gravadlax with fennel was very good so I won't bother trying to find enough dill again. I can't find fresh tarragon or chervil here either and coriander comes in teeny pots of bunches so I'll be sowing some of all those, tho I never usually have success with coriander.
It is persisting down now and a bit blowy and set to stay that way tomorrow. Hoping to get some flower jobs done on Wednesday when it should be sunny again.
We can get Seville Oranges in Normandy if we order them because they are not readily available..I think they come via the Trade Market at Rungis in Paris where you can buy anything to do with food. I pay around 160euros for fifty kilos and sell some to Brits on the Market. Not many Brits here now though, most of them have sold up and gone back to UK. Don't know if Dordogne is still nicknamed Dordogneshire..all our friends are French or Belgian and we belong to a strong French/German Twinning Group which is brilliant because we all love gardening and exchange plants. I have some super German shrub roses and went round a Blueberry Farm when we visited Hanover many years ago. We came away with cuttings which unfortunately failed with me but it was the thought that counted! We have a lot of Dutch Bulb Nurserymen in Normandy and Barnhaven Primroses are still going strong in Brittany. Emptied the veg bin on the compost heap this afternoon and noticed my bright orange tea rose which has moved house with us five times now, has thrown out a giant spur sporting three bright yellow roses..is this a throwback to its original graft I wonder? No name I'm afraid.
Lunar Weather Calender arrived today..wish I hadn't opened it!! ☹️ January will be wet, windy and cold with spells of snow in many areas (I think we've noticed that already!) From the 11th-15th we can expect more wind and rain as opposed to snow and a drier period with sunny spells in the South between 16-17th.F!olds could well come between 19-24th particularly in the north.But from the 25th we can look forward to a sunnier period but rain and wind are never far away. Told you I shouldn't have looked! The over all prediction for the year is for warmer weather from February but a very changeable Spring with plenty of rain.During second half of April running into May a heatwave is predicted but with many areas seeing high winds.The Summer promises to be hot but thunderstorms are always near at hand. Wet and windy weather returns in the Autumn. As ever it will be interesting to see how this lot. Doesn't sound too good. Certainly not gardening today. Hail.Wind.Rain and more Hail. Have just waded my way through seed packets checking dates etc. Not much to replace this year. Are you trying anything new?
After a very mild Christmas & New Year definitely turned colder and lots of rain
Been to allotment today , burn all my prunings and there was a lot
Dug up rest of carrots , a small green cabbage 🥬 and some leeks which have been very good this year but very pleased with autumn sewed broad beans
Also set my new rat 🐀 trap
The allotment committee had to do a Video of site for Cat Protection League as part of the registration of getting some feral kittens 🐈⬛
Hope your animal tribe is doing well
Nice to be slightly lighter at night now, but hate these dark mornings. Roll on Spring.
Elsewhere the soil is far too wet to weed, plant or even just walk on as it will just get compacted so I've been busy sewing. Once this latest cold spell is over I shall start sowing.
We have occasional visits form a feral ginger tom. I tried adopting when he was just a kitty and put food out for him but he was definitely not keen on humans. Imagine my surprise a few weeks ago to find that the strange noises from upstairs were him, trying to find a way out. No idea how he got up there in the first place as we don't leave doors and windows open in cold weather and the stairs are a long way from the cat flap.
So pleased to restock with Early Purple Sprouting Chou Broccoli.have not found it before. Trying new Italien Cucumber Carosello Scopatizzo and Mangetout French Bean Anelinno Di Trento..Sounds very romantic 💖💖💖 Now of course itching to get outside but impossible as ground sodden. Perhaps this is the best time of year though..the anticipation 😊 Gardening 13/14 and part of 15th Jan not really recommended as noeud descending and Moon apogee.
16/17th Jan are Flower Days however and if it is sunny and dry, pull back covers or Ground cover protection like Straw or Bracken from Artichokes to let a little air and sunlight in. Remember to cover up again at night though to keep them cosy. Continue planting bare root flowering shrubs.
18/19th Jan Full Moon and Leaf Days..If you didn't do it in the Autumn start preparing your Asparagus Bed..Open trenches around 40cm wide or just over a foot in old money..fill with well rotted compost and sand for drainage then re cover. Start looking for Asparagus Plants now as you will be putting these in in March.
20/21st Jan Moon descending in front of Leo so Fruit and Seed Days. Finish planting out bare root Fruit Trees and Bush Fruit. A couple of handfuls of Bonemeal will go down a treat to give them a boost. Brush lichen and moss from tree trunks to dislodge unwanted insects/pupae etc for greedy birds. (I've never done this but it is a popular method of guarding against disease according to French Gardening Club )
22/23/24th Jan Root Days. Thin Carrots sown 5/6th Jan and pop in some Garlic Cloves and Shallots where you have not recently manured.. don't water them in ..you should be able to harvest them in July, so bear in mind where you place them, so that they do not block space for other crops. I often infill in Flower Beds instead so that my Raised Beds stay free for Spring Planting as I already have beds of Garlic and Onions which I planted before Christmas. Sprinkle twigs over Shallots in particular as birds just adore yanking them out when your back's turned. If you have Silver Birch these twigs are ideal as light and spindly.
Turning into a lovely afternoon..could of sworn birds gearing up for Dawn Chorus already this morning...Very noisy!!
Happy Gardening!