Bio , thanks for update , hope trip to doctors went well and hand healing nicely
We are getting heavy rain in the morning and watery sun in the afternoons Yesterday managed to clean out g/h and in afternoon took the used compost to allotment and spread it over a couple of beds
We have rain, at last. The "grass" between the house, pond, ruins and potager is greening up nicely but on closer inspection is mostly wild yarrow, clover, wee yellow daisies and so on. I have told OH he's not to mow it. I wanta wildflower meadow there as the soil is poor and lots of it used to be gravelled for farm vehicles in the past.
Have been researching the best time to do cuttings as lunar calendars never mention these and it seems tobe the last quarter of the moon when it is waning. New moon last night so MD's advice to take rose cuttings will have to wait 3 weeks. Should be OK as it won't be getting cold here yet.
Meanwhile we are harvesting and processing tomatoes and planting brassicas and salad leaves. Once the polytunnel is cleared - tomatoes spent abut also Oka to harvest and some poire-melons to take out and bin or pot up - I'll be thinking of moving in the citruses and fuchsias for winter but hoping to plant out the larger Japanese maple and hostas. That way I'll have room to sow some rocket and oriental cabbages for winter and I'll get a head start on sweet peas too so they can grow and flower before the next lot of heatwaves fry them.
Hope your hand is healing well @biofreak and that yoour lottie is doing well @GWRS.
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)."
Oberlix , such heavy downpours , was at allotment yesterday and it was so heavy , water was coming out of the tops of water butts attached to Shed The stream at the side of us is quite high and running very fast Getting allotment sorted out , now have 4 large beds ready for winter onions , shallots and garlic
Stitches out -Bandages off and ready to go!!! Then told had to have Tetanus jab and keep away from soil for a further 10 days!!! - Ignored this, put on gloves which I hate wearing as like to feel plants and soilaround my fingers -Got some Spring Bulbs in 1st October and then it rained and rained and rained!!! So pleased wet weather arrived at last for you Obelixx -Yes go for wild flower garden, Mine along the edge of one side of drive really looked glorious this year and I have plans to make Clover Syrup and crystallise some of the flowersnext year for cakes. Festival de 1001 Legumes superb plus despite having to hold stand down like Mary Poppins with winds of 70Kms -It stayed mostly dry and the Bio Conferences were excellent plus we had the Brass Band from Rouen who gave a superb Concert both days. Some musicians only 11yrs old! Learnt more about cultivating edible weeds as ground cover against drought between normal crops, and despite returning home to devastated caterpillar munched Broccolli -all well with the world. The weather for October between 1-11th deemed to be chillier and wet I'm afraid but warming up again from the 12th although still showery. From 20th a little more wintery with rain. Does not bode well for me a Fete des Legumes Oubliés (Forgotten vegetables) this w/e but I am back to baking loads of cakes. Lots of vegans at this one so chocolate brownies and Apple Spice cakes on the menu. Local Gardening Club have asked me to run a Biodynamic Course next year. Great challenge. Just taken Rose & Hibiscus Bread Puddings out of oven and returned to give you Lunar Calender for 5-10th October
This w/e 5-6th Oct - Moon ascending in Sagitariusso Fruit days Cut back old leaves and tips of tomatoes to ensure final ripening of fruit.
7/8th Oct -Root Days. Stop planting potatoes even if weather mild but sow some Winter Radishes for a catchcrop. Harvest turnips/beetroot and celery as required.
9/10th Oct - Moon ascending in Aquarius so Flower Days. Prick out bi-annuals like pansies/foxgloves and wallflowers for flowering next Spring.
Want to have a big change round next season. Get bright ideas then forget to write them down as normally can't find pen as cats steal them all the time! Was going to pop some anemone blanda on ridge at back of wildflower strip then remembered cat sunbathing area and dust bowl patch -Foiled again!!!
Glad your hand is OK and it is good to keep up the tetanus jab.
No plant fairs of any description that I can fine here but a big local nursery is having its Open Doors so we're off there to see if we can get a pollinator for OH's Beurre Hardy pear. Then a GC I sometimes use has a 20% off offer on any item of our choice so we'll go and look at seephoses and other toys.
Sewing this weekend as I have patch homework to do and a frock or 3 to make for me - easier than trousers for my knee brace - and all day patch on Monday so I shall be out planting spring bulbs on Tuesday and brassicas and lettuce on Wednesday.
Still working on the wildflower plan as OH is not convinced. I think I need to draw it all out for him and emphasise crap soil = crap grass and the future wildflower area has been buildings in the past and is never going to be a lawn. Loads of room for that elsewhere.
Bio , glad hands getting better , have to say I usually wear gloves 🧤
Lots of rain and chillier , have started having fires 🔥 again of an evening
Grew , Cucamelons for the first time this year , don’t known if you have grow these , a grape sized fruit , tasting like cucucumber with a hint of lime , had them in a salad , o/h has pickled some and will try them in a salsa
Another wet and windy w/e just passed!!! Festival des Legume Oubliées came and went very quietly which was a shame -Just no incentive for people to come out. Luckily just one day, but up at 4am to get there for 6am and home at 11pm did not improve our wet and miserable selves!! Still -I did find out one new BioDynamic thing -Hang up Leek or indeed any Alliums in flower upside down in the greenhouse to dry and the smell will deter whitefly from tomatoes. Woke up to find greenhouse cover blown away this morning -No idea where!!! Over the hills and far away I think -(Actually found it in ditch other side of neighbour's field!) Very wild night -Cats stayed in wisely, no self respecting mouse out in this lot. -Eating last runner beans and possibly last courgettes tonight. Letting older runners run to seed. Getting ready for Fete des Plantes at Chateau Orcher near Le Havre this w/e -have reserved a tent with floor so at least 3 days of comfort. Free Buffet Dinner for exhibitors saturday night. Lots of pals there so should be good. Anything would be better than the last 2 weeks. getting fed up with wet now!!
Posts
We are getting heavy rain in the morning and watery sun in the afternoons
Yesterday managed to clean out g/h and in afternoon took the used compost to allotment and spread it over a couple of beds
Autumn tidy up needed
Have been researching the best time to do cuttings as lunar calendars never mention these and it seems tobe the last quarter of the moon when it is waning. New moon last night so MD's advice to take rose cuttings will have to wait 3 weeks. Should be OK as it won't be getting cold here yet.
Meanwhile we are harvesting and processing tomatoes and planting brassicas and salad leaves. Once the polytunnel is cleared - tomatoes spent abut also Oka to harvest and some poire-melons to take out and bin or pot up - I'll be thinking of moving in the citruses and fuchsias for winter but hoping to plant out the larger Japanese maple and hostas. That way I'll have room to sow some rocket and oriental cabbages for winter and I'll get a head start on sweet peas too so they can grow and flower before the next lot of heatwaves fry them.
Hope your hand is healing well @biofreak and that yoour lottie is doing well @GWRS.
The stream at the side of us is quite high and running very fast
Getting allotment sorted out , now have 4 large beds ready for winter onions , shallots and garlic
No plant fairs of any description that I can fine here but a big local nursery is having its Open Doors so we're off there to see if we can get a pollinator for OH's Beurre Hardy pear. Then a GC I sometimes use has a 20% off offer on any item of our choice so we'll go and look at seephoses and other toys.
Sewing this weekend as I have patch homework to do and a frock or 3 to make for me - easier than trousers for my knee brace - and all day patch on Monday so I shall be out planting spring bulbs on Tuesday and brassicas and lettuce on Wednesday.
Still working on the wildflower plan as OH is not convinced. I think I need to draw it all out for him and emphasise crap soil = crap grass and the future wildflower area has been buildings in the past and is never going to be a lawn. Loads of room for that elsewhere.
Have a look at the BBC Good Food website. Lots of vegan cake and biscuits
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search/recipes?query=vegan+cakes
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search/recipes?query=vegan+biscuits
Nigella Lawson has two luscious recipes too tho I have yet to try the lemon one
https://www.nigella.com/recipes/dark-and-sumptuous-chocolate-cake
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lemon_tendercake_with_52994
Lots of rain and chillier , have started having fires 🔥 again of an evening
Grew , Cucamelons for the first time this year , don’t known if you have grow these , a grape sized fruit , tasting like cucucumber with a hint of lime , had them in a salad , o/h has pickled some and will try them in a salsa