Thank you so much Obelixx..neighbour will take it in as I am off to UK today until Thursday to sort out O/H affairs. Cold and frosty here, but managed to prune Budlea and Raspberries yesterday plus had super bonfire!! No way am I sowing anything yet. 23-25th January Flower Days on hotbed sow Cauliflower..they should be ready to prick out in March. Biodynamic Calender says divide snowdrops..I haven't seen one yet!! Have you? Plenty of Daffs and Tulips coming up plus one Cowslip in flower. Still managing to drink afternoon tea outside. Big mug.4 Woolies. Wellies and wooly gloves! 26-27th January Leaf Days Start some Lettuce off. On hotbed start off Cabbages. 28/29th January Fruit Days house descending on 28th so no gardening recommended after 9.55am. Stay in bed!! Sow Broad Beans and Round as opposed to Wrinkled Peas.
30/31st January Root Days. Sow Onions. I still prefer Sets and still haven't got that Garlic in!! Does anyone have any full proof methods to grow onions from seed?? So many varieties I would like to try. Must dash to get to pack and drive up to Dieppe. Speak soon
Happy Gardening 😊
Hi, I was told many moons ago, by a venerable Show veg. grower, to sow my onion seeds on New Year's Day, which I have done ever since. I do not know if he was sowing to exhibit his onions in a specific Horticultural Show. We were members of the same Horticultural Ass. but I never exhibited veg. seriously as he did. This year as an experiment, I sat with eyes crossed and sowed individual seeds into small modules which I grew on in an unheated but double-glazed conservatory. I put small clear plastic containers over the pots until germination, then removed them. I had good germination and yesterday began potting them on. I did not give them the care and attention I should have done but the seedling have big clumps of roots so hopefully, they will grow away. I should have potted them on long ago. I have put them into a mix of homemade compost and JI 3 plus a very light dusting of Fish, Blood, and Bone. I kept the seedlings rather dry to avoid damping off but think I should have given them more water than I did as they were bone dry when I took them out of their initial pots. I sowed a follow on, small batch of Bedfordshire Giant and a red variety of seeds two weeks ago, they are through but not ready to pot on yet. (Must look after them better!) I have never had much success with shallots as the weather is so wet during the summer in Cornwall, they kept rotting off and developing mould so I have continued with seeds for globe onions. I haven't tried any oval ones yet. I find storing onions grown from seed keep better than shallots.
That's interesting @Joyce Goldenlily. I've had little success with my favourite red onion sets in recent years but have found seeds for pink Niort onions which i'm planning to sow in modules this pm. Can't get the seeds for the famous Roscoff ones as they, like Jersey potatoes, are now a protected origin species.
The white onion sets I planted in November took ages to come through but are now doing very well. Let's hope they mature before the heat and drough knock them back.
@biofreak I managed to get 4 of my baby mulberries planted along the fence between "garden" and pasture but then ran out of daylight. They'll be espaliered to make a sort of hedge. Only 5 to go but they'll have to wait another fruit day.
We're currently enjoying bright sunshine and getting to double figures this pm but starting very cold and still going down to -4 or 5C at night for a few days more. No rain in view except a possible dribble on Thursday or Friday.
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 bought a dwarf black mulberry in the "hospital corner" of my local GC two years ago. A well-grown bush which I repotted into a larger pot and grew on. It did well and had a few uninspiring fruit on it. Last year I almost lost it in the extended heat wave. It had a lot of die-back but new buds appeared. I moved it into the unheated greenhouse during this winter's freeze. Now I am further concerned as although it has new stems growing, they appear to be coming from very low down on the trunk so I think they may be suckers from below a graft. I am assuming as it is supposed to be dwarf it has been grafted onto the dwarfing stock of some kind as I thought mulberries grew into sizeable trees, which I do not want. It is going to be a waiting game now to see what it does. The fruit tasted like watered-down blackberries to me so not very inspiring. I have never heard of mulberries being used as a hedging tree, they are certainly not bushes although their growth early on does look bushy. Keep us updated as to how yours get on Obelixx. Mine will be going on the compost heap if t doesn't pull up its socks.
@Joyce Goldenlily we have a large 1.4 hectare plot attached to a former farmhouse. Some of it is fenced off as pasture and our cattle farmer neighbour uses it to put an occasional cow and calves or bull and a couple of heifers. He's retiring this year so I've offered the paddock to near neighbours who have been looking for space for their dwarf goats and geese.
One day, many years hence, I might sell it as housing land so I wanted to get in early and plant a hedge on stilts. A discussion with someone from the RHS tells me I can grow them as a pleached hedge or as fan trained trees so that's what I'm trying. We'll see. I'm looking forward to trying the fruit one day but, in the meantime, any flowers will provide pollen and nectar for pollinators and the odd fruit will be good for the birds. It seems they do need feeding to provide good fruit.
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)."
@Joyce Goldenlily we have a large 1.4 hectare plot attached to a former farmhouse. Some of it is fenced off as pasture and our cattle farmer neighbour uses it to put an occasional cow and calves or bull and a couple of heifers. He's retiring this year so I've offered the paddock to near neighbours who have been looking for space for their dwarf goats and geese.
One day, many years hence, I might sell it as housing land so I wanted to get in early and plant a hedge on stilts. A discussion with someone from the RHS tells me I can grow them as a pleached hedge or as fan trained trees so that's what I'm trying. We'll see. I'm looking forward to trying the fruit one day but, in the meantime, any flowers will provide pollen and nectar for pollinators and the odd fruit will be good for the birds. It seems they do need feeding to provide good fruit.
Dwarf goats are adorable. Someone local used to have a small herd which occasionally used to escape and cause havoc running along the main road trying to find their way home If you ever watch Hugh Fern Reningham's? River Cottage cookery programs, keep an eye out for an overall shot of his garden. It is rectangular with 4 paths meeting at a circular centre point where there is a circular raised bed, edged with corrugated iron sheets on their sides. He has planted a mulberry tree in the raised bed which seems to fruit well. In the program I saw he had a group of young schoolchildren who picked some of the fruit they could reach.
Hi Everyone and welcome Joyce Goldenlily (what a super name😊) According to my French Gardening Magazine Mulberries can be grown as shrubs or trees, it's all down to pruning. I know that the one we played tennis under was easily the size of a horse chestnut with wonderful dark purple sweet berries. The head gardener told us that it was about 60yrs old, so I've got a long wait!!! We could be forgiven for thinking that we are in early Summer going on the last few days. At last I have been able to mow the lawn. Have not risked any more sowing or planting yet though as so normal for this freak period to end in wet miserable horrors. BUT 16/17th February are Fruit Days with Moon in front of Sagittarius ♐🏹 In a warm greenhouse sow some Tomatoes and if you can keep a constant 20c some Aubergine 🍆 would be great to sow now. 18/19th February are Root Days so sow some early Carrots at the same time as some Radishes which you can harvest before the Carrots take a hold. No gardening recommended before 1.10pm on 19th as Moon Périgée. 20/21st February sees us entering Flower Days. Time to sow some Cauliflowers Broccoli. On a hot bed sow Impatiens and Petunias.
Let's hope this weather continues..friends coming for tea OUTSIDE in February!!!🌄🌼🌼🌈 Happy Gardening.
Round here they're already talking drought @biofreak as this warm dry weather is really drying up the soil, there's no rain in view and the bigger lakes and reservoirs are not yet full.
It does mean OH has been able to start mowing and I have finally got my wee cabbage plugs planted. They've been lurking, potted on, in the polytunnel all winter so are now out under cloches for the next few days so they don't get a shock before OH gets the insect netting up.
I have some oranges to finish turning into marmalade so no more gardening for me today tho it's warm enough for short sleeves.
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)."
Just reached the half way point with my 65kg oranges!! Supposed to have wind and rain by the week-end..I'll send you some Obelixx!! Glorious sunshine at the moment. Cats moling this afternoon. Caught two..say one to go somewhere around Crabapple tree!
We had 3 days of soft rain last week @biofreak but it adds up to a third of the usual February levels. It's turned sunny and cold again now with a blustery gusting wind. Nevertheless I managed to plant another mulberry yesterday and sowed tomatoes and chillies.
Today we're going to move a rhubarb plant to a new bed which has been liberally dosed with garden compost and it will be joined by two more in pots. They'll need cloches to keep them warm for a week or two.
Hope all is well with you and yours and that the marmalde is all done.
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)."
Eight months worth of Marmelade under my belt so not much more to do. The last two weeks have been really busy at the Farmers Market as sunny and dry plus half term, so lots of tourists and second homers from Paris arriving. The sales have started in the Garden Centres so picked up 25 Belle de Fontenay seed potatoes and a bag of Turbo Onion Sets. Thought I'd try new varieties for a change. Are you trying anything new this year? Let's have your thoughts.
I have good news re March Weather. The Lunar Calender says that whilst it is going to remain windy, it will be warmer between the 1-9th March with rain a strong possibility on the 5th. 10-17th wet and Windy
18-23rd Still windy but getting warmer and drier. 25-31st A bit colder again but bright sunny days expected apart from some rough wet and windy weather on 30/31st Biodynamic Tip. To avoid Onions and Shallots bolting, plant them on a Root Day with Moon Descending ex 18/19/20th March. March is the last chance month to prune hedges. Do it on a Descending Moon when the sap will not be quick to rise 12 to 24th are good days but avoid the 22nd The Moon enters the sign of ♈ Aries on 20th March at 3.33pm UK time heralding the Spring Equinox. Apparently in meteorological terms Spring starts today (1st March) and I have picked the first Daffodils and made a lovely bouquet 💐 on the Dining Room table. O/H never liked cut flowers, so I am revelling in this special treat from me to me!
With it getting a little lighter in the morning 🌅 I am starting to eye the garden with a view to starting the Potager off in earnest weather willing.🙂🌼 I am managing to have a cup of tea outside in the afternoon most days, but the birds continue too shout for Fat Balls and Seed.
With the Garden Fair invitations for Exhibitors piling in, my Diary is filling up well, with two Fairs already booked for March. Looking forward to the New Season.
Posts
I was told many moons ago, by a venerable Show veg. grower, to sow my onion seeds on New Year's Day, which I have done ever since. I do not know if he was sowing to exhibit his onions in a specific Horticultural Show. We were members of the same Horticultural Ass. but I never exhibited veg. seriously as he did.
This year as an experiment, I sat with eyes crossed and sowed individual seeds into small modules which I grew on in an unheated but double-glazed conservatory. I put small clear plastic containers over the pots until germination, then removed them. I had good germination and yesterday began potting them on. I did not give them the care and attention I should have done but the seedling have big clumps of roots so hopefully, they will grow away. I should have potted them on long ago. I have put them into a mix of homemade compost and JI 3 plus a very light dusting of Fish, Blood, and Bone. I kept the seedlings rather dry to avoid damping off but think I should have given them more water than I did as they were bone dry when I took them out of their initial pots.
I sowed a follow on, small batch of Bedfordshire Giant and a red variety of seeds two weeks ago, they are through but not ready to pot on yet. (Must look after them better!)
I have never had much success with shallots as the weather is so wet during the summer in Cornwall, they kept rotting off and developing mould so I have continued with seeds for globe onions. I haven't tried any oval ones yet. I find storing onions grown from seed keep better than shallots.
The white onion sets I planted in November took ages to come through but are now doing very well. Let's hope they mature before the heat and drough knock them back.
@biofreak I managed to get 4 of my baby mulberries planted along the fence between "garden" and pasture but then ran out of daylight. They'll be espaliered to make a sort of hedge. Only 5 to go but they'll have to wait another fruit day.
We're currently enjoying bright sunshine and getting to double figures this pm but starting very cold and still going down to -4 or 5C at night for a few days more. No rain in view except a possible dribble on Thursday or Friday.
It is going to be a waiting game now to see what it does. The fruit tasted like watered-down blackberries to me so not very inspiring. I have never heard of mulberries being used as a hedging tree, they are certainly not bushes although their growth early on does look bushy. Keep us updated as to how yours get on Obelixx. Mine will be going on the compost heap if t doesn't pull up its socks.
One day, many years hence, I might sell it as housing land so I wanted to get in early and plant a hedge on stilts. A discussion with someone from the RHS tells me I can grow them as a pleached hedge or as fan trained trees so that's what I'm trying. We'll see. I'm looking forward to trying the fruit one day but, in the meantime, any flowers will provide pollen and nectar for pollinators and the odd fruit will be good for the birds. It seems they do need feeding to provide good fruit.
If you ever watch Hugh Fern Reningham's? River Cottage cookery programs, keep an eye out for an overall shot of his garden. It is rectangular with 4 paths meeting at a circular centre point where there is a circular raised bed, edged with corrugated iron sheets on their sides. He has planted a mulberry tree in the raised bed which seems to fruit well. In the program I saw he had a group of young schoolchildren who picked some of the fruit they could reach.
We could be forgiven for thinking that we are in early Summer going on the last few days. At last I have been able to mow the lawn. Have not risked any more sowing or planting yet though as so normal for this freak period to end in wet miserable horrors.
BUT 16/17th February are Fruit Days with Moon in front of Sagittarius ♐🏹 In a warm greenhouse sow some Tomatoes and if you can keep a constant 20c some Aubergine 🍆 would be great to sow now.
18/19th February are Root Days so sow some early Carrots at the same time as some Radishes which you can harvest before the Carrots take a hold. No gardening recommended before 1.10pm on 19th as Moon Périgée.
20/21st February sees us entering Flower Days. Time to sow some Cauliflowers Broccoli. On a hot bed sow Impatiens and Petunias.
Let's hope this weather continues..friends coming for tea OUTSIDE in February!!!🌄🌼🌼🌈
Happy Gardening.
It does mean OH has been able to start mowing and I have finally got my wee cabbage plugs planted. They've been lurking, potted on, in the polytunnel all winter so are now out under cloches for the next few days so they don't get a shock before OH gets the insect netting up.
I have some oranges to finish turning into marmalade so no more gardening for me today tho it's warm enough for short sleeves.
Today we're going to move a rhubarb plant to a new bed which has been liberally dosed with garden compost and it will be joined by two more in pots. They'll need cloches to keep them warm for a week or two.
Hope all is well with you and yours and that the marmalde is all done.
Eight months worth of Marmelade under my belt so not much more to do. The last two weeks have been really busy at the Farmers Market as sunny and dry plus half term, so lots of tourists and second homers from Paris arriving.
The sales have started in the Garden Centres so picked up 25 Belle de Fontenay seed potatoes and a bag of Turbo Onion Sets. Thought I'd try new varieties for a change. Are you trying anything new this year? Let's have your thoughts.
I have good news re March Weather. The Lunar Calender says that whilst it is going to remain windy, it will be warmer between the 1-9th March with rain a strong possibility on the 5th.
10-17th wet and Windy
25-31st A bit colder again but bright sunny days expected apart from some rough wet and windy weather on 30/31st
Biodynamic Tip. To avoid Onions and Shallots bolting, plant them on a Root Day with Moon Descending ex 18/19/20th March. March is the last chance month to prune hedges. Do it on a Descending Moon when the sap will not be quick to rise 12 to 24th are good days but avoid the 22nd The Moon enters the sign of ♈ Aries on 20th March at 3.33pm UK time heralding the Spring Equinox. Apparently in meteorological terms Spring starts today (1st March) and I have picked the first Daffodils and made a lovely bouquet 💐 on the Dining Room table. O/H never liked cut flowers, so I am revelling in this special treat from me to me!
With it getting a little lighter in the morning 🌅 I am starting to eye the garden with a view to starting the Potager off in earnest weather willing.🙂🌼 I am managing to have a cup of tea outside in the afternoon most days, but the birds continue too shout for Fat Balls and Seed.
With the Garden Fair invitations for Exhibitors piling in, my Diary is filling up well, with two Fairs already booked for March. Looking forward to the New Season.
Happy Gardening 💐