All's well with the world here having had brilliant weather this week. Optimistic Lunar Calender suggests that we sow tomatoes/aubergines/chillies and peppers today and tomorrow. Ok -so it does say if temps cans be maintained at 18-20degrees, and greenhouse has reached 23 this week, but I think I'll wait a little longer.
Weather report for March between 1-3rd says showers and light snow in colder regions. 4-6th fresher weather but wet and foggy. 7-9th beware cold nights with freezing fog and snow on higher ground. 10th-18th Very Springlike again with higher temperatures -(Then I shall pop toms etc in!) 19-27th Cold and wet again and from 28th weather very variable and likely to be mainly wet.
Well February was not entirely accurate, so I hope we don't get too much rain -Ground has only just dried out!!
Off to Rennes this w/e so missing BioD Meeting. Did not mention it last w/e as promised because it turned out to be all about making BioD Compost and how to make a Hot Bed -Both of which I think we all know already.
Lunar Calender for 3rd-14th March
2/3th March - Moon ascending in Capricorn so Root Days. Sow some Carrots and Radish under fleece. Sow some Celery again ready to prick out in a month's time Plant some Onion Sets.
4/5/6th March -New Moon 16.03pm on the 6th, Flower Days, so Sow Hardy Annual. Plant out Bi-annuals and perrenials sown in the Autumn. Sow Broccoli and Cauliflower under cover.
7/8/9/10th March - Moon ascending in Pisces so Leaf Days. Plant out herbs. If you choose Sorrel trim the roots well before planting out to encourage a bushy plant to sprout from the base . Sow Leeks in prepared bed outside. they will not mind bad weather at this time of year as they are searching for daylight not warmth. Sow Lettuce and Spring Spinach and Dandelion for Mixed Leaves.
11th March - Moon ascending in Aries. Fruit Day -Sow Cucumbers and Melons.Prune Peaches.
12/13/14th March - Moon Ascending in Taurus. Root Days.Rake over beds well removing weeds and in particular buttercups whose roots will have yet to take hold so will pull out easily. Sow Celeriac between 18-20degrees. Sow Leeks to pull in Autumn.
Looks as though we are about to get really busy weather willing. No more lie-ins! Isn't it nice to have lighter mornings and evenings again. Always want the Clocks to change sooner. Cats and Dog already getting up 6am. Here in France Hunting stops and Fishing starts during the next 2 weeks so no more worrying about stray bullets until September!
The Deer already look more relaxed. Lots of lambs around now.
Hello , thanks for update February has been a really dry month for us in the Lincoln area , have been watering pots , however , today it is throwing it down Also quite a few frosts but once the sun comes out , they clear it Never been so infront with Garden & Allotment
Yes , the lighter nights are noticeable and the clocks forward end of month , although personally can’t see the point of altering them
Remmber a holiday in France 🇫🇷 , on a Sunday morning thought WW3 had broken out , so many shots , then a row of hunters and dogs came out of a forest area then across fields Never tried a hot bed , do you use one ? Watched a TV 📺 programme where they used one to grow Pineapple 🍍 Hope all’s well
Used to grow wonderful courgettes/potatoes and tomatoes in our steaming hot muck heap when we had stables back in UK -Always fantastic crops! I just use Raised beds here, but they do get quite warm with the mulches that I add. Rennes was gorgeous last w/e with lovely warm sunshine, came home yesterday to hail & tempest and had to stick greenhouse cover back together as haven't been to get a new one yet. Read that Chasse (Hunting) has been extended by one month in Brittany to cull wild boar only. 3,000 have been shot this season which is not many compared to 35,000 in The Gard. The Government is worried about the increased threat of Swine Fever coming over the Belgian Border and as Sangliers (Wild Boar) travel great distances, the cull is to continue. Apparently the hunters are not happy with this as the Sows will be breeding soon, and a cull will mess up the balance of wildlife in the Forests. Still eating salads. Boght some White Onions to pop in so that we can pull Salad Onions from June. Sorry about the Artichokes Obelixx, I'm sure we've all pulled up things by mistake, I tend to do it with spring bulbs as many shoot like grass especially crocus!. Snakes Head Fritillary coming up -One of my favourites. -Oh Cats are fighting -Must go and split them up -Dinner Time!
Hello , terrible weather at moment , strong winds & rain , with more to come Glad got allotment and garden up to date late month Recently transplanted 3 Rowan trees & 1 dog rose I grew from seed and planted them in hedge row at allotment , hope they take Hope you and cats are keeping well
Sorry for 'pause' Blown to UK last Thursday on very very rough sea and blown back Saturday. Gales and rain do not seem to have damaged garden too much but have moved wild Climbing Rose that has successfully moved house 4 times now! Never tried growing roses from seed GWRS just take cuttings of one's I fancy.
Well -Aubergines/Tomatoes/Peppers/Chilies/Peas and Mangetouts are sown. Might be too early but noted started now last year and all was well. Trying not to buy veg plants at all this year (Famous last words -First Garden Fair this w/e and you know what that means!!!) Anyway preparing new recipes including new Muffins for D Day Festival on Landing Beaches 8/9th June. Big Swing Jazz Festival planned with actors from Band of Brothers and Tom Hanks coming. We shall be having a stand amongst the Military Vehicle Section. Really looking forward to it.
No gardening today or tomorrow recommended due to Spring Equinox, so here is the Lunar Calender from 21st-27th March
21/22nd March - Full Moon 1.42am on 21st Moon descending in Virgo so Earth and Root Days - Plant Early Potatoes. I'm trying Pompadour for the first time, supposed to be French alternative to Jersey Royals which we can't get here unless we sneak some in from the Channel Islands when we go shopping! Going back to growing them in pots as opposed to sacks or open ground -Seems to work better for me. Plant Jerusalem Artichokes and Horseradish (Something has eaten my horseradish -Root munched off half way down when I went to lift some on Sunday) -Just in passing read Bio dynamic tip -that you should plant Elderflower next to veg plot NOW-Voles hate the smell of the roots apparently and the leaves are a Compost Activater & Energiser) BioD Diary also suggests that you start off Turnips in greenhouse and sow Celeriac for the last time this year as they need a nip in the air to germinate. Lift last Root Crops as will start to sprout otherwise.
23/24th March - Flower Days Prune spring flowering shrubs like Forsythia as they go over. Plant under fleece cauliflowers sown 10-11th January and prick out Impatien (Busy Lizzies) sown 5-4th March.
25/26th March plus 27th morning only - Moon descending in Scorpio so Leaf Days. Plant out Cabbages sown 9-11th February and Lettuce sown 8-10th March. Start blanching Dandelions and Thin out Spinach sown 8-10th March (Mine aren't up yet!) Plant and divide Chives/Tarragon/Sorrel and Rhubarb adding lots of compost. Bio D Diary suggests that you sow Chervil/Spinach and Lettuce OUTSIDE now, plus Under cover or in a very sheltered position sow Cabbages/Kohlrabi & Brussel Sprouts.
Overwintering my Purple Sprouting Broccoli in pots in the greenhouse has paid dividends, (If you remember they were being ravaged by Cabbage Whites last Summer and I bought them indoors) they are cropping brilliantly and I can highly recommend this method, particularly to get crops this early.
So there we are -All up to Date. Cats fine/Dog fine/Husband fine so all well with the world with primroses/violas and first violets crystallised ready for Season of Cake making ahead!
I sowed chili and tomatoes on Sunday but all I've done today is weed pots of hostas and clematis and Japanese maple in the PT and then water them all. Been busy painting indoors and moving furniture.
I have Princesse Amandine potatoes chitting but nowhere near ready to plant out yet. Wasn't impressed with Charlottes last year - good crop, poor flavour, and not a lot else on offer this year in small bags. Didn't want 3 kilos. Half our corp of Bintjes is still in the ground but OH's job to dig them up and he'll be playing golf on roots days.
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)."
Bio , once met Tom Hanks when they filmed bits of the Divici Code at Lincoln Cathedral , real nice person Thanks for update Has been rather Windy 🌬 hear , Have Finally finished repairing fence & posts at allotment , still got one gate to fix , hopefully Saturday Not putting any more seeds in until after holiday at being of April
Well the pictures good! Big Game Hunting here -Boots the Bengal left a Moorhen by our bed over the w/e -So sad.
Made a big boo boo -Put Broccoli in pots outside greenhouse as need more room and they have really suffered from the nip in the air -Very wilted -hope they pick up -My own fault I should have known better! -Still Tomatoes up now plus sowed Kohlrabi for first time. Have taken raised bed off herbs now, will move it to become Bean Bed. Will save me buying another one. Turning Orange Boxes into mini raised beds, work really well for 2 seasons at least. Wooden Veg Boxes always being thrown away at end of Market -If you look out for nice deep ones they replace Raised Beds easily. neighbour building house in field backing onto our Shrubbery, luckily has not grubbed out any of my plants by accident. Look out for Lunar Calender tomorrow.
Hello , we have had some nice sunny days but a cold wind and light frosts Off on holiday tomorrow , on a cruise to Belgium 🇧🇪 and Holland 🇳🇱 , going to places not been before plus a couple of days in Dover to look at Castle & underground bunkers
Hopefully Bengal will stick to moles & mice 🐁
Good job Brexit has been delayed it could have been difficult to get to Dover other wise
When back of hols , it is full steam a head with Allotment Hope you are keeping well , no doubt lots of Market coming up Are you effected by ongoing , yellow vest protests ?
Posts
February has been a really dry month for us in the Lincoln area , have been watering pots , however , today it is throwing it down
Also quite a few frosts but once the sun comes out , they clear it
Never been so infront with Garden & Allotment
Yes , the lighter nights are noticeable and the clocks forward end of month , although personally can’t see the point of altering them
Remmber a holiday in France 🇫🇷 , on a Sunday morning thought WW3 had broken out , so many shots , then a row of hunters and dogs came out of a forest area then across fields
Never tried a hot bed , do you use one ? Watched a TV 📺 programme where they used one to grow Pineapple 🍍
Hope all’s well
Glad got allotment and garden up to date late month
Recently transplanted 3 Rowan trees & 1 dog rose I grew from seed and planted them in hedge row at allotment , hope they take
Hope you and cats are keeping well
I have Princesse Amandine potatoes chitting but nowhere near ready to plant out yet. Wasn't impressed with Charlottes last year - good crop, poor flavour, and not a lot else on offer this year in small bags. Didn't want 3 kilos. Half our corp of Bintjes is still in the ground but OH's job to dig them up and he'll be playing golf on roots days.
Thanks for update
Has been rather Windy 🌬 hear , Have Finally finished repairing fence & posts at allotment , still got one gate to fix , hopefully Saturday
Not putting any more seeds in until after holiday at being of April
Off on holiday tomorrow , on a cruise to Belgium 🇧🇪 and Holland 🇳🇱 , going to places not been before plus a couple of days in Dover to look at Castle & underground bunkers
Hopefully Bengal will stick to moles & mice 🐁
Good job Brexit has been delayed it could have been difficult to get to Dover other wise
When back of hols , it is full steam a head with Allotment
Hope you are keeping well , no doubt lots of Market coming up
Are you effected by ongoing , yellow vest protests ?