All well here, despite torrential rain and humidity. Garden heaving with slugs and snails. Pulled Japanese Onions at Full Moon, Best crop I have ever had - Actually look like onions not just stalks with nothing at the end!! Will definately grow these again. Water Barrels nice and full. Boots the Bengal heroically hunting despite storms. One sodden cat arriving in triumph bearing furry gifts at 3am, is not my idea of a restful night - but he means well, and we have no more moles or voles at the moment. he has befriended a baby magpie, that follows him around eating the odd mouse head or tail that he may leave on the lawn. The parents are not too happy about this relationship, and there is a glint in Boots' eye, when the baby comes near. Magpie Pie planned I think!! - First hint of ripening strawberries and raspberries yesterday. - When are gooseberries ready?? - Garlic and Camomile decoction certainly worked against sawfly. - Must now go and tackle whitefly on aubergines with nettle juice. I see that John Harris Head Gardener of Tresillian Gardens in Cornwall has brought out a book on his gardening methods via the Moon. Think I might buy myself a copy. Comes out in September apparently. www.johnblakebooks.com. - Happy Gardening.
Hello , good to hear about Bengal , you should put a picture of him/ her on site
Been very busy on garden and allotment
Garden looking a bit better and o/h sorted out g/h , things where a bit pot bound , g/h has tomatoes , indoor cucumbers , aubergines but a bit small ( not sure they will produce anything ) , cape gooseberrys not grown these before
Allotment, just got back , planted out door cucumbers / gherkins , french , runner & borlotti beans and outdoor tomatoes all from g/h - this is a new typs of gardening called " planting around holidays"
picked strawberrys , spring onions , broad beans , beetroot and radish
also harvested garlic planted last autumn , done very well , still more to come
did dig so swift potatoes up a couple days a go and disappointed with yield but may have got a bit of blight while on hols
gooseberrys only planted them last year so not sure when to pick , need to goggle it ?
any more plant fairs coming up ? Just being nosey
lots of comments on various sites about referendum !
My veg garden has been eaten by slugs despite using wildlife friendly pellets. Just far too much rain this June. The garden is so wet it's oozing and squelching and the slugs are busy all day, even 5' up on my clems when I go and search.
My kohl rabi and pak choi have been stripped, half my salads have disappeared and brassicas are in deep trouble. I have new babies ready to plant but I'm waiting till things dry out a bit.
Busy taking cuttings and divisions of treasures to take when we move to a new garden so all lunar calendar help with that gratefully received and I shall ask for that book for birthday or Xmas.
Echo request for pics of Bengal. Our cat hardly ever goes out - we found her abandoned in the field next door and in a state so, having fixed her up and fed her regularly, she's not about to risk being shut out again. Funnily enough, she's much more adventurous when we take her with us on hols to France.
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)."
Last year used clover for first time , dug it in before hols and planted leeks and sprouts but either didn't dig in enough or it is to rigorous both beds smothered, o/h weeded leek bed , sprouts still to do
Boots the Bengal would love to send a photo, but not sure how to do it - Please advise!! Whiskers a quiver and paws set to snap a selfie! - On a more serious note - What do you think of Bio Dynamic Weather reports so far that I have done? - I think that they are seriously uncannily accurate. Would love your views! - I took cuttings of all my favourite roses yesterday and lifted daffs that I want to move. Then the Heavens opened yet again!
Take photos. Load onto PC. Resize if necessary as new format won't take big images. Click on camera logo at top right of text box then on image in pictures folder.
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)."
hi gws I used green manure last year and can recommend field beans and can recommend follow instructions and cut down as stated.. the hard part is turning over is the roots need digging up and left to rot my ground was great but now I have a rotervater a crop without deep roots will be better so next year I will look at some top manure
I agree that the digging in is the biggest hassle with grasses, so I chose mustard last Winter and also left sections of my plot covered with last seasons celery and winter radish. All easy to pull up and turn over. I have found the best idea is to cover spare spaces with heaps of fresh compost and let it rot down in situ - Amazing worm count afterwards and only have to rake over - No digging at all.
Hello , our allotment gets horse manure delivered free , so I have spread it over beds in Autumn / winter then dug it in , in the spring works very well
still experimenting with other green manures
Biofreak , yes bio weather reports seems pretty good to me , hope you are keepinephrine well
All well in Normandy despite area heaving with Tour de France fans, meaning I can't get out to the Garden Centre, which brings me to a question - Why when I buy in 'Bio' Plants and transplant them in my organic garden do they turn out weaker and more disease prone than those (despite being late - hence the reason I sometimes kick start with bought in plants) I raise myself. - Do they react to the ground like a foreign body - or does the ground react to them? - Subject to discuss I think, as I have perfectly good home grown broccoli plants and slightly larger bought in one's which yesterday I found had leaves peppered with holes (What's this?). This should probably be on another 'thread' but as most readers of this one are 'Bio' or Bio-dynamic - I feel you may react to the foreign body idea and I prefer a Bio reply. - Also does anyone know why tree bark preperations are used? Bio D Calender mentions putting birch wood with yarrow into earth and cut maple for dandelion - Can find no explanation for this. All ideas welcome. Source: The Maria Thun BioDynamic Calender.
Weather Report
With a wet end to June, I'm afraid July may be warmer but plenty of wet weather predicted after 19th July -= So no water butt problems! Humidity may be our biggest threat, with hotter days predicted after 17th until the end of the month. Watch out for storms due to planetary interactions (primarily Saturn in Scorpio/Uranus in Pisces and Mars in Libra).
So here is Lunar Calender for 2-14th July (No gardening recommended on the 1st as Moon furthest point away from earth so weaker forces)
2/3 July - Moon ascending in Taurus - Root Days - Sow Winter Radish between carrots as they will be less fiery in taste on harvesting - also deflect carrot fly on late crops.
4/5 July - New Moon - Moon descending (so remember now is the time to trim hedges again and transplant plus take cuttings) - Flower Days so take cuttings of all shrubs (I include roses in this as they work well for me at this time of year as opposed to Aug/Sept) Prick out bi-annuals and perennials sown 29/30 May.
6th July - Moon in Cancer - Leaf Day - Start blanching scaroles and harvest 10-15 days later.
7/8/9 July - Moon descending in Leo - Fruit Days Prune apples and pears and take growing tips out of tomatoes/cucumbers/Courgettes. Prepare new Strawberry beds for August planting.
10/11/12/13 July - (No gardening until after 11.30am Moon closest to Earth so damaging forces)
Root Days - Prepare soil for sowing onions in mid August. Lift Garlic/Onions and Shallots leaving them out on soil to dry for 3/4 days (I pop them under garden table when it is wet so they are still on the ground but sheltered and won't mould) Lift Potatoes if foliage yellowed. Thin out Turnips and carrots sown 23/24th June.
14/15 July - Flower Days. Moon in Libra. De'head rigourously to encourage new flowers. Gather and dry plus crystalise edible flowers. -(Lavender/marigolds/chives) Make syrups and compotes with wild flowers. MY TIP Roll goat cheese or mozzarella in edible flowers - delicious. - Have you any wild flower recipes??
There we go - Off to Medieval Fair in Bayeux now to nose round Bio Apothecary Stand with lots of new herbs to buy - (I hope!!) Still raining, but fine drizzle which is great for tender plants. The purple Phormium fronted by silver Curry Plant and variagated Agapanthus looks stunning against grey sky. - All weather has a silver lining I think.
Happy Gardening - and Keep those Thoughts coming!!! We need to talk!!!
Posts
All well here, despite torrential rain and humidity. Garden heaving with slugs and snails. Pulled Japanese Onions at Full Moon, Best crop I have ever had - Actually look like onions not just stalks with nothing at the end!! Will definately grow these again. Water Barrels nice and full. Boots the Bengal heroically hunting despite storms. One sodden cat arriving in triumph bearing furry gifts at 3am, is not my idea of a restful night - but he means well, and we have no more moles or voles at the moment. he has befriended a baby magpie, that follows him around eating the odd mouse head or tail that he may leave on the lawn. The parents are not too happy about this relationship, and there is a glint in Boots' eye, when the baby comes near. Magpie Pie planned I think!! - First hint of ripening strawberries and raspberries yesterday. - When are gooseberries ready?? - Garlic and Camomile decoction certainly worked against sawfly. - Must now go and tackle whitefly on aubergines with nettle juice. I see that John Harris Head Gardener of Tresillian Gardens in Cornwall has brought out a book on his gardening methods via the Moon. Think I might buy myself a copy. Comes out in September apparently. www.johnblakebooks.com. - Happy Gardening.
Hello , good to hear about Bengal , you should put a picture of him/ her on site
Been very busy on garden and allotment
Garden looking a bit better and o/h sorted out g/h , things where a bit pot bound , g/h has tomatoes , indoor cucumbers , aubergines but a bit small ( not sure they will produce anything ) , cape gooseberrys not grown these before
Allotment, just got back , planted out door cucumbers / gherkins , french , runner & borlotti beans and outdoor tomatoes all from g/h - this is a new typs of gardening called " planting around holidays"
picked strawberrys , spring onions , broad beans , beetroot and radish
also harvested garlic planted last autumn , done very well , still more to come
did dig so swift potatoes up a couple days a go and disappointed with yield but may have got a bit of blight while on hols
gooseberrys only planted them last year so not sure when to pick , need to goggle it ?
any more plant fairs coming up ? Just being nosey
lots of comments on various sites about referendum !
Hope you are keepping well
My veg garden has been eaten by slugs despite using wildlife friendly pellets. Just far too much rain this June. The garden is so wet it's oozing and squelching and the slugs are busy all day, even 5' up on my clems when I go and search.
My kohl rabi and pak choi have been stripped, half my salads have disappeared and brassicas are in deep trouble. I have new babies ready to plant but I'm waiting till things dry out a bit.
Busy taking cuttings and divisions of treasures to take when we move to a new garden so all lunar calendar help with that gratefully received and I shall ask for that book for birthday or Xmas.
Echo request for pics of Bengal. Our cat hardly ever goes out - we found her abandoned in the field next door and in a state so, having fixed her up and fed her regularly, she's not about to risk being shut out again. Funnily enough, she's much more adventurous when we take her with us on hols to France.
Hello , don't known if you use green manure
Last year used clover for first time , dug it in before hols and planted leeks and sprouts but either didn't dig in enough or it is to rigorous both beds smothered, o/h weeded leek bed , sprouts still to do
Will not use clover again
Hope you and Bengal are keeping well
Boots the Bengal would love to send a photo, but not sure how to do it - Please advise!! Whiskers a quiver and paws set to snap a selfie! - On a more serious note - What do you think of Bio Dynamic Weather reports so far that I have done? - I think that they are seriously uncannily accurate. Would love your views! - I took cuttings of all my favourite roses yesterday and lifted daffs that I want to move. Then the Heavens opened yet again!
Take photos. Load onto PC. Resize if necessary as new format won't take big images. Click on camera logo at top right of text box then on image in pictures folder.
hi gws I used green manure last year and can recommend field beans and can recommend follow instructions and cut down as stated.. the hard part is turning over is the roots need digging up and left to rot my ground was great but now I have a rotervater a crop without deep roots will be better so next year I will look at some top manure
I agree that the digging in is the biggest hassle with grasses, so I chose mustard last Winter and also left sections of my plot covered with last seasons celery and winter radish. All easy to pull up and turn over. I have found the best idea is to cover spare spaces with heaps of fresh compost and let it rot down in situ - Amazing worm count afterwards and only have to rake over - No digging at all.
Hello , our allotment gets horse manure delivered free , so I have spread it over beds in Autumn / winter then dug it in , in the spring works very well
still experimenting with other green manures
Biofreak , yes bio weather reports seems pretty good to me , hope you are keepinephrine well
Hi everyone
All well in Normandy despite area heaving with Tour de France fans, meaning I can't get out to the Garden Centre, which brings me to a question - Why when I buy in 'Bio' Plants and transplant them in my organic garden do they turn out weaker and more disease prone than those (despite being late - hence the reason I sometimes kick start with bought in plants) I raise myself. - Do they react to the ground like a foreign body - or does the ground react to them? - Subject to discuss I think, as I have perfectly good home grown broccoli plants and slightly larger bought in one's which yesterday I found had leaves peppered with holes (What's this?). This should probably be on another 'thread' but as most readers of this one are 'Bio' or Bio-dynamic - I feel you may react to the foreign body idea and I prefer a Bio reply. - Also does anyone know why tree bark preperations are used? Bio D Calender mentions putting birch wood with yarrow into earth and cut maple for dandelion - Can find no explanation for this. All ideas welcome. Source: The Maria Thun BioDynamic Calender.
Weather Report
With a wet end to June, I'm afraid July may be warmer but plenty of wet weather predicted after 19th July -= So no water butt problems! Humidity may be our biggest threat, with hotter days predicted after 17th until the end of the month. Watch out for storms due to planetary interactions (primarily Saturn in Scorpio/Uranus in Pisces and Mars in Libra).
So here is Lunar Calender for 2-14th July (No gardening recommended on the 1st as Moon furthest point away from earth so weaker forces)
2/3 July - Moon ascending in Taurus - Root Days - Sow Winter Radish between carrots as they will be less fiery in taste on harvesting - also deflect carrot fly on late crops.
4/5 July - New Moon - Moon descending (so remember now is the time to trim hedges again and transplant plus take cuttings) - Flower Days so take cuttings of all shrubs (I include roses in this as they work well for me at this time of year as opposed to Aug/Sept) Prick out bi-annuals and perennials sown 29/30 May.
6th July - Moon in Cancer - Leaf Day - Start blanching scaroles and harvest 10-15 days later.
7/8/9 July - Moon descending in Leo - Fruit Days Prune apples and pears and take growing tips out of tomatoes/cucumbers/Courgettes. Prepare new Strawberry beds for August planting.
10/11/12/13 July - (No gardening until after 11.30am Moon closest to Earth so damaging forces)
Root Days - Prepare soil for sowing onions in mid August. Lift Garlic/Onions and Shallots leaving them out on soil to dry for 3/4 days (I pop them under garden table when it is wet so they are still on the ground but sheltered and won't mould) Lift Potatoes if foliage yellowed. Thin out Turnips and carrots sown 23/24th June.
14/15 July - Flower Days. Moon in Libra. De'head rigourously to encourage new flowers. Gather and dry plus crystalise edible flowers. -(Lavender/marigolds/chives) Make syrups and compotes with wild flowers. MY TIP Roll goat cheese or mozzarella in edible flowers - delicious. - Have you any wild flower recipes??
There we go - Off to Medieval Fair in Bayeux now to nose round Bio Apothecary Stand with lots of new herbs to buy - (I hope!!) Still raining, but fine drizzle which is great for tender plants. The purple Phormium fronted by silver Curry Plant and variagated Agapanthus looks stunning against grey sky. - All weather has a silver lining I think.
Happy Gardening - and Keep those Thoughts coming!!! We need to talk!!!