Gosh that was a shock seeing the cyclone in the archepelago pop up on the News!
Apparently the planets etc were in the same position when the Surnami struck the other year.
Is this chance? Took a very large gamble and sowed 2 more sets of tomato seeds yesterday Sweet Aperetif plus Sungold. Temp guage said 12c but gather that it is going to get warmer this week so fingers crossed
Hello GG. Biofreak has gone biodynamic this year which is gardening by the moon but taking into account its passage through the zodiac signs as well as its phase - waxing or waning plus rising or descending.
The lunar eclipse will have a powerful effect on its gravitational pull, as do the points of its orbit when it is nearest and furthest from the earth and the days when it is moving from waxing to waning and ascending to descending - all times when garden maintenance (paths, fences, sheds etc) is preferable to actually gardening with plants.
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)."
Well I'm all packed and ready to go off on my German Biodynamic Course on Monday armed with the obligatory samples of soil from North South East & West points in my garden plus some homemade compost for analysis. Hope I can get through it all and report back positively - No idea what to expect! Only 5 of us so should be fun. Think of me in the Hartz Mountains!!
Anyway here is the Lunar Calender for 22nd March - 4th April when I am back to report!! No gardening during the last 2 days due to the eclipse and high tides causing total disruption in the constellations. We've had high winds and very erratic temperatures but I still sowed Kale and Brussel Sprouts today being a Leaf Day.
22nd March - Leaf Day In sunny Nursery Bed sow Brussel Sprouts/Cabbage & Kale. For rapid sprouting sow lettuce and batavia in greenhouse 20-25C.
23rd March Fruit Day Start off melons & Cucumbers in greenhouse.(You could also sow late fruiting outdoor tomatoes now too - in greenhouse to give them a headstart)
24/25/26th March - Root Days Sow parsnips for Autumn cropping and plant white onion sets (I plant these to pull as Spring Onions - Much easier than seed) In Nursery Bed sow Leeks for Autumn cropping.
27/28th March - Flower Days Plant Gladioli and repeat every month on a Flower Day up to July to guarantee all Flowers all Summer. Prick out marigolds and geraniums sown 22/23rd January. Prick out Buzy Lizzies and Cauliflowers sown 19th February but keep in greenhouse.
29/30th March - Leaf Days Mow lawns and rake off moss. Spread Nitrogen rich feed on lawn. Cut edges of borders, and trim up lawn edging.
31st March and 1/2 April - Fruit Days Plant Strawberries enriching soil with compost. In greenhouse prick out aubergines/peppers and chillies sown 18-20th January and tomatoes sown 15-16th February - Thank goodness I'm back!!!
1st April No Gardening after 9am - Moon at lowest point on horizon from Earth so very weak forces on plants, causing risk of weak transplanting and sowing results.
3rd//5th April - (No gardening on 4th April Total Eclipse of the Moon at 1pm)- Root Days Plant Late Potatoes and earth up when growth is 25cms and not before to encourage strong stems on which tubers will sprout. (I've always earthed up as soon as leaves arrive - perhaps this is why my potatoes have never been that good! - any ideas on this one?) Prick out Leeks sown 21-22nd January. Prick out Celeriac sown 25-27th February. Thin Carrots sown 16-18th March.
Well so far so good this year - Things seem to have been going to plan. be good and stick to Calender whilst I'm away and Happy Gardening!!
Hi - I'm back and full of new and useful ideas for all to share. Course not as technical as I had feared, much more hands on with logical reasons for vertually everything with some hocus pocus thrown in, which I feel is too 'off the wall' to be taken seriously, so I shall not cover these points. Tips and Wrinkles excellent, mainly to do with recycling within the garden - eg. Don't waste money on Rafia for tying plants in - Use old Leaves from Gladioli, stripping them in half like papyrus, they stay soft yet firm and are wonderful for tying in soft growth like clematis. Just a note on best transplanting dates:-10th April and 23rd April.Due to rain and warmth pending to give surprisingly good growing days for April.Best time to control slugs - 25-27th April due to excessuve humidity in soil predicted during this week (See - I've learnt some new things!!) Will expand on all info during next week, but here is the Lunar Calender 6th April-23rd April
6/7th April - Flower Days Plant out container grown Perrenials and Shrubs including those retained in Nursery Beds. Prune forsythia/flowering currant to allow air to roots and plant out cauliflowers/broccoli sown 22-23 January.
8/9th April - Leaf Days Plant out lettuces sown 19-22nd March and prick out Cabbages and Brussel Sprouts/Kale sown the same dates (Mine should be ready to do by then as found them sprouted on my return yesterday). If you haven't grown your own buy and plant out herbs, remembering not only the good position beside the Kichen Door, but around square beds as Companion Plants. Thyme deter slugs/Chives deter Carrot Fly/Sage & Tansy deter butterflies from laying eggs on brassicas as hate smell (Brush brassicas regularly with bruised leaves of these herbs) Don't forget to buy in Comfrey Plants to make Teas to feed plants later in year. And - leave nettles alone at key points to eat young in soups and to encourage Peacock Butterflies.Keep sowing lettuces/rocket and spinach on leaf days for salads.
10/11/12th April - Fruit Days Sow Courgettes//Pumpkins in pots placing seed edge up to avoid rotting. The French recommend peat pots but I know that you may resist this - The Germans recommend a mix of home compost with no manure added. Grow on in greenhouse or closed cold frame at 18-20C and place 3 seeds per pot choosing the strongest once sprouted. (I can never resist keeping 2 out of 3 and transplanting No2 to second pot (Greedy! and I feel sorry for healthy No2!) Sow Wrinkled peas like Kelvedon Wonder outside next to Early Peas which should be rocketing on now. Do not sow them next to Broad Beans they will not get on together (Not sure why - but French & Germans adament on this one) If you are grafting fruit trees - now is the time to seal grafts onto old stock.
13/14th April - Root Days Sow turnips outside to harvest in 2 months time. Plant out beetroot grown in trays in adjacent row and sow carrots next to leeks to discourage carrot fly.
15th April - Flower Day Sow where you wish them to flower all hardy annuals including sunflowers. Sow balance of annuals that are frost tender undercover for planting out in May.
16/17/18th April - Leaf Days Sow Celery in Nursery Bed under cover (Soil temp in preference 11c (I still sow in Cold greenhouse this early) Sow outside Swiss Chard/Spinach and Beetroot (For leaves) - Make sure that you water the soil that the seed is going to lie on -then cover with dry soil, allowing dawn dew to keep soil moist as plenty of rain still around to water for you.
19th April - Fruit Day - Sow Cucumbers if you missed the first date due to cold and final tomatoes for growing on in greenhouse. Sow Dwarf Beans in wide deep pots to grow on in greenhouse until May when they can be transplanted as a bunch outside.
20/21/22nd/23rd April - Root Days Sow Salsify & Scorzonera/Parsnips
Thanks. Looking forward to more info and tips and am pleased you enjoyed your course.
I sowed 6 varieties of toms and 4 of chillies and 1 yellow sweet pepper in propagators a couple of weeks ago on a fruit day and every seed has germinated except for one beefsteak tomato. Most of the toms popped after just a week and have already been potted on into cells.
Salads and cabbages sown on an earlier leaf day are doing well and I'm now waiting for broad beans to show their noses. Yesterday I started off red onion sets in peat pots and sowed some red spring onions. Tomorrow it'll be purple sprouting and flowers. Much too cold today and a frost expected tonight so I need to wait for a warmer day to move babies from the greenhouse to cold frames to make space for new seed trays.
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)."
Well done - Great to hear good results. Opened my garden to the public for the first time over Easter w/e and response consistently ' How come your potatoes are up already?! My broad beans aren't in flower yet! Your onions from seed are so well advanced! You've got lettuce ready to eat! Your peas are up!' Very rewarding - Good old Moon! Even the flower beds look good, and I'm not a great flower person except in Spring when I love to play with design ideas, and I love roses and clematis in Summer. Have trimmed and pruned as per flower day instructions and all looks good. Best blossom ever on Peche de Vigne but Peach Leaf Curl back again on Flat Peach Tree - Just can't get rid of it. Loads of garlic and Onion Juice rubbed on bark and around leaf points apparently works - Will have to try it.
Ideally yes, but obviously rotten weather could effect this decision. Generaly I have found that uncannily weather conditions have proved to be OK. For example today started cool/mizzly then cold and heavy rain, now it is warm and sunny - As a Fruit Day we are supposed to sow cucumbers/courgettes/balance of toms and melons. This morning I would not have dreamed of it - This afternoon certainly seems OK. Also glad I sowed peas yesterday as weather fine compared to today.
If you can - wait until next available Fruit/Leaf/Flower/Root Day simply because it gives plants best start, but certainly not obligatory, OR give plants additional protection like fleece/cloches. (I have covered the pea sowing with environmesh as I don't trust the weather or those pesky mice! - Cats still not pulling their weight)
Posts
Brilliant
Gosh that was a shock seeing the cyclone in the archepelago pop up on the News!
Apparently the planets etc were in the same position when the Surnami struck the other year.
Is this chance? Took a very large gamble and sowed 2 more sets of tomato seeds yesterday Sweet Aperetif plus Sungold. Temp guage said 12c but gather that it is going to get warmer this week so fingers crossed
Biofreak any updates - my sweet peas are up
Why is it you can't garden after a certain time cause of the eclipse?
Hello GG. Biofreak has gone biodynamic this year which is gardening by the moon but taking into account its passage through the zodiac signs as well as its phase - waxing or waning plus rising or descending.
You can see the sequence here - http://www.the-gardeners-calendar.co.uk/moon_planting.asp but it doesn't give a detailed hour by hour break down that you find in French lunar almanacs.
The lunar eclipse will have a powerful effect on its gravitational pull, as do the points of its orbit when it is nearest and furthest from the earth and the days when it is moving from waxing to waning and ascending to descending - all times when garden maintenance (paths, fences, sheds etc) is preferable to actually gardening with plants.
Well I'm all packed and ready to go off on my German Biodynamic Course on Monday armed with the obligatory samples of soil from North South East & West points in my garden plus some homemade compost for analysis. Hope I can get through it all and report back positively - No idea what to expect! Only 5 of us so should be fun. Think of me in the Hartz Mountains!!
Anyway here is the Lunar Calender for 22nd March - 4th April when I am back to report!! No gardening during the last 2 days due to the eclipse and high tides causing total disruption in the constellations. We've had high winds and very erratic temperatures but I still sowed Kale and Brussel Sprouts today being a Leaf Day.
22nd March - Leaf Day In sunny Nursery Bed sow Brussel Sprouts/Cabbage & Kale. For rapid sprouting sow lettuce and batavia in greenhouse 20-25C.
23rd March Fruit Day Start off melons & Cucumbers in greenhouse.(You could also sow late fruiting outdoor tomatoes now too - in greenhouse to give them a headstart)
24/25/26th March - Root Days Sow parsnips for Autumn cropping and plant white onion sets (I plant these to pull as Spring Onions - Much easier than seed) In Nursery Bed sow Leeks for Autumn cropping.
27/28th March - Flower Days Plant Gladioli and repeat every month on a Flower Day up to July to guarantee all Flowers all Summer. Prick out marigolds and geraniums sown 22/23rd January. Prick out Buzy Lizzies and Cauliflowers sown 19th February but keep in greenhouse.
29/30th March - Leaf Days Mow lawns and rake off moss. Spread Nitrogen rich feed on lawn. Cut edges of borders, and trim up lawn edging.
31st March and 1/2 April - Fruit Days Plant Strawberries enriching soil with compost. In greenhouse prick out aubergines/peppers and chillies sown 18-20th January and tomatoes sown 15-16th February - Thank goodness I'm back!!!
1st April No Gardening after 9am - Moon at lowest point on horizon from Earth so very weak forces on plants, causing risk of weak transplanting and sowing results.
3rd//5th April - (No gardening on 4th April Total Eclipse of the Moon at 1pm)- Root Days Plant Late Potatoes and earth up when growth is 25cms and not before to encourage strong stems on which tubers will sprout. (I've always earthed up as soon as leaves arrive - perhaps this is why my potatoes have never been that good! - any ideas on this one?) Prick out Leeks sown 21-22nd January. Prick out Celeriac sown 25-27th February. Thin Carrots sown 16-18th March.
Well so far so good this year - Things seem to have been going to plan. be good and stick to Calender whilst I'm away and Happy Gardening!!
Hi - I'm back and full of new and useful ideas for all to share. Course not as technical as I had feared, much more hands on with logical reasons for vertually everything with some hocus pocus thrown in, which I feel is too 'off the wall' to be taken seriously, so I shall not cover these points. Tips and Wrinkles excellent, mainly to do with recycling within the garden - eg. Don't waste money on Rafia for tying plants in - Use old Leaves from Gladioli, stripping them in half like papyrus, they stay soft yet firm and are wonderful for tying in soft growth like clematis. Just a note on best transplanting dates:-10th April and 23rd April.Due to rain and warmth pending to give surprisingly good growing days for April.Best time to control slugs - 25-27th April due to excessuve humidity in soil predicted during this week (See - I've learnt some new things!!) Will expand on all info during next week, but here is the Lunar Calender 6th April-23rd April
6/7th April - Flower Days Plant out container grown Perrenials and Shrubs including those retained in Nursery Beds. Prune forsythia/flowering currant to allow air to roots and plant out cauliflowers/broccoli sown 22-23 January.
8/9th April - Leaf Days Plant out lettuces sown 19-22nd March and prick out Cabbages and Brussel Sprouts/Kale sown the same dates (Mine should be ready to do by then as found them sprouted on my return yesterday). If you haven't grown your own buy and plant out herbs, remembering not only the good position beside the Kichen Door, but around square beds as Companion Plants. Thyme deter slugs/Chives deter Carrot Fly/Sage & Tansy deter butterflies from laying eggs on brassicas as hate smell (Brush brassicas regularly with bruised leaves of these herbs) Don't forget to buy in Comfrey Plants to make Teas to feed plants later in year. And - leave nettles alone at key points to eat young in soups and to encourage Peacock Butterflies.Keep sowing lettuces/rocket and spinach on leaf days for salads.
10/11/12th April - Fruit Days Sow Courgettes//Pumpkins in pots placing seed edge up to avoid rotting. The French recommend peat pots but I know that you may resist this - The Germans recommend a mix of home compost with no manure added. Grow on in greenhouse or closed cold frame at 18-20C and place 3 seeds per pot choosing the strongest once sprouted. (I can never resist keeping 2 out of 3 and transplanting No2 to second pot (Greedy! and I feel sorry for healthy No2!) Sow Wrinkled peas like Kelvedon Wonder outside next to Early Peas which should be rocketing on now. Do not sow them next to Broad Beans they will not get on together (Not sure why - but French & Germans adament on this one) If you are grafting fruit trees - now is the time to seal grafts onto old stock.
13/14th April - Root Days Sow turnips outside to harvest in 2 months time. Plant out beetroot grown in trays in adjacent row and sow carrots next to leeks to discourage carrot fly.
15th April - Flower Day Sow where you wish them to flower all hardy annuals including sunflowers. Sow balance of annuals that are frost tender undercover for planting out in May.
16/17/18th April - Leaf Days Sow Celery in Nursery Bed under cover (Soil temp in preference 11c (I still sow in Cold greenhouse this early) Sow outside Swiss Chard/Spinach and Beetroot (For leaves) - Make sure that you water the soil that the seed is going to lie on -then cover with dry soil, allowing dawn dew to keep soil moist as plenty of rain still around to water for you.
19th April - Fruit Day - Sow Cucumbers if you missed the first date due to cold and final tomatoes for growing on in greenhouse. Sow Dwarf Beans in wide deep pots to grow on in greenhouse until May when they can be transplanted as a bunch outside.
20/21/22nd/23rd April - Root Days Sow Salsify & Scorzonera/Parsnips
Thanks. Looking forward to more info and tips and am pleased you enjoyed your course.
I sowed 6 varieties of toms and 4 of chillies and 1 yellow sweet pepper in propagators a couple of weeks ago on a fruit day and every seed has germinated except for one beefsteak tomato. Most of the toms popped after just a week and have already been potted on into cells.
Salads and cabbages sown on an earlier leaf day are doing well and I'm now waiting for broad beans to show their noses. Yesterday I started off red onion sets in peat pots and sowed some red spring onions. Tomorrow it'll be purple sprouting and flowers. Much too cold today and a frost expected tonight so I need to wait for a warmer day to move babies from the greenhouse to cold frames to make space for new seed trays.
Well done - Great to hear good results. Opened my garden to the public for the first time over Easter w/e and response consistently ' How come your potatoes are up already?! My broad beans aren't in flower yet! Your onions from seed are so well advanced! You've got lettuce ready to eat! Your peas are up!' Very rewarding - Good old Moon! Even the flower beds look good, and I'm not a great flower person except in Spring when I love to play with design ideas, and I love roses and clematis in Summer. Have trimmed and pruned as per flower day instructions and all looks good. Best blossom ever on Peche de Vigne but Peach Leaf Curl back again on Flat Peach Tree - Just can't get rid of it. Loads of garlic and Onion Juice rubbed on bark and around leaf points apparently works - Will have to try it.
Can I ask when you plant things out do they have to be on the same symbol day/time?
Like leaf on leaf days and flower on flower days
Ideally yes, but obviously rotten weather could effect this decision. Generaly I have found that uncannily weather conditions have proved to be OK. For example today started cool/mizzly then cold and heavy rain, now it is warm and sunny - As a Fruit Day we are supposed to sow cucumbers/courgettes/balance of toms and melons. This morning I would not have dreamed of it - This afternoon certainly seems OK. Also glad I sowed peas yesterday as weather fine compared to today.
If you can - wait until next available Fruit/Leaf/Flower/Root Day simply because it gives plants best start, but certainly not obligatory, OR give plants additional protection like fleece/cloches. (I have covered the pea sowing with environmesh as I don't trust the weather or those pesky mice! - Cats still not pulling their weight)