It is perishing cold out there, well below zero with added wind chill. I've got all sorts of plants sheltering in the unheated annex now as well as potatoes and sweet potatoes chitting.
We did our weekly SM raid today because we think the roads may be unsafe tomorrow. Snow and sleet expected overnight and landing on frozen, narrow lanes with deep icy ditches either side? No salting or gritting in these rural lanes so hibernating tomorrow.
Wen to LIDL to see if they had their new offers of seed trays ans the like on sale already. No suck luck but we did buy a Clapp's Favourite pear tree for the new fruit cage we're planning. Just need to find a doyenne de comice to pollinate it.
Once the storm is passed it's set to get into double figures above zero so maybe, just maybe, some weeding can be done ready for planting on Friday and over the weekend. Staying in and hibernating till then.
Norman sounds lovely and so do the others. I had an adopted cat live till her mid 20s and another till she was 22. Others have died at 17 after kidney failure but I've learned that happens when cats are fed fishy products so this latest pair of youngsters get all meat foods with occasional treats of cheese.
Last edited: 28 February 2018 15:27:59
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 -Just entered site after Shutdown. Not very easy to master getting in. Are you all OK? We had snow for one morning and that was it -Rain rain rain. Yesterday we sat outside as like Summer Today chilly again. New greenhouse structure up, now just need to get top on and matting down to cover grass on lawn. Interesting to note that during bad weather Jupiter lay below the Moon with Mars above left and Saturn above right making the bio-dynamic triangle indicating adverse weather conditions. Interesting also to note that I received an email from Canada saying that temperature +15c degrees instead of -30c normally expected during this period. So weather predictions were right! Here is Moon Calender from 13-21st March 13-14th March - Root Days Moon ascending in Capricorn. No gardening before 9am 14th Noeud descending. Sow carrots and radishes. 15/16/17th March - Flower Days. Moon ascending in Aquarius. So hardy annuals where they are to flower including sweet peas. Harvest last of last year's cauliflowers and start picking sprouting broccoli. New Moon 1.11pm on 17th. 18/19/20th March - Moon ascending in Pisces so Leaf Days. Sow cabbages and Brussel Sprouts in Nursery Bed and start lettuces and batavia off under heat. 21st March - Fruit Day Sow Melons under Heat. This w/e sees our first Garden Fair at Ivry La Bataille near Evreux Dept 27. Looking forward to this one as not been before. Hope the weather holds, we shall be outside although under cover. Good old Lidl has a brilliant sale on here -bought 1 x 10 saxifragia and 1 x 10 Bellis for £1 a tray this morning. Sun's come out so shall pop them out in new bank. Happy Gardening!
Hello , hope fair goes well Due to holidays from next week and over Easter have decided not to plant / sew anything until w/c 9th April concentrating on preparing plot and what I call maintance eg repair broken fence posts etc Lovely day on Sunday but rained all day today , tomorrow should be ok so will have a couple of hours at plot Bought big tub of chicken pellets from Aldi
Hi Everyone So much for Spring! Froze solid to pavement at Ivry La Bataille over the weekend, but no snow thank goodness and lots of lovely friendly visitors. Coming to UK tomorrow to buy bean sticks etc for garden from B&Q. So glad sweet peas are up Garden Girl, my Peas Petit Provence are doing well but still well fleeced up as temperatures cruel here at the moment. Bought a lovely baby Magnolia at Fair, soil wrong here so growing it on in Pot to go next to porch whilst I 'think' where to pop it.
Here is the Lunar Calender from 22 -31st March 22/23/24th March - Moon ascending in Taurus so Root Days. Now is a good time to sow parsnips for Autumn harvests.Also sow onions as opposed to planting sets, plus sow leeks in nursery bed. 25th March -Flower Day - Moon descending in Gemini. Plant out gladioli and prick out Marigolds and pot up pelargoniums sown 20/21 January. Prick out under heat Busy Lizzies (Impatiens) and cauliflowers sown 16/17th February. 26/27th March - Leaf Days No gardening after 1.10pm on 26th as Moon perigee. Mow and rake lawn instead getting out moss and remnants of dead leaves etc. Give a Nitrogen feed to encourage growth and on the 27th no gardening before 5pm as noeud descending. 28/29th March - Moon descending in Leo so Fruit and Seed Days. Spread compost on strawberry bed and plant new fruit or seperate and replant stollens from last season. Plant Raspberries/Gooseberries and Currants and prick out auberines/peppers/chillies and tomatoes sown 11-13th February. (I'm buying plants in this year to go direct into new greenhouse. Weather just too cold to gamble on sowing early many crops yet) 30/31st March - Full Moon 1.37pm on 31st. Root Days. Plant ut Potatoes remembering to start earthing them up when the leaves are about 25cm tall.
So there we are - let's hope the balance of the month lives up to Springlike conditions predictions. Cats not talking to us as they have seen the suitcases come out again! We have also been adopted by a Saint Bernard that lives next door and has found a hole in own garden fence. Nice dog, not causing problems although cats would not agree. Saw carp jumping in the lake next door yesterday evening.Perhaps Spring is coming! Happy Gardening!
Hello , another blank of snow ❄️ on Sunday but had nearly all gone by Tuesday but blooming cold In Swindon at moment just about to go on Holiday , hopefully spring has sprung Allotment ready for sewing after holiday , hope your trip goes well
Just back from UK -Bought some King Edward Potatoes to pop in raised beds 30/31st as per Calender. Found great sale going on in B & Q Garden Centre -Came back with gooseberry bushes/alpines and lupins -So so pleased. Very mild here but wet again and -yes -supposed to get colder yet again. 1st East for years that we have no Garden Fairs, so will spend time in garden weather willing. Look out for April weather forecast during w/e. Happy holiday GWRS and Happy Gardening everyone.
It has been too wet here on the days I've been free to garden so no advances anywhere. Even the potatoes chitting on the window sills in the annex have slowed down. However, I'll be sure to get them in on Saturday - busy on Friday and more wet expected too.
Posts
It is perishing cold out there, well below zero with added wind chill. I've got all sorts of plants sheltering in the unheated annex now as well as potatoes and sweet potatoes chitting.
We did our weekly SM raid today because we think the roads may be unsafe tomorrow. Snow and sleet expected overnight and landing on frozen, narrow lanes with deep icy ditches either side? No salting or gritting in these rural lanes so hibernating tomorrow.
Wen to LIDL to see if they had their new offers of seed trays ans the like on sale already. No suck luck but we did buy a Clapp's Favourite pear tree for the new fruit cage we're planning. Just need to find a doyenne de comice to pollinate it.
Once the storm is passed it's set to get into double figures above zero so maybe, just maybe, some weeding can be done ready for planting on Friday and over the weekend. Staying in and hibernating till then.
Norman sounds lovely and so do the others. I had an adopted cat live till her mid 20s and another till she was 22. Others have died at 17 after kidney failure but I've learned that happens when cats are fed fishy products so this latest pair of youngsters get all meat foods with occasional treats of cheese.
Last edited: 28 February 2018 15:27:59
still trying to get use to this new forum
13-14th March - Root Days Moon ascending in Capricorn. No gardening before 9am 14th Noeud descending. Sow carrots and radishes.
15/16/17th March - Flower Days. Moon ascending in Aquarius. So hardy annuals where they are to flower including sweet peas. Harvest last of last year's cauliflowers and start picking sprouting broccoli. New Moon 1.11pm on 17th.
18/19/20th March - Moon ascending in Pisces so Leaf Days. Sow cabbages and Brussel Sprouts in Nursery Bed and start lettuces and batavia off under heat.
21st March - Fruit Day Sow Melons under Heat.
This w/e sees our first Garden Fair at Ivry La Bataille near Evreux Dept 27. Looking forward to this one as not been before. Hope the weather holds, we shall be outside although under cover. Good old Lidl has a brilliant sale on here -bought 1 x 10 saxifragia and 1 x 10 Bellis for £1 a tray this morning. Sun's come out so shall pop them out in new bank.
Happy Gardening!
Due to holidays from next week and over Easter have decided not to plant / sew anything until w/c 9th April
concentrating on preparing plot and what I call maintance eg repair broken fence posts etc
Lovely day on Sunday but rained all day today , tomorrow should be ok so will have a couple of hours at plot
Bought big tub of chicken pellets from Aldi
So much for Spring! Froze solid to pavement at Ivry La Bataille over the weekend, but no snow thank goodness and lots of lovely friendly visitors. Coming to UK tomorrow to buy bean sticks etc for garden from B&Q. So glad sweet peas are up Garden Girl, my Peas Petit Provence are doing well but still well fleeced up as temperatures cruel here at the moment. Bought a lovely baby Magnolia at Fair, soil wrong here so growing it on in Pot to go next to porch whilst I 'think' where to pop it.
Here is the Lunar Calender from 22 -31st March
22/23/24th March - Moon ascending in Taurus so Root Days. Now is a good time to sow parsnips for Autumn harvests.Also sow onions as opposed to planting sets, plus sow leeks in nursery bed.
25th March -Flower Day - Moon descending in Gemini. Plant out gladioli and prick out Marigolds and pot up pelargoniums sown 20/21 January. Prick out under heat Busy Lizzies (Impatiens) and cauliflowers sown 16/17th February.
26/27th March - Leaf Days No gardening after 1.10pm on 26th as Moon perigee. Mow and rake lawn instead getting out moss and remnants of dead leaves etc. Give a Nitrogen feed to encourage growth and on the 27th no gardening before 5pm as noeud descending.
28/29th March - Moon descending in Leo so Fruit and Seed Days. Spread compost on strawberry bed and plant new fruit or seperate and replant stollens from last season. Plant Raspberries/Gooseberries and Currants and prick out auberines/peppers/chillies and tomatoes sown 11-13th February. (I'm buying plants in this year to go direct into new greenhouse. Weather just too cold to gamble on sowing early many crops yet)
30/31st March - Full Moon 1.37pm on 31st. Root Days. Plant ut Potatoes remembering to start earthing them up when the leaves are about 25cm tall.
So there we are - let's hope the balance of the month lives up to Springlike conditions predictions. Cats not talking to us as they have seen the suitcases come out again! We have also been adopted by a Saint Bernard that lives next door and has found a hole in own garden fence. Nice dog, not causing problems although cats would not agree. Saw carp jumping in the lake next door yesterday evening.Perhaps Spring is coming!
Happy Gardening!
In Swindon at moment just about to go on Holiday , hopefully spring has sprung
Allotment ready for sewing after holiday , hope your trip goes well
Happy holiday GWRS and Happy Gardening everyone.
No plant fairs here till the one organised by our garden club on the 21st - https://www.l-asphodele.com/activités-2018/21-avril-17ème-fête-des-plantes/ and then there'll be a rash of them.
Enjoy your garden over Easter.