Gosh you have been busy argueing (discussing?!) I think that we need to remember that this is a Forum and each to their own. Gardening with the Moon is one of hundreds of Threads and I think that whilst Debate is good -it does need to be constructive. No-one is saying that you should believe everything you hear or read, but one should remain open minded to all methods. The Min of Agriculture here in France is currently running Courses for up and coming Farmers in Lunar Planning for Crops in addition to BioDynamic Methods. Pesticides of all types are to be banned here as from 2019. Round Up and similar Weedkillers have been banned here since Jan 1st. Alternative methods have to be considered to maintain the enviromental balance. This weekend finds me exhibiting at Folie des Orties (The Crazy Nettle Fair) at La Haye de Routot en route to Le Havre-with around 10,000 visitors, all anxious to learn about alternative horticulture, I am full of optimism for the planet. Will give cheery report next week -Also Mission accomplished -Polytunnel up -ready to get cracking filling it with goodies next week!
Crazy Nettle fair sounds interesting ? Hope it goes well Thought about Poly tunnel but a bit windy at allotment , next plot had there’s destoyed last year , so I bought a second hand fruit cage , still to put it up ! Off to Wembley tomorrow ⚽️
Absolutely exhausted!! -Yesterday there were around 15,000 visitors to the Fair and I quickly sold out of Violet Cupcakes/Rosemary & Chocolate Cakes and Rose & Hibiscus Bread Pudding!!! -Exchanged some goodies with a Bio Nursery for 73 Broad Bean Plants as I have not got round to sowing mine yet, and the Autumn ones died from attack by The Beast from The East -so this afternoon's project is to plant them! Met a really nice BioDynamic Nursery man who lives near Pont Brotonne south of Rouen. Garden open to the public apparently and he runs courses. He specialised in Companion Planting Weeds and Herbs with the emphasis on alternative medecine and the cosmos. Quite deep but made perfect sense. O/H found a stand where the couple were making musical instruments from old Garden Tools and Clogs. They gave a concert during the afternoon which was really good. There was a Trad Jazz Band and loads of foody stands for all dietery tastes including Vegan which is a real novelty in meat eating France! The best about yesterday was the weather -left home 5am (4am your time!)in pouring rain and went through thick fog at about 6.30am -then the clouds opened up to a reveal a beautiful Moon and a tinge of crimson as the Sun rose. We arrived at 8am to a welcome coffee and croissant and the temperature steadily rose to 20C by the afternoon. Great shock to be warm again -and dry! -Hope Wembley met up with expectations GWRS and how was the Garden Fair with you Obelixx? -Met a UK gardening journalist yesterday and told him about the Forum. Seems Gardening with The Moon was practised by all gardeners and farmers in the UK up to the First World War. -Came home tired but happy with a bottle of Nettle and Dandelion Soup and a bag of assorted varieties of Nettle Seed for Companion Planting. Cats have just found Catnip sprouting in Rockery -Must go and rescue it! -and plant Beans. Happy Gardening!
The Angles plant fair is quite a small affair with a mix of enthusiasts selling spare seedlings and plants plus nurserymen and women selling everything from succulents and cacti to shrubs, perennials, veggie plugs, pelargoniums and so on. I bought some wild primroses from one of the former and 20 heritage tomatoes from a specialist. He uses his own compost, grows his toms in unheated greenhouses and plays them classical music once he's go them potted on and growing. Leek plugs form another stand and a wicker picnic basket to clean up and fit out form a vide grenier chap.
Your fair sounds like fun. We have our garden club fair at La Roche-s-Y on the 21st and then firs at Le Beugnon (2 Sèvres) and Vouvant on the 1st and 5th of May and that's pretty much it round here and both an hour or more from here.
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 Obelixx -Super-U selling beautiful well grown clematis and other Climbers at 9.99Euros this week (Buy one get one free) -May succumb, but really need to get to grips with new Raised Beds. Which variety of Tom did you buy? I shall buy in plants again this year as far too late to sow them. Popped in last of Petit Provencal peas Monday. Will now change to Kelvedon Wonder for Main Crops. Broad Bean plants have taken well. GWRS - Boots the Bengal bought home a 2/3day old duckling yesterday!!! -Went to see neighbour who has ducks -He said that it was a baby mallard and his son would be happy to try and raise it with 7 others he had just rescued from a pine martin attack near our village pond. -Not sure if Boots was intending 'rescue' or 'dinner'!!!!
Pansyface -Thank you so much for your kind words. This is a gentle Thread for gentle people with a feel for Nature and a desire to try different things that suit them. I did actually do trials with 'traditional' and 'lunar' plots side by side. The Lunar plot was exactly 3 weeks ahead 2 years running. I rest my case. The Biodynamic side is however more debateable, I think that we have come a long way from Rudolph Steiner's thoughts in 1929. -The BioD Nurseryman I met at the w/e said that he no longer buries Cow Horns filled with birchsap or stirs Potions for 2 hours, but he does use Organic Hoof & Horn and he does practise Companion Planting as indeed many of us do now. Plus he stirs decoctions/infusions anti-clockwise to diffuse the elements. By the way -This week's French Gardening Magazine shows us how to prepare Garden Snails for eating -Anyone interested? -I can pop the method down here. Happy Gardening!
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Gosh you have been busy argueing (discussing?!) I think that we need to remember that this is a Forum and each to their own. Gardening with the Moon is one of hundreds of Threads and I think that whilst Debate is good -it does need to be constructive. No-one is saying that you should believe everything you hear or read, but one should remain open minded to all methods. The Min of Agriculture here in France is currently running Courses for up and coming Farmers in Lunar Planning for Crops in addition to BioDynamic Methods. Pesticides of all types are to be banned here as from 2019. Round Up and similar Weedkillers have been banned here since Jan 1st. Alternative methods have to be considered to maintain the enviromental balance. This weekend finds me exhibiting at Folie des Orties (The Crazy Nettle Fair) at La Haye de Routot en route to Le Havre-with around 10,000 visitors, all anxious to learn about alternative horticulture, I am full of optimism for the planet. Will give cheery report next week -Also Mission accomplished -Polytunnel up -ready to get cracking filling it with goodies next week!
Have a good w/e and Happy Gardening.
Thought about Poly tunnel but a bit windy at allotment , next plot had there’s destoyed last year , so I bought a second hand fruit cage , still to put it up !
Off to Wembley tomorrow ⚽️
Cats have just found Catnip sprouting in Rockery -Must go and rescue it! -and plant Beans.
Happy Gardening!
Your fair sounds like fun. We have our garden club fair at La Roche-s-Y on the 21st and then firs at Le Beugnon (2 Sèvres) and Vouvant on the 1st and 5th of May and that's pretty much it round here and both an hour or more from here.
GWRS - Boots the Bengal bought home a 2/3day old duckling yesterday!!! -Went to see neighbour who has ducks -He said that it was a baby mallard and his son would be happy to try and raise it with 7 others he had just rescued from a pine martin attack near our village pond. -Not sure if Boots was intending 'rescue' or 'dinner'!!!!
By the way -This week's French Gardening Magazine shows us how to prepare Garden Snails for eating -Anyone interested? -I can pop the method down here.
Happy Gardening!