Hello , what has surprised me is the Red Chard that I planted last year is still producing new leaves , this time last year it was already in compost bin Ist early potatoes are going well , keep hoeing them up Autumn planted onions & garlic growing nicely Happy gardening
We've just pulled up the last of the chard as it was bolting. Our Red Baron onion sets are very hit and miss this year. A chap on A4A reckons the commercial stock is poor and degraded now after a few years of poor crops so he's growing from seed and getting better results. I shall tray that next year.
Never managed garlic in the Belgian garden as it always froze to a mush. The crop here is looking very good so I shall have to learn how to plait it and store it. Any tips?
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)."
Oberlix , no longer bother to plait it or hang it on string , just store it on trays in garage after drying , still using last years , also o/h pickled some this year very nice 👍
Wonderful last few mornings seeing Moon in daylight crystal clear. It comes up over the giant conifers beside the house, and now we are in a Bunglow, it looks lovely from the bedroom window whilst lying in bed with the obligatory early morning cup of tea. I don't plait garlic anymore as eat it too fast!! Do buy Smoked Garlic to hang up when we go to UK through Dieppe as Seine Maritime is the best area for it. (Smoked over Peat Pits it is really aromatique hung in the kitchen.) Mine is doing very well this year too as are the King Edwards I bought back from Uk and one's I let go to sprout from the supermarket. Off to Val de Reuil 'Rond des Jardins' -Evreux on Friday. Man can't come and fix oven in until next week due to French Bank Holidays (2 this week!) so making different flavoured Welsh Cakes on griddle. Poly-Tunnel 35c nearly all the time and everything is coming up well. Pricked out Brussels/Scarlet & Green Kale/Toscana Nero Kale into crates lined with wet newspaper and filled with compost.as have not prepared veg bed yet for these. Asusual have sowed far too many and I CAN'T throw excess babies away!!! So have 30 of each growing on (Planned on 12!!)and think we shall have to eat these others as green salad. Flowers all coming on well, will have to put them out around Potager next week. Blackspot on roses -think due to excess wet weather. Never seem to be able to cure this. Pushkin cured and Bipsy Boo Ba (Final name for kitten) now a great mouser. Happy Gardening!
Hello , currently on Holiday in Tenby , weather started great then a bit hit and miss , back next week and will be busy at allotment and garden Currently in local pub using there Wifi Like kittens names abreivates to BBB O/H doesn’t like to get get rid of any seeds as well if to many come up
Brilliant w/e at Evreux despite rain on Saturday which closed us down at 5pm instead of 7. Bought back 3 super plants for Bog Garden from highly informative Nursery and 2 Melon Plants to try for the first time 'Gris de Rennes' as greenhouse so hot. Looked them up on Internet and found out they grow well in cool conditions!!! -Oh well I shall still push on with them!. Delighted to find all sowing from last week sprouted and am now hardening off brassica babies in raised beds in their seed trays, as I have found that the sides protect them well. Never been to Tenby GWRS, UK pubs always beckon us -about the only thing we miss. Bought new cooker this am -Technician coming tomorrow to change it from Town Gas to Bottle Gas. O/H keen to do it himself but i put my foot down. Don't really want him to blow himself up! - Must go and make some nettle brew -Learnt about other brews that you can make to freshen up growth - Beetroot Leaves (Dilute to 10%) make an excellent Purin for leaf plants. Marigold Purin (Dilute to 10%)is used on young cabbages and tomatoes to strengthen stems and Tomato Leaf Purin (Dilute to 20%) is great for Beans/Parsley/Cabbage and other Tomatoes. Dandelions also can be used chopped up and fermented to water over pricked out seedlings. ratio: 1.5Kg Dandelion (not root) to 10Litres water. Lots more to tell you -Will catch up with update as well on Friday. Happy Gardening!
Just finished making Elderflower and Lemon Cupcakes for French Royalists at Farmers Market tomorrow. Rushed out to get extra icing sugar and bought a lovely little Penstemon instead!! -Now have to borrow Icing Sugar from neighbour! -Anyway this w/e 18/19th May sees the Moon descending at 4.04pm on the 18th in Air Sign Gemini so Flower Days. Take cuttings from Potentillas and Lilacs. Plant out Impatiens (Buzy Lizzies) sown 16-17th February and pop Annuals out into borders or Hanging Baskets and Pots. 20th May - Leaf Day - No gardening after 9.05am as Noeud Ascending. (Good for me as Organic Market and Plant Exchange Fair all day as it is a Bank Holiday here) Thin out Salad Leaves and prick out Celery sown 14-16th April. 21/22/23rd May - Fruit Days - Nip off tops and side shoots of Tomatoes/Pumpkins/Cucumbers and Melons to encourage stronger growth of fruiting shoots. Plant out Aubergines/Chillies and Peppers sown 11-13th February and Tomatoes sown 10-12th March. Put up Bean Sticks for Climbing Beans sown 4-6th May. 24/25/26th May - Moon Descending in Virgo Earth Sign so Root Days. Moon descending in Virgo so Root Days. Plant out Leeks sown 22-24th
March. It is a good idea to alternate rows with Carrots to deter Leaf
Miner and Carrot Fly.Thin out sowings of Beetroot and Chicory from 6-8th May and plant out Celeriac sown 22-25th February. I'm off to UK Wed 23rd-Sunday 27th May to buy Baking ingredients and top up with Bean Sticks plus other goodies. Looking forward to watching Chelsea Highlights. Will catch up with Wedding on the News tomorrow night. Enjoy your weekend and Happy Gardening!
Thanks for updates Very busy sorting out garden & allotment following Holiday , getting their as weather has been so good Watched a bit of the Royal wedding 🎩, the papers next day was full of it , hope they will be happy
Planting tomatoes, courgettes and squashes today then melon, cucumber and cucamelon tomorrow when I see what space is left in the PT. It's lovely and warm but a bit humid down at soil level after yesterday's unforecast downpours. Possibility of localised 5mm predicted. 28mm was the reality with thunder, lightning and hailstones too.
Poor babies outside hardening off were in shock but have perked up after a night back in the PT.
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)."
Posts
Ist early potatoes are going well , keep hoeing them up
Autumn planted onions & garlic growing nicely
Happy gardening
Never managed garlic in the Belgian garden as it always froze to a mush. The crop here is looking very good so I shall have to learn how to plait it and store it. Any tips?
I don't plait garlic anymore as eat it too fast!! Do buy Smoked Garlic to hang up when we go to UK through Dieppe as Seine Maritime is the best area for it. (Smoked over Peat Pits it is really aromatique hung in the kitchen.) Mine is doing very well this year too as are the King Edwards I bought back from Uk and one's I let go to sprout from the supermarket.
Off to Val de Reuil 'Rond des Jardins' -Evreux on Friday. Man can't come and fix oven in until next week due to French Bank Holidays (2 this week!) so making different flavoured Welsh Cakes on griddle. Poly-Tunnel 35c nearly all the time and everything is coming up well. Pricked out Brussels/Scarlet & Green Kale/Toscana Nero Kale into crates lined with wet newspaper and filled with compost.as have not prepared veg bed yet for these. Asusual have sowed far too many and I CAN'T throw excess babies away!!! So have 30 of each growing on (Planned on 12!!)and think we shall have to eat these others as green salad. Flowers all coming on well, will have to put them out around Potager next week. Blackspot on roses -think due to excess wet weather. Never seem to be able to cure this.
Pushkin cured and Bipsy Boo Ba (Final name for kitten) now a great mouser.
Happy Gardening!
Currently in local pub using there Wifi
Like kittens names abreivates to BBB
O/H doesn’t like to get get rid of any seeds as well if to many come up
Dandelions also can be used chopped up and fermented to water over pricked out seedlings. ratio: 1.5Kg Dandelion (not root) to 10Litres water. Lots more to tell you -Will catch up with update as well on Friday.
Happy Gardening!
20th May - Leaf Day - No gardening after 9.05am as Noeud Ascending. (Good for me as Organic Market and Plant Exchange Fair all day as it is a Bank Holiday here) Thin out Salad Leaves and prick out Celery sown 14-16th April.
21/22/23rd May - Fruit Days - Nip off tops and side shoots of Tomatoes/Pumpkins/Cucumbers and Melons to encourage stronger growth of fruiting shoots. Plant out Aubergines/Chillies and Peppers sown 11-13th February and Tomatoes sown 10-12th March. Put up Bean Sticks for Climbing Beans sown 4-6th May.
24/25/26th May - Moon Descending in Virgo Earth Sign so Root Days. Moon descending in Virgo so Root Days. Plant out Leeks sown 22-24th March. It is a good idea to alternate rows with Carrots to deter Leaf Miner and Carrot Fly.Thin out sowings of Beetroot and Chicory from 6-8th May and plant out Celeriac sown 22-25th February.
I'm off to UK Wed 23rd-Sunday 27th May to buy Baking ingredients and top up with Bean Sticks plus other goodies.
Looking forward to watching Chelsea Highlights. Will catch up with Wedding on the News tomorrow night. Enjoy your weekend and Happy Gardening!
Very busy sorting out garden & allotment following Holiday , getting their as weather has been so good
Watched a bit of the Royal wedding 🎩, the papers next day was full of it , hope they will be happy
Poor babies outside hardening off were in shock but have perked up after a night back in the PT.