Hello everybody, had some rain yesterday if you can call it rain ! Cant remember a summer like this and a forecast of getting hotter next week Never done as much watering , at least the weeds aren’t growing at allotment I use the BBC weather site and have found it reasonably reliable , obviously not applicable to France 🇫🇷 In fact still sitting outside at moment
Sorry for short gap -Had to attend to Mother urgently back in UK -Smitten by the heat in her Care Home -Luckily all well plus returned last night to find loads of beans ready to freeze and lots of Lavender ready to freeze dry for Winter Baking. Gosh it was hot in UK! Glad to be back here to 26 degrees and sea breeze. Looking forward to Lunar Eclipse on 27th. According to James Gillespie in The Sunday Times this will be the longest eclipse of the 21st Century lasting 1hr 43mins as the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow. Double wammy as far as gardening is concerned as Moon apogee at same time so no gardening recommended just enjoy the view if you are lucky enough to be in Scotland where it is supposed to be seen for 50min and in Belfast 46mins. If you are in the South and East you also stand a good chance. Being further West, I shall just look forward to seeing Mars which will be closer to the Earth than it has been in the last 15yrs and can be found just below the Moon on the 27/28th (Same article source) Anyway we are off this w/e to a Garden Fair at the second residence of the Belgian Royal Family -By Invitation!!! This is held every 2yrs and all proceeds go towards renovating the village church near Barfleur in Normandy. One of the prince's married a village girl and they come here for their Summer hols. We are one of 25 artisan exhibitors and the royal family hold a BBQ for us on the Saturday night as a thank you for coming. Great fun. Off to Picnic in the Forest near Bayeux tonight, clients buy their goodies for the picnic off us and we all join in after the Market closes. It's a hard life!! Anyway here is the Lunar Calender 24-31st
July
24th (from 3.28pm)25/26th July - Moon descending in Sagitarius so Fruit Days. Start grafting fruit trees .
27th/28th July no gardening recommended. 9.20pm Full Moon.
29th July - Moon ascending in Capricornsow some more radishes including Winter ones.
30/31st July - Flower Days. Start grafting roses and sow spring flowers like forget me nots and violas in a nursery bed for pricking out later.
Bio , glad to hear Mothers OK , it has been exceptionally hot hear for such a long time , never had a brown lawn before , infact sitting outside now at 9-00 in the evening
It would be good to try and see the Moon on Friday , however , storms forecast but have passed us by so far , hears hoping !⚡️
Your 2 trip out sound fab , have a good time
Lavender has done even better than normal at home & at allotment , not even watered them and the bees love them. At the allotment the plot holder next to me has started keeping bees , have you ever been tempted?
Hello , sorry to say we had an almighty storm at 6-20 this evening , just managed to get indoors in time ,at least haven’t water garden or allotment Just finished raining at 9-54 , unfortunately to cloudy to see moon 🌑
Hate to have to tell you that weather report for August says very hot all month with stormy periods likely 3/4th -7/8th only -So not much likelihood of more rain. I have been using washing up water on flower beds and over caterpillars on brassicas (not much success here -robin helping though as second brood to rear) -Weekend went really well despite solid rain all day Sunday -Overjoyed to return home to full water butts again -Precious! -Lunar Calender for 1-12th August as follows:-
1/2/3/4th August - Moon ascending in Pisces so Leaf Days. Sow all Salad varieties that will put up with the cold from Autumn to Winter. Include Winter hardy Spinach and Lambs Lettuce in this.
5th August - Moon in Aries so Fruit Day - Harvest Beans for drying.
6/7/8th August - Moon ascending in Taurus so Root Days - Sow Winter Radish and Turnips (My Winter Radish that I sowed last root day when advised have gone to flower (weather??) never had that happen before so glad to see that I can re-sow on this day.
9th August -Moon descending in Gemini so Flower Day-Take Rose Cuttings and prick out flowers sown 2-4th July.
10/11th August - New Moon 10.58am on 11th - Leaf Days - On 10th no gardening advised as noeud ascending and perigee. Cut evergreen hedges. Trim topiary and weedkill drives. On the 11th No gardening before 4pm as Eclipse of The Sun.
All my bargain dahlias are coming on brilliantly as too are my gladioli. Have sown some wild flowers given to us at fair in the Spring to fill bare patches next year. Have sown some more broccoli on off chance that they succeed as caterpillars have destroyed last crop. Has anyone any ORGANIC ideas how to control the dreaded cabbage white GREEN caterpillar -This is the one that defeats me. Even with my glasses on I miss them as they are the same colour as the leaf. Don't seem to have had many yellow and black ones this year. Feel very down about it -Just get through netting so I have given up on that.
Have a good weekend and Happy Gardening! Off to make Elderflower Cheesecakes for Farmers Market tomorrow.
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Cant remember a summer like this and a forecast of getting hotter next week
Never done as much watering , at least the weeds aren’t growing at allotment
I use the BBC weather site and have found it reasonably reliable , obviously not applicable to France 🇫🇷
In fact still sitting outside at moment
https://www.meteo60.fr/previsions-meteo-agricole-saint-vincent-sur-graon.html
It would be good to try and see the Moon on Friday , however , storms forecast but have passed us by so far , hears hoping !⚡️
Your 2 trip out sound fab , have a good time
Lavender has done even better than normal at home & at allotment , not even watered
them and the bees love them. At the allotment the plot holder next to me has started keeping bees , have you ever been tempted?
Just finished raining at 9-54 , unfortunately to cloudy to see moon 🌑
Enjoying it thou , like being abroad on holiday 🍦