Hi Obelixx -Sounds as though you are back to last year's conditions, and your year started well with rain when you wanted and perhaps did not want it! -Yes i thought Milk worked well, and I knw yoghourt works. Buttermilk a new one on me . Of to pick sloes for Home made 'hooch'!Masses in the garden. Just read that you can make hawthorn berry jam -Lie Rowan maybe? -Don't want to take everything away from the birds!
Hi Everyone, Here is the Lunar Calender for 1-16th September 2018
1st Sept -Fruit Day -Moon ascending in Aries. Harvest Fruit including Tomatoes. If latter's leaves have gone over, remove tomatoes and let them ripen off on dry sunny shelf in greenhouse.
2/3/4th Sept - Root Days - Moon ascending in Taurus. Continue sowing radishes including Winter ones. (I shall sow mine again as last Root Day mine bolted) Plant out bare root Leeks remembering to 'top and tail' them -It is at this point that I need to make an apology for possibly not making myself clear about 'topping and tailing' -I was told to do this on bare rooted Beetroot and Leeks -Of course I would not 'top and tail' Leeks or bettroot that I had grown from seed -Sorry for any confusion here -Trimming leaves and roots prior to planting bare root veg (which is the way we buy them in France) toughens the plant up and it re-shoots brilliantly and makes a stronger rooting system. The French also earth up their Leeks and Beetroot - I say 'Long live Moles!' because the soil that they kick up is amazing for earthing up as it is fine and easy to spread between rows.
5//6th Sept (Up to 12.14pm on 6th) - Flower Days. Moon descending in Gemini. Plant out bi-annuals and perennials sown 5-7th June, plus start planting Spring Bulbs. (I have commandeered more lawn for this as fed up with O/H complaining about more mowing than he can handle -I call it 'old age'!! Still it means I can make a super sweeping bed for bulbs and other goodies next season. Prick out Flowers sown 30-31 July into Nursery Bed.
6th(after 12.14pm)7th Sept. Leaf Days. Take cuttings from evergreen shrubs keeping them well fleeced this Winter. No gardening before 4.50am Noeud ascending -Don't think you will be anyway at this hour!!!
8/9th Sept. Fruit Days New Moon on 9th at 7pm No gardening before 7.25am on 8th Moon perigee.Place Roof Tiles under Marrows/Courgettes and/or Pumpkins to give them that extra bit of warmth and to stop them from rotting on damp ground following rain or dew. Plant out strawberries. If they have bare roots, make a sludgy mix with soil and manure and woosh them around in this prior to planting. It will firm up the roots and they will get a better start.
10/11/12th Sept. Root Days. Moon descending in Virgo. Lift all root crops including leeks according to your needs, and lift the last potatoes for storage. (I still like to dig the latter up as I need them until the weather breaks, but this depends where you live -we are usually mild enough until the 2nd week in November)
13/14th Sept. Moon descending in Libra. Flower Days. Plant out ericaceous loving shrubs including small heathers and junipers for the rockery. (Not sure why ordinary shrubs can't be planted out too??) Any ideas from other Lunar Guides welcome on this one.Divide or plant out Lily of the Valley.
15/16th Sept. Leaf Days again. Start blanching scaroles and Endive. Should be ready to eat in 10 days. Start blanching Celery that should then be ready in 2/3 weeks. Plant out Container evergreen shrubs and Conifers, making sure that they are well soaked first. (I dunk all new shrubs in Nettle and Comfrey Broth first -It works really well.
GWRS I'm going to sow Green Manure where Broad Beans and Supermarket Potatoes have been growing. Very dry and miserable there. Trying Phacelie as supposed to provide humus. Will start spreading my oldest compost heap around flower borders too as spent plants lifted. One question -Do you dig it in 'fresh' or wait for it to die off and then dig it in?Did you see 'Dragon's Den' the other night with coffee ground cosmetics? My French Gardening Mag says you can scrub earth and grass stains off your hands really easily using used coffee grounds. Never tried it.
Bio , thanks for update Green manure , going to sow a Winter Mix later in month , from Suffolk Herbs , it’s a nitrogen fixer of 70% grazing rye & 30% winter tares , will cut in April/May then dig it in , in the green , in the past have found it takes 2 digs However don’t let it flower as it will self seed and will then become a problem That happened with some green manure “clover”. ended up having to spray it with weed killer , will never use that one again Spent last 2 days at plot tidying up / harvesting , dug up last bed of main crop potatoes 🥔 , only got half the normal amount Lovely sunny days again Also put some weed suppressant membrane on a couple of beds to see how it goes Soap and water seems to work for me , however , do ware gloves a lot Hope all’s well with you
All well and good here, and hot! 26C!!Off to UK tomorrow then back for Garden Fair this weekend -All set to buy some Autumn goodies in both countries!!
Here is the Lunar Calender 21st-28th September (No gardening on 20th recommended before 3.35pm Moon apogee and Noeud descending.
20/21st Sept - Moon ascending in Capricorn so Root Days - Sow all types of radishes to get a quick crop and ensure good start for Winter Varieties.
22/23/24th Sept - Flower Days. - Sow some annuals in pots (including Sweet Peas) to overwinter under cover for Spring planting.
25/26/27th Sept - Full Moon 3.52pm on 25th - Leaf Days with Moon ascending in Pisces. Sow winter salads including Spinach and Lettuce. Watch out for slugs attacking young growth even under fleece when it eventually gets colder.
Keep those comments coming. Particularly keen to hear which varieties of veg you would recommend trying next year and which flowers produced a good display despite the heatwaves etc.
Hello , currently in Tenby Sunflowers 🌻 are enormous , Dalias are a bit late in flowering , holihocks have been ok , lavender has done rather well , gave it a major cut before going away Flowers at home , Hostas , hellebores and hydrangeas suffered , ended up having to water them Will let you known what I am doing for next year Enjoy your trip to U.K.
Hello back of hols , been to plot to what the recent gales have done 💨 , Pleased to say not to bad , have you been affected by strong winds ? Haversted rest of Patti Pans and marrows , composted the plants Got load of apples from another plot holder Away this weekend to Duxford air show , then it is a few weeks sorting out plot & g/h Hope you are well
We had a surprise 10mm of rain early this morning. Not enough to make a difference but, now that it's cooler we will move pots and trays out into the open again and out of teh shade and shelter of buildings.
Don't think we'll be sowing or hoeing for a few weeks yet tho.
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)."
Really upsetting to have to cancel second day of Garden Fair today. Well, it is on a cliff top facing North/West and we did get the full frontal of winds and rain yesterday!! Other exhibitors just had to call it a day yesterday as their plants were being blown away and badly damaged -Us foodies hung on in until the wind changed direction and blew the rain onto our goodies. The Apple Soup and Beignets man had come all the way from the Midi Pyrenees, and there were some wonderful Rose growers from the Loire Valley -I always feel sorry for the organisers, they work so hard, but there is nothing you can do about weather. Still next weekend is the Festival of 1001 Vegetables and I have been able to save my Beetroot & Chocolat with fresh Pear Cakes, and Courgette & Lemon plus Pumpkin & Apple Cookies for this despite storm and tempest!!
Delighted to return to find water barrels full -they were empty yesterday morning so that shows you how much rain we have had in 24hrs!. Glad to hear you are all well -Will send our rain to you Obelixx, if you have not received more rations already!!. -Still eating Runner Beans -They had gone on strike after I had asked a German friend to pop into the garden and pick some for lunch a few weeks ago -She told me that they had a special way of picking them in Germany that ensured further crops into the Autumn -On inspection after the event I found half the roots pulled up to the surface and stems torn badly. It has taken up to now to whisper sweet nothings into the leaves and pursuade the poor plants to produce more beans. The practical side of me thinks that the plants were badly damaged and set back. The softer Biodynamic side says the Beans were devestated at the rough treatment and went on strike and sulked -and I don't blame them!
Cats all indoors, so no mousing or moling today -which I'm pleased about. The Shooting (Hunting) Season starts in our area today and apparently there are 16,500 shotguns in La Manche (Size of Surrey/Sussex and Kent) - and we talk about the USA!!! We will soon be reading the usual stories in the Press about sons and fathers being shot 'by accident'.
Off to make James Martin's Sloe and Blackberry Jam as I had not reckoned on a day off today -Thought I would tuck it away as a Christmas Treat. Also will brave elements to plant out plants I bought yesterday. Baby Potentilla/Scabious/Purply Blue Primula (I believe it was seen on Gardeners World on Friday?) for 2Euros each and six Cirfe Strawberries (Don't know these but they were really tasty as had fruit on them) for 5Euros.
Did you see the Moon yesterday morning? -She was terrific - A real Harvest Moon -My favourite.Huge and Golden -Went to Bio D Club last night and had interesting lecture about drying your nettles/marestail (prelé)/Tansy and Comfrey now so that you have plenty available to make purins and decoctions after Xmas if needed against greenhouse pests and under cloches. Tansy Flowers apparently are great dried and placed in cupboards,drawers and wardrobes against clothes moths and amongst old books against mites. -Knew about Lavender but not this.
Off to Festival of 1001 Vegetables Friday -Conference on saving weeds, not killing them as they have many beneficial uses apparently. Will let you know about this next week.I know that you can eat alot of them in salads, but this does not stop O/H charging up and down the driveway with weedkiller!! -To no avail actually -they still come back. He has found that neat table salt works on the lawn though, and although we have initially had black patches, it is turning into a good swathe of grass.
Closed greenhouse for first time last night having argued with zips that had not been used since the Spring -Broccoli doing brilliantly in pots, at the moment I can highly recommend this if you lose the first crops to caterpillars which I did -They have caught up with the Kale. I know that they will get top heavy and too tall, but I have a cunning plan to tie them in -so will keep you informed. - Beans still doing well. I am not going to put Broad Beans in until the Spring as just can't over winter them even in the greenhouse. I think I shall buy BIO plants again as I did last year with a catchcrop of my own sowings to follow.
Just in passing -I have alaways been totally useless at growing flowers from seed -This is the first year that I have tried doing it according to the Lunar Calender, and I have had alot more success, -wonderful Stocks/Marigolds and Cornflowers. Have popped in a Wild Flower Mix too and that has been brilliant.
Must close -Off to make Violet and Rose Shortbread for Festival, and if time Aubergine & Chocolate Cakes with Calvados. Yum!
Posts
Green manure , going to sow a Winter Mix later in month , from Suffolk Herbs , it’s a nitrogen fixer of 70% grazing rye & 30% winter tares , will cut in April/May then dig it in , in the green , in the past have found it takes 2 digs
However don’t let it flower as it will self seed and will then become a problem
That happened with some green manure “clover”. ended up having to spray it with weed killer , will never use that one again
Spent last 2 days at plot tidying up / harvesting , dug up last bed of main crop potatoes 🥔 , only got half the normal amount
Lovely sunny days again
Also put some weed suppressant membrane on a couple of beds to see how it goes
Soap and water seems to work for me , however , do ware gloves a lot
Hope all’s well with you
Sunflowers 🌻 are enormous , Dalias are a bit late in flowering , holihocks have been ok , lavender has done rather well , gave it a major cut before going away
Flowers at home , Hostas , hellebores and hydrangeas suffered , ended up having to water them
Will let you known what I am doing for next year
Enjoy your trip to U.K.
Haversted rest of Patti Pans and marrows , composted the plants
Got load of apples from another plot holder
Away this weekend to Duxford air show , then it is a few weeks sorting out plot & g/h
Hope you are well
Don't think we'll be sowing or hoeing for a few weeks yet tho.