Just watched "Monty`s French Gardens". Really interesting and he drives around in my car, a 2CV!! If you have access to iPlayer it`s worth watching, next episode on Friday, can`t wait!
Monty Don tonight at 9.00pm on BBC2 - woo hoo the gardening season is starting again :)
My first indoor tomato of the season ready to pick
Lots of tips and advice on my tomato growing blog.
Hi All,
Those horrid aphids are back and on my Broad Beans. In the past I `ve used washing up liquid and water solution in a sparay bottle which has worked but this year I had a bottle of Savon Noir in my house cleaning cupboard. I remember reading that this can be used int he garden did some research and found that it could, diluted with water and sprayed onto the aphids. Has anyone else used Savon Noir? And what did you think about it, what did you use it on and did it help?
As we have sold have of the garden, long story but a good one, I have moved one of the compost bins and put the contents on the garden! I emptied a good bucket full int he space where 2 tomato plants are now growing, all good stuff!
HAppy gardening everyone!
Thanks Richard. Very good advice. What product would you use to feed and can I use it on both flowers and tomatoes?
Hi all. Looking for a bit of advice. We have no garden, but have a roof terrace, and 4 windowsills which would accommodate a windowbox each. Only two of the windowsills get any sun. I would like to plant up the windowboxes, and would also like to try growing basil and tomatoes on the roof terrace, which has one corner which gets sun most of the day. I went to the local Brico, thinking I would just wander out to the garden section and pick up some potting compost and a grow-bag, but was met with a bewildering display of bags. What should I be looking for? Any advice appreciated. Thanks.
Simon, the organic gardening wisdom is to rotate your veg crops. The easiest thing would be to split your plot into four, three for rotating your crops and the fourth for your fruit trees flowers and herbs. Put paths between them to avoid walking on the soil.
http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/crop-rotation/three-part-crop-rotation.php
I have a new plot ready for vegetables, herbs flowers and fruit bushes, is it possible to have them all in one plt 6 x 6 metres
Just to say that 'small live xmas trees' have a habit of growing very tall hence our inherited tree in our garden now standing at around 25-30' high and with a very wide girth!! French neighbours tell us that a previous owner planted it following one Christmas and it never stopped growing!! Now looking very scrawny and brown in the middle so we are looking to fell it this spring (with expert help I have to add). I've also just lost 2 miniature conifers although 2 have survived brought (out from the UK two years ago) so I don't know why they survived last winter but not this one?
Hi Group,
Bought a small live xmas tree,during the season and he's been outside for the most part, been watering it fairly diligently but shedding needles and turning brown. Was planning on taking it with to put in our new garden but not sure if its just shock and may recover later on or its 'mort'? Any ideas....S
Just to let you gardeners out there living near Boulogne sur Gesse (Dept 31) we have a great selection of bare root Ornamental and Fruit trees in stock now. www.kingdomvegetal.com.
Christmas Trees (cut and potted) will be available from Saturday 3rd December
Many thanks
Nikki
Thank you very much for your detailed response Richard - sometimes, you just can't beat experience. As a novice gardener I welcome others experiences. I know one of my English friends has mentioned digging a trench to put leaves in to allow them to rot down but it makes sense to also lay compost like this and double digging. As I mentioned, I still have some winter crops in one of my beds but others are looking pretty desolate apart from the odd weed so I'm happy to leave those until I spread my well rotted compost in January. Thank you once again!
On the question of compost is it best to spread over the plot now or leave until before planting in the spring? Also, I still have swede and leeks growing are both hardy enough to withstand frosts (hopeful that we don't have any for some time to come as we're enjoying this beautiful autumn in the Deux Sevres) I wholeheartedly agree with Maggie's comment about the beauty of compost and yes, nature is quite wonderful and needs to be valued and protected!
It never ceases to amaze me that one can create a " compost heap",feed it all summer long with kitchen & garden waste and after one to two years can give you,without question or demands, the staff of life to start again,for next year !! Nature is wonderful,forgiving and totally recyclable !
Hey Harriet, unfortunately not. Its a lovely old place but has central heating. However I will check if any of the neighbours with fire places/stoves want the larger pieces of waste before I mulch them down - so thanks for the tip.
Tina, don't you have a fireplace or a wood burner? If you do you will be very happy to have some branches and even twigs (great kindling) to burn. They will need a bit of time to season but just chop them and leave them outside and after a while they will make great firewood. Sorry if this sounds obvious but we've been doing it here this autumn and I'm so happy with my new piles of wood!
Thanks Richard. The wood mulcher sounds a particularly great idea.
Thanks James - will find out where the tip is!
Tina, unless you can compost it on your own land then you are meant to take it to the local tip. Burning it is bad environmentally although fires are probably allowed at this time of year.
James
Question from the new girl!
Hi Folks -just about to take possession of our new home in L'herault. Heading over next month to do some much needed clearing and lopping in the garden. Can you anyone tell me what the usual protocol is for disposing of green waste and dead wood? Probably not possible to have a fire where we are . Many thanks!